Best tips for preparing your car for sale


Selling a car can be a daunting task, particularly if you haven’t done so before. Preparing your car for sale


Before you list your car for sale, it’s very important to prepare it to maximize its appeal.



• If you opt to clean it yourself make sure you clean in all the hard to get at areas, like door openings, boot openings, and the engine bay.



• Never leave anything lying around the interior or boot, which would make your car look untidy in the eyes of the buyer. Loose items can rattle and bang around and create a poor impression on a test drive.



• If you're a smoker clean the ashtray and lighter and make sure the interior doesn't smell of cigarette smoke. There's no better way of putting a buyer off than to show them a car that smells of tobacco. If it does smell, get a deodoriser and leave it in the car for a week or two before advertising it in the hope the smell will go away. Don't leave the deodoriser in the car when showing it to a potential buyer.



• Wash and polish the exterior including the wheels, windows and all chrome or stainless trim. Clean up any polish residue after you're finished to avoid giving the impression you've just cleaned the car up to sell it.



• Time your sale so your vehicle has been recently serviced. Selling when a service is due suggests you’re trying to avoid something. Book your service on our Pupkewitz Motors Home page, easy and fast.



• Make sure the windscreen washer reservoir and radiator are topped up to the marks so it looks like you have cared about your car.



• Take the time to inflate the tyres to the correct pressure. There's nothing worse than going on a test drive and being shaken and shimmied because the owner didn't set the tyre pressures.



• Have the car's service record paperwork on hand to show the potential buyer that you have regularly serviced the car. It's another way of demonstrating you've looked after it.



• Also have the car's current registration papers on hand to prove that you are the owner of the car you're selling.



How much should I ask?

Use our Pupkewitz Motors Free Car valuator on our Home Page.