Due to economic challenges and South Africans becoming a bit more money conscious, trading in or selling your car has become pretty easy.
There comes a time when you have to decide whether or not you’re going to sell your second hand car. Before you take the plunge, you should explore the different ways you can sell your car in South Africa to make sure you you get the price you’re looking for without too much hassle.
Here are 3 ways your can sell your car:
Sell your car to a private buyer
Selling your car privately comes with quite a few challenges. You can potentially get more money for your car if you sell it privately, but you need to decide whether or not it’s worth all the risk and hassle. If you insist on selling your car privately, be willing to endure the dodgy phone calls, time wasters and hagglers.
Trade-in your car
Trading in your car is ideal if you want to sell your car fast. Dealers are eager to get as many second hand cars as possible because the second hand car market is so big. However, when you trade-in your car, you lose thousands of rands to the dealership. So, while it seems like the dealer is offering you an amazing deal for your car, it may be because the new car you are trading in for is well-overpriced and therefore subsidized. Best thing to do is to ask for a cash price for your vehicle so that you know the actual amount they are offering for your car.
Selling your car on auction
Selling your car on auction comes with a lot of benefits and minimal hassle. The process you need to go through is fairly easy. All you need to do is contact an auction house and find out how their auction process works. While there are also cons to selling your car on auction, you can potentially get a lot more money for your car if you sell it on auction as opposed to selling it privately or trading it in.
Tips for selling a second hand car
No matter how you sell your second hand car, these tips will help you get a better selling price:
- Find out how much your car’s worth by either researching the value of similar cars online or taking it to get evaluated at a dealer.
- Gather all the necessary paperwork, including the title, service history, warranty, release of liability, etc. Make sure you provide either proof of payment for the vehicle or a statement letter from the bank financing your car to the dealer, auction house or person you’re selling it to. Also find out what other necessary documents they need, such as proof of residence, identification documents, etc.
- Take your car for a very thorough car wash and wax. Make sure the interior and exterior of your car are absolutely spotless.
- Make sure all small nicks are repaired. This can make a huge difference in the price of your car.
