Terrified about selling privately

C

Cherrypipp

Guest
Me again.

I am very nervous about selling my car privately. I'm not nervous about the haggling etc, but I am worried that nobody will buy it. I've put it on carzone.ie and buyandsell.ie. If it doesn't sell privately, what do I do then? Will any garages buy it for me, albeit at a lower price? I still have the option of trading it in against the car I've put a deposit on.

Any advice appreciated.
 
Get a mate to sell it for you (or at least be there with you if a potential buyer comes to view it) and let them do the dirty work.
 
Thanks a lot for the reply! But actually I'm not worried about the selling it part...it's actually getting people to come and WANT it is what is bothering me. I am nervous that I am never going to sell it.

I have put a €500 deposit on another Colt and am just wondering if I should just trade in the old one for the lousy trade in offered, or chance selling it privately.

Do I have any options if it doesn't sell privately? Will any garage buy it from me?
 
Hi Cherrypipp, personally I think selling your own car privately is always the better option. You do better on two fronts, because you can get more for your own car by selling it privately and as a cash customer you should get a discount on the "new" car. I've sold a few cars recently, two for myself, and one each for my fiance and sister. (to avoid them having to deal with Joe Public) I think carzone.ie is the best platform. The key thing is to have good photos and always be on the "cheapest" page if there are lots of similar cars. Look at how the garages themselves take photos and try and replicate them. Work out the price of the new car on a straight deal while selling your own car privately versus the price of trading in your own car and see what that means for you financially. The difference can be thousands and well worth the effort. On a different note, just be careful about meeting potential buyers alone especially if you are female (I don't know, are you?) In my experience, if you are selling a cheap car (say in the 1000 to 6000 range) you'll meet some extremely dodgy people, especially dare I say it not from these parts. As a last resort, most main garages dispose of their trade ins through freelance "Arthur Daly" types who often just work from a mobile phone. Sometimes if you're lucky, the sales guy in the garage will put you into contact with them. Basically these guys will write you a cheque for your car. Say you're being offered a trade in of €10,000 but cars like yours are available on carzone for €14,000. The guy will write you a cheque for €11,500 and sell it himself making a quick buck. Not as good as selling it yourself but maybe worth a try.Best of luck
 
I sold a car privately a few years ago, and found that the words "must sell" in the ad (together with a fair asking price) attracted good interest.
 
I agree that carzone.ie is probably the best internet site but don't discount your local rag. Lots of people still look to the papers first. Is there one that is distributed free in you locality? The other advantage of this is that the potential buyer will be local and perhaps more inclined to come and view the car. I would think that a Colt in good condition and fairly priced should be relatively easy to shift.
 
Don't give your car to anyone to sell for you unless they pay for it first in full.
 
Don't give your car to anyone to sell for you unless they pay for it first in full.


And make sure that you (and NOT the buyer) fill in and send the logbook to formalise the change of ownership. I had endless trouble once when I let the buyer handle it - they never taxed or insured the car and I ended up with the fines (they were voided eventually, but who wants the hassle?).

Use the BuyandSell or your local free ads paper. Don't be too enthusiastic on the pricing, and you should sell it OK. If it does not, drop the price till it does.
 
Cherrypip, just a quick point. My sister put her car up for sale on carzone and didn't get any interest until she put a photo up as well - sold it easily then (got a pretty good price) and asked the person to give her a bankdraft...

M
 
Cherrypip,

If you set the price a modest amount (that you are happy with) above the trade price offered then you should be able to sell it fairly past, I found that with the last car I sold. If you do get someone interested you then need to hold your ground saying that the price is very reasonable and that you are not budging off it. Advertising in the local paper also helped.

Tom
 
Thank you all so very much for all the advice. I am feeling a lot better about it all now. I took some lovely pics this morning of the car and will stick them up online now. And thanks for the advice about dodgy characters-as a woman, I will definitely be taking extreme care with who I meet and where.

Again, thanks again for taking the time to write. Will let you all know how I get on.
 
And make sure that you (and NOT the buyer) fill in and send the logbook to formalise the change of ownership.

Who is legally required to do this ?
What proof of ownership does the buyer have?
 
Just a quick update...I sold it! I am delighted and got a good bit more than I would have if I'd traded it in. It was easy in the end, but I guess the car is in good shape and good value.

Thanks again for all the advice!!

A
 
well done cherrypip, which one brought about the sale, am in a similiar situation looking to sell a 2001 VW passat, but waiting until July as looking to change to a Dsl car.

How did you price your car, was it above/below those on CBG?

Thanks for any help you can provide
 
Hey there Cloughy,

Mine sold by pure luck to be honest. I was at a class on Saturday and mentioned that I was selling, and one of my classmates daughter's boyfriend was looking for his first car. It's a 00 red mitsubishi colt in great condition with low mileage so ideal for a lad looking to get on the road. I also put it up on carzone.ie with some nice pics and got a bunch of calls within a few hours from people looking for it. I put it up for €3750 as I was told by a dealer that the people looking for 5k plus for a 00 Colt on Carzone were wasting their time and he said to put it up for 3k. I sold it for 3500. Got a great deal on my new one so I am very very pleased all round.

Good luck with your's! I hope it goes well.

Also, I just had it valeted with Shine Express (thanks to this board) and the car looks so good now I am (nearly) sorry to see it go!!

A