A clean, well maintained car gives potential buyers a good first impression. This is only the first step in selling your car! Also it may be worth your while to spend a little money fixing things before you try and sell the car. 

Clean your car!

-       Wax & polish

-       Vacuum the inside and clear out the clutter

-       Wipe the dashboard and upholstery

-       Give the engine a steam clean

Make sure everything works

-       Check out your lights, indicators, etc

-       Spend a few rand and replace the bulbs that aren’t working

-       Ensure no warning signs show on the dash

Have all documents on hand

-       Get the car’s service history / book in order

-       Answer all questions openly and honestly

-       If the car has been AA Autobay multi-point checked, take the documentation with you

Identify and fix all possible issues that have the potential to put off a buyer or gives them an excuse to cut your asking price:

-       Badly worn tyres

-       Chipped windscreen

-       Worn brake pads

-       Weak hand brake

-       A clutch that takes too low or too high

-       Patch up small scratches and dings with colour polish

-       Have your exhaust checked

-       Make sure there are no rattles or suspicious sounds coming from the engine

-       Replace worn wiper blades

Ensure Your Safety

Test drives can expose you to a number of risks – such as hijacking and theft. In order to ensure your safety, here are a few tips:

-       Don’t test drive from your home – but meet on your terms

-       Never go alone

-       Check that the potential driver has a valid driver’s licence

-       Check that your car is insured for other drivers

-       Remove anything of value from the car

-       Don’t take the car’s registration papers with you

Did you know: AA Autobay supervises all test drives decreasing the risk of buying and selling a car privately.