Sell A Car
Sell Your Car With eBay
Your options
* Sell it to a car yard or other car dealer
* Auction
* Trade-in
* Private sale.
Advertising your car
You have heaps of options – newspapers, websites (eg. www.carsguide.com.au) pin boards in the supermarket etc., newsletters and eBay (www.ebay.com.au). But first you need to write an ad!
Writing an ad
Make it clear, concise and correct! No tricks!! Here are the main things to include:
* Car’s make, model and year (eg. Silver Hyundai Getz, 2004).
* Auto or manual?
* Colour.
* When does the registration run out?
* The price (bear in mind that most buyers will bargain down the price!). Check out www.redbook.com.au to find out what the average price is for your car.
* Any damage?
* How many kilometres has it done? (They’re going to find out all this information when they test drive it so you might as well get it over and done with sooner rather than later!).
* The general condition of the car plus anything unique about it.
* A picture of the car.
Making your car presentable
* Make sure there’s enough petrol in there for a test drive (you don’t want them to think you’re stingy on petrol and therefore stingy on looking after the car properly).
* Get rid of any rubbish, vacuum inside, clean any stains, repair any damage, etc.
* Wash the car (and consider a wax and polish if you really want to impress).
* Make the interior smell as nice as possible.
* Clean out the glovebox and ash tray.
* Remove dust from the dashboard, etc.
* Replace any lights or fuses that don’t work.
* Clean the windows.
The test drive
A buyer needs to test drive the car to see if they like it (come on, you’d want the same!). Go with them (so they don’t flog, thrash or crash it) on the test drive and of course make sure they’re licenced to drive it first!
If you don’t mind if they drive it by themselves, take their car keys, name and address (from their driver’s licence – and make sure they’re the same person as in the photo!), the mobile phone number of someone in the car and their licence plate number.
What happens if they crash?
It’s the ultimate nightmare – for you and for the test driver! Before you even advertise, ask your insurance company if you’re covered or not if they crash while test driving your car.
Negotiating the price
* Listen to all the faults the potential buyer has brought up but don’t be bullied into lowering the price if you think it’s unreasonable! Stand your ground! They might come back...
* Be prepared to haggle but already have the lowest price you’ll take in your mind.
* Have a friend with you if you feel you might get ripped off (tip: a friend who knows about cars and mechanics is best).
Finalising the deal
Put the final price and conditions in writing! We can’t stress this enough! Here are some things to write down:
* Details of the car (eg. total price, make, model, rego number, etc.)
* Deposit amount and terms
* How they’re going to pay the rest (eg. cash, cheque, etc.)
* Date the buyer will collect the car.
Now make two copies, sign them and ask the buyer to sign them too. Give them a separate receipt for any deposit/payment they’ve paid and keep a copy for your records too. Don’t keep driving the car around once someone’s put a deposit on it! So not cool!
Paperwork
You have to change the registration and ownership into the buyer’s name – well, they do actually – you just have to provide the forms (and keep a copy!). The procedure can vary from state to state, so contact your state’s transport authority for all the information.
Some states require you to have a ‘Roadworthy Certificate’ if you’re selling a used car. Again, check with your transport authority for the procedures in your state...
NSW: Road Transport Authority (RTA), 13 22 13
VIC: Vic Roads 13 11 71
QLD: Transport Queensland, 12 23 80
TAS: Transport Tasmania, 13 11 71
SA: Transport SA, 1300 360 067
WA: DPI, 13 11 56
ACT: Rego Act, 13 22 13
NT: Northern Territory Transport Group, (08) 8924 7216