How to get rid of your old car & get the maximum value out of it

For many of us that have an older vehicle sitting around that we don't use is not only an eyesore but we know it's losing value the entire time it sits. Vehicles are generally an asset that do not appreciate in value with only very few exceptions.

Many of you have not sold a vehicle before but believe it or not it's just like any other good or service. You need to market your vehicle effectively to get people interested and get the word out about it being for sale & you need to know what the values of the vehicle are so that you are able to sell it to anyone that may inquire about it and another huge thing is pricing your vehicle.

As far as pricing your vehicle goes I generally price it much higher than than I should. My thoughts are that if a car dealership can retail so can I but that also means I put some time into making it look nice and is prepared to show possible buyers at a moments notice. You don't want to say you will fix something if it needs to be fixed or have it not start because the battery is dead.

Another thing that pricing your vehicle a bit higher than others is you can include something like "asking $5000 but willing to deal, feel free to make an offer never know what I may take" or maybe even not name a price and ask people to make an offer. Things like that help your add become a little more personal and will generally help you generate leads. You need people to call and stop by before you can sell them your vehicle.

Something else you want to make sure of is having all of the paperwork ready to fill out and get the process over as fast as possible. You don't want anyone going home and thinking about it, you want them to buy it and take it home with them.

When it comes to marketing your used vehicle you want to keep costs down as well. There's a ton of free classified website out there that have people constantly looking for vehicles. Newspaper ads can be effective but are generally way over priced. I think you're better off making some for sale signs and putting them all over your car.

Make fliers with the details of your vehicle and place them at the gas station, grocery store, your place of work anywhere you could get some people to take a look at them, also maybe get a little creative with your flier, it's never a bad idea to find effective ways to draw attention to yourself when it comes to selling something.

Things to make sure you have done and know when possible buyers show up.

• MPG at least an estimate
  
• Year, Model, Maybe some interesting facts
• Engine Type & Size
• Any additional Features the vehicle has that are custom
• Have all your paperwork ready so that the sales process goes smoothly.
  
• Good air pressure in the tires
• Has enough fuel for a test drive
• Engine compartment isn't caked with mud, grease and debris.
• Inside of the car is clean
• Outside of the car is clean

These things should help you get on the track to selling your old vehicle yourself & getting much more value from it than any trade in. Trading in almost any vehicle is really selling yourself short, give yourself a couple weeks to a month to sell your vehicle yourself before taking the meager amount that most dealerships are going to be willing to give you for it.