If you decide not to trade-in your current car for a new one from a franchised or independent dealer, you're left with selling the car yourself. There are several options, as follows:
- Local newspaper or newsagent's window
These are all very good when you want to offload a pram that's been cluttering up the shed for the past 20 years, but not the most effective way to sell a car. Did you buy your car this way? Probably not, so don't be a cheapskate when selling.
- A classified advert in a specialist magazine
There are several classified ad magazines, such as Autotrader and Exchange & Mart. People buy these magazines when they want to buy a car, so an advert here is targeted at the right sort of person. Many of these magazines also have websites to back them up, which broadens the pool of potential buyers beyond your local area. The only downside is you may continue to receive calls after you've sold the car.
- Online auctions
Ebay is the most obvious online auction site, but there are others, so hunt around the internet. If you set a realistic reserve price, you should have no problems selling a car in an online auction. However, there's a much greater chance of being messed about by virtual tyre kickers who bid on the car but don't stump up when they win the auction. You will also need to provide plenty of good quality digital pictures to entice buyers.
