The Complete Car Selling Guide
By the Auto Dealer Team
Selling a car can seem like a real chore. It is true that there is a lot of work involved in taking a vehicle to the market. Not only do you have to get the car ready for a sale, but you also have to place ads, respond to those who enquire about your vehicle, and then deal with an uncertain number of visitors, some of whom may have no actual interest in buying from you. Sometimes the entire situation can seem like more trouble than it is worth.
There are a few things you can do, however, that can make selling a vehicle as painless a process as possible. This guide from Auto Dealer website is designed to help you get the price you are asking for your car or truck in as little time as possible, and in as safe and efficient a manner as possible. It takes you through the different steps every seller needs to consider and offers advice on how to handle potential buyers, how to advertise your automobile, how to figure out how much it is worth on the market and how to bargain effectively once it comes time to make a deal.
Preparing Your Car For Sale
It seems like a simple suggestion, but it is one which is ignored time and time again – cleaning your car can make a huge difference when it comes time to sell. Think about it carefully: which car would you be more willing to buy, one which is covered with a layer of grime and dirt, or one which is sparkling clean inside and out? Not only does a clean car show off how good it looks, but it also indicates to the buyer that you care about the vehicle and have most likely maintained it well during the course of your ownership.
There are a few other steps you can take to help give your car a better chance in a sale. The first is to take care of any small repairs which might be needed – burnt-out bulbs, cracked taillights, torn seats, etc. Make sure that the oil, power steering fluid and coolant are filled to the proper level, and that the vehicle isn’t leaking anything onto the ground. Having the right about of air in each tire and enough gas in the tank for a test drive is another simple preparation that can make a difference in the mind of a buyer. Paying attention to the small details is a great way to gain an edge over other sellers.
Depreciation and Pricing
It can be hard to be objective about the price of your own car. After all, it has served you well and you may have developed an emotional attachment to it over the course of thousands of miles. Unfortunately, when it comes time to sell you have to cut any bond you have with the car or truck and recognize the market forces at work with regards to pricing.
This doesn’t mean you should send the car away with the first tire-kicker who shows up and makes you an offer. What it does mean is that you should understand how much your car has depreciated since you bought it. Generally speaking, luxury cars are much worse at holding their value than more common vehicles, especially considering the fact that unusual cars are harder to find parts for, or repair, in
You can obtain a clear picture of what your car is worth by studying ‘For Sale’ ads of similar cars in your area at the Auto Dealer Kenya website (www.autodealer.co.ke), or by consulting the Automobile Association of Kenya which offers a vehicle evaluation service.
Advertising Your Car
When listing you car for sale online at the Auto Dealer Kenya (www.autodealer.co.ke) classifieds, there are a few key points that you need to consider in order to attract the most attention to your vehicle from interested buyers.
First, be as precise as possible when listing the make, model and year of your car. This includes using the exact spelling and nomenclature used by the car company so that it is easy to find for searching buyers. Auto Dealer Kenya allows you to be very specific when adding additional information about your car, and it is well worth it to fill out as many fields as are provided as accurately as possible. You should input the correct mileage of the vehicle, its colour, the size of its engine and the type of fuel it uses as well as what kind of transmission it has (manual or automatic, and how many gears). You should also include what features the car has, such as air conditioning, power seats, or cruise control. Finally, don’t forget to list the price you are asking. It might seem basic, but there are many car ads which get posted without a price, and these are often ignored by buyers.
Auto Dealer Kenya also recommends that you upload as many clear photos of the car as possible. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and when selling a car the right photos can often help tip a buyer in favour of purchasing your vehicle. You can add comments to the ad in order to explain the photos in detail, as well as any other information you feel is relevant about the vehicle and which might help with its sale.
Handling Responses
With any luck, you will eventually begin to receive a number of queries and responses to your advertisement. As with all things, only a small number of the people who contact you will actually be interested in buying your car. There are a fair number of time-wasters, joy-riders and test drivers out there looking to take up part of your day with phone calls, emails and visits despite having no intention of making a purchase.
Nevertheless, you can’t get jaded or discouraged no matter how many calls or visits don’t end up resulting in a sale. It is important to remain positive and polite with everyone who contacts you. You can try to separate those who aren’t serious from those who are by being clear about the price you are looking for and by trying to schedule a definite time to meet and show the car.
It also helps to promptly respond to any queries or messages regarding your sale. No buyer likes to be left waiting and wondering whether your car or truck is still available, or if they can make an appointment with you to come see it. Be respectful of other people’s time and they will be in a better mood when it comes down to negotiating a deal.
Dealing With the Buyer
An easy way to understand how you should act when the buyer visits is to simply ask yourself how you would like to be treated if the roles were reversed. Buyers appreciate someone who is open and forthcoming with regards to details about the vehicle that is for sale. If there has been repair work performed on it in the past, be up front about it instead of waiting for the potential buyer to ask. If there are any outstanding issues surrounding the car or truck, tell the buyer about them as soon as possible so as to avoid wasting anyone’s time should this turn out to be a deal breaker.
If you have any records for the car, such as oil changes, repairs or even inspections, showing them to a buyer could increase their confidence about the vehicle. Try not to be offended if the person looking at your car asks very direct or pointed questions about its condition or history – they are not making a personal judgement on you but merely trying to get the information they need to help make their purchasing decision. It is helpful to think of the questions you might ask if you were buying the car and then prepare answers for these in advance. This will make it less likely that you will be caught off guard by any unexpected questions from potential buyers. A positive attitude and a smile can go a long way.
