The rule of thumb, when it comes to car sales, is to be honest but not to the extent of pointing out all of the bad items in your used car. Give a realistic image of your vehicle. If the condition of the vehicle is average, say that it is in fair condition. If it needs minor body repairs, state the same. Many buyers, who want to save up on the purchase cost, are more than willing to do these repairs themselves. Cars that are in perfect shape also have buyers of their own. Just be sincere in advertising the condition of your vehicle and the public interest will follow. It’s also a safeguard against law suits.
A good position is to say that the car “needs minor body work” and not to offer additional information about parts that are not in top condition. However, when asked, always give an honest answer. Many buyers are willing to have second-hand cars repaired by themselves if they see that the vehicle will be worth the effort. This is especially true for people who want to get a bargain from the purchase.Yet the question remains – do you have your auto servicing and maintenance done – never mind auto financing – where you purchased the vehicle or do you go third party non OEM ? Its not always easy to find auto service deals for your particular car or truck brand name. For example if you live in the Edmonton or northern Alberta regions you might look up the terms Edmonton Mazda 3 service specials in a Google search. Many people only trust dealers and their service departments rather than the 16 year old kid – or their helper in the back room of the shop to do the work. The story was told of one bright woman – a college degree type who even had a straight 4 A average with a Masters degree. She had bought a door to door coupon book which had big box store oil change coupons in it. She shepherded out these like gold. Her brother , a lawyer by trade, had a pampered Honda Civic. When the big box store outlet got through with filling his tiny Honda Civic engine with 5 liters of oil instead of its max filling of 3.5 liters in the crankcase – the engine seals were blown. A real bargain – the owner had to replace his automobile for reliability and as he noted – the big box store assumed no liability and in sum total “could of cared less”. A real bargain so to speak.
The point is look at and evaluates your competition to sell you vehicle – either online or in newspaper ads. If the professionals who sell cars in 2010 cannot in many cases even present a good ad then you are in the drivers seat when it comes to listing ,selling and giving potential customers a wonderful first impression when they come calling to evaluate and hopefully purchase your car , truck or Sports Utility Vehicle that is on sale.
When a serious buyer comes along, the objective is to exhibit your car’s best qualities. Clean the vehicle thoroughly and inside out. Get the car washed including the upholstery and ensure that the rugs are vacuumed. Don’t forget to empty the ash trays. Windows and the windshield must be cleaned thoroughly because when a buyer gets inside a car with clean windows, the eyes get tricked into thinking that the car is more spacious than it actually is. The car should look like its well taken care of.
Who knows in the end with a nicely detailed and clean car you may decide that you like the vehicle after all, your know its pluses and minuses, its good points and bad points, the service and upkeep that has been done or needs doing. You might decide after all not to sell the car and instead keep it. Your previous ugly duckling of a vehicle – dirty and dusty may well have emerged to you as diamond in the rough. V:21
