You can advertise your car for any money in the world, but you'll only get what it's worth. Put it up for too much and it'll take ages to sell. Price it too cheaply and it'll leave you feeling ripped off.
To avoid disappointment and get the best valuation for your car, take a look at our guide to car valuations.
There are a number of different ways to get a clear idea of what your car is worth, ranging from a quick online valuation to a full inspection by a dealer or independent organisation.
Each of the options - with pros and cons - are listed on these pages. Use the navigation at the bottom of each page to flick between the sections.
Whether you choose to go to a franchised main dealer or an independent car dealer, they all use the same industry price guides to work out the value of your car.
There may be fractional differences in the prices quoted in these guides for the same car, but the bigger differences in valuation will be due to how generous the individual dealer.
This will be dictated by how easily the dealer thinks they can shift your car. The easier your car is to sell on and the less the dealer will have to spend preparing it for sale, the more likely they are to give you a high valuation.
However, remember that all dealers will err on the low side of a valuation as this will improve their profit margin when they re-sell your old car.
An independent specialist, such as the AA or RAC, will give an unbiased opinion of your car's condition and likely value should you sell.
It's more likely that a potential buyer would employ the services of an independent inspection company, but it is a good way for a seller to work out the value of their car.
An independent inspection can also help you assess any work that may be necessary to make the car more attractive to potential buyers.
This will also help you achieve the highest possible price when you come to sell.
The buyer's guides found in newsagents are based on the same trade guides that dealers use, although they take a broader approach to account for variations in condition, mileage and age.
Most will include some adjustment calculation to work out the approximate value of a car if its mileage is particularly high or low.
These guides give you a good base figure to work from, but it's best to check out other sources to gain a more rounded idea of your car's value.
Many guides do not include cars more than 10 years old, so check your car is included before buying a guide.
Also, the prices in printed guides are quite general. Your mint condition, bubble-wrapped-from-new RS Turbo may not be given as favourable price as you'd get from a fellow enthusiast, for example.
A number of online valuation calculators are available and they are as reliable as any of the printed price guides. The online valuations use much of the same information as other guides to work out your price.
Their big advantage is that you can tailor the information you supply more accurately than is possible with a printed guide - and the website will work out the price for you.
It's still best to check out other sources to gain a more rounded idea of your car's value - a glance over the classifieds will do.
Still one of the best ways to work out the value of your car is to scan the classifieds and seek out cars of the same make, model and a similar age, mileage and condition to yours.
This will give you a very accurate idea of what sellers consider fair and what buyers will pay.
If you want a quick sale, pitching your car just under the going rate will help, but going in dramatically lower than the going rate will leave buyers wondering what is wrong with the car that it's so cheap.
Online valuations or book valuations will usually give you four different values for each car. Here we explain what each of those mean:
Trade-in
The trade-in price is the valuation a dealer gives for your car based on you using the figure he gives to help pay for a car you will buy from that dealer.
This price will be less than the car will sell for either from a dealer or privately as the dealer will incur costs to prepare the car for sale.
Dealer
The dealer price is what a dealer charges for a car. For used cars, this will typically be more than a private seller will charge, but a dealer is likely to have cars of good quality and a warranty will be offered. As a buyer, you have greater legal protection buying from a dealer if there is a problem with the car.
Private
Values for cars sold privately are generally lower than those asked by a dealer for a car of the same age, mileage and condition. It's a good way to save some cash as a buyer, and the seller will more than likely get more money for their car than using it as a trade-in.
Auction
An auction is the quickest way to sell a car but it will realise the lowest price. Most buyers at an auction are from the motor trade and they will not spend a single penny more than they have to. As a buyer it can be a good way to bag a bargain, but there is less comeback than buying from dealer if there is a problem with the car.