The Test Drive
It is only natural that a potential buyer – one who is serious, in any case – will want to test drive your car. This is a scary moment for many vehicle sellers. After all, how can you know whether the person you are handing the keys over to is a speed demon or reckless driver? No one wants their vehicle to be damaged during a test drive, but fortunately there are some steps you can take to prevent anything bad from happening to your car or truck in this situation.
First, ask to see the person’s driver’s license. Not only will this prove that they are a licensed driver, but it will also give you a chance to check on their age. If a teenager is showing up for a joyride, you can politely decline their request at this point. Next, insist that you accompany the driver while they test the car. Never let someone take your car out by themselves. If the other person balks at this condition, you can tell them you want to be there to answer any questions they might have about the car while driving it. You should also make sure that the buyer doesn’t bring along more than a single passenger during the test drive, no matter how many friends they might have with them.
Finally, keep it short. You should be in control of the test drive route, but at the same time make sure that it takes the buyer over a variety of different road surfaces so that they get a chance to really experience what the car feels like. Ask drivers to follow a particular route that doesn’t take you too far from home, or into any unfamiliar neighbourhoods, and make sure that a colleague or a loved one knows where you are going and how long you think you will be gone.
Bargaining
It helps to think of bargaining a car’s price this way: as a seller, you have a very definite minimum amount you are willing to let the car go for, and by the same token, the potential buyer has a set limit on how much they want to pay for the vehicle. Bargaining is the intricate dance that occurs in the space between these two amounts, a dance that involves numbers, leverage and a host of other intangible factors.
Be prepared for the buyer to come up with a short list of reasons as to why they aren’t willing to give you your asking price for the vehicle. These could be related to its condition, how it drives, its mileage or even something as fanciful as them not liking the colour. It is up to you to decide how valid their claims are, and whether they are willing to meet you at a point where you are comfortable that you have gotten the best possible price for your car or truck. Unless you have gone through dozens of buyers without success, don’t get desperate – the right person is lurking somewhere out there, willing to give you fair value for your automobile.
Closing the Deal
Once you and the interested party have agreed upon a price, it is time to work out the details of how you will finalize the sale. You need to provide the seller not only with the car, but also with all of the required paperwork that they need to be able to transfer the ownership of the car. You also need to arrange a specific time for them to come take possession of the car, if they are unable to do it immediately.
It is important to make sure that you are properly paid for the car before you let it out of your sight. Do not listen to the promises of people who claim that they will pay half now, and half later if you let them drive home right away. If they want to pay in instalments, then you must make sure to keep the car in your possession until the final payment has been made. Also, make sure that the person you are selling to is old enough to actually own a car, as you don’t want to have to deal with any irate parents after the fact.
Handling the Paperwork
Once you have come to an agreement with a buyer, you should prepare a detailed sale agreement. This needs to properly identify the person who will be buying your car, and include their address, mobile and landline numbers, along with a copy of their National I.D. You should include the same information about yourself. The agreement also needs to contain information about the car that is being sold, such as its registration, chassis and engine number, as well as the price that has been decided upon along with any other terms or conditions of the sale.
In order to successfully transfer ownership of your car to the buyer, you will need to make sure that you provide them with the right documentation. You will have to sign and stamp the vehicle’s original logbook, and turn it over to them once they have paid. You and the buyer will also have to sign the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) Form C Transfer Form, and provide copies of your National I.D.’s and PIN certificates. These documents must all be submitted to the KRA, and the new owner needs to pay any associated transfer fees to seal the deal.
It is imperative that the vehicle’s transfer of ownership occur as quickly as possible. As owner, even if the vehicle leaves your hands you are still responsible for any accidents other liabilities that might occur prior to ownership transfer. It might be wise to take care of the transfer fees yourself as part of the overall deal, and include the approximately 3,000 KSH fee in the sale price of the vehicle. This can save you serious headaches down the road.
Safety First
Selling a car might not seem like a dangerous proposition, but consider the fact that you are opening yourself up to contact from almost anyone in the general public. Ninety-nine percent of the people who respond to your ad will have the sole intention of talking to you about your car, but you must be prepared to handle the minority who might have darker motives for visiting.
There are a few different ways to protect yourself when selling a car. You can choose to meet people in a public place instead of at your home when it comes time to arranging an appointment to examine the car. You can also insist on not meeting anyone at night. It is important that however you decide to interact with potential buyers, that you do so on your own terms. Never agree to meet someone in an unfamiliar place, and always make sure that a friend or loved one knows where you are going and when you expect to be back. If you are really worried about what could possibly happen during the test drive, have a friend follow you from a safe distance in a separate vehicle.
In terms of financial arrangements, hard cash transactions are tempting but you might want to forgo accepting cash for the car and instead either ask for an account to account transfer or a banker’s cheque to be used as payment instead. Always wait for the agreed upon payment type to fully clear before handing over the vehicle. It is a good idea to let the buyer know ahead of time that you want to go with them to the bank in order to process their banker’s cheque or other payment method prior to handing over the keys – purely as a safety feature to protect both parties - as this can save frustration on both sides.
Staying aware of these basic safety tips can help to ensure that selling your car is a completely hassle and drama free experience.