Sell Car In Sri Lanka Advice

How to sell a car

Wording Your Advert
Setting a Price for your Car
Preparing your car for sale
Dealing with Car Buyers

Wording Your Advert

It's your first point of contact with potential buyers, so it's important the advert conveys the right message. Get it right and you'll sell it promptly and get the expected price.

The ideal ad

A perfect srilancars ad will include all of the following:

Exact type of car: if it's Toyota corolla 121, 1500 cc, G grade, write that.
Year of manufacture and registration number: JK or 302- are the most precise. They should be clearly stated.
Mileage: If your car has low mileage, say it loud.
Colour: - 'metallic blue' means more to most buyers than 'Sorrento Shimmer'
Service history: If you have a proper recorded history, mention it.
Number of owners: Include if there aren't many.
Features: Sell the great features on your car that's not listed in srilancars sellers form - retractable side mirrors, power Aerial and so on - to entice the buyers and set your car apart from the others
Price: Buyers expect to bargain so if Rs. 2.5 Million really is your final price, ask for a little more in the advertisement. But be realistic, check other similar vehicles in the market to gain an idea of the right asking price.
Colour photograph: Attach a photo, it'll make your advert stand out and you'll get a better response.

If you advertise in srilanCars you can include up to six photos, give a greater description and edit it at any time.

Things not to say...

Here's a list of favourites that tell the buyer nothing. Good condition for year, beautiful condition. Sold for the highest offer. Leave them out!

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Setting a Price for your Car

If you get the price wrong, you'll either have your car on your hands for weeks, or be taken for a mug...neither is desirable, nor necessary. A little research will see you easily get the true market value for your car.

Consider any options your car has; is it a rare model or one in particular demand? Is the colour is a desirable one? Are there any other considerations that could affect your price e.g. low mileage, a special edition or a particularly generous specification.

srilanCars.com
A look through srilanCars.com, this will usually help you set the price of your car. Look for models similar to yours, and see what the 'going rate' is; you can then price your car accordingly!

This works especially well for popular models, because there's so much choice. It's also a good trick for rarer or older models, as they may not actually be listed in price else where.

Classified ads in news papers and magazines
This will help you set the price of your car. Look for models similar to yours, and see what the 'going rate' is; you can then price your car accordingly.

Valuers
Some places offer valuation services. You may have to pay, but this will probably be more accurate than other methods, because of the breadth of knowledge available. Professionals know your car better than you do, and can account for any extras, as well as the overall condition and mileage.

Dealers
Visit dealers, to get an idea of your car's value; anything you get over and above that will thus be a profit. Don't, however, look at dealer forecourt stock and expect to get similar prices for your car; you're not offering a warranty or any guarantees, remember, and therefore should charge less.

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Preparing your car for sale

Experts recommend that just by cleaning your car, you can add more to its value; a day's effort will be time well spent, and it shouldn't cost the earth.

Outside
Your first step should be to clean off all the road grime, using a good-quality car shampoo. NEVER use washing-up liquid or washing powder, as it actually helps promote rust, unlike car products, which keep it at bay. Work from the roof down, rinse off well, and dry with a polishing clothe.

Now you need to deal with the details:

Stone chips are hard to see, can rust if not attended to, and usually put buyers off. Repair them with a touch-up. These are not expensive and they can dramatically improve your car's performance
Wheels caked in brake dust look awful. On alloys, if it's particularly stubborn, buy an alloy wheel cleaner and treat them. If you've got wheel trims, consider replacing them - especially if they've been kerbed. Damaged alloys can be repaired too, but this is more expensive
Missing trim or badges stand out like a sore thumb to used buyers, so buy replacements.
Clean less obvious parts such as sills, wheel arches and the inner panel of doors; this will impress buyers, and helps create a 'well looked-after' image
A good polish will create that 'new car' shine so many used buyers are looking for. Don't worry if paint residue appears on the cloth; this is just a layer of 'dead paint' you're removing - there'll still be plenty left on the car!

Inside

Cleaning the interior requires a little more hard work. Starting with the vacuum is always best - treat carpets, seats, dusty crevices and the dashboard itself.

Use low-gloss cleaner on dashboards - don't use household polish
Clean the windows after the dashboard with a glass cleaner or damp clothe.
Replace any non-standard parts, such as racy gear knobs or alloy pedal covers. They won't impress buyers, who'll think your car has been thrashed. Standard is always best
Holes, usually from mobile phone holders, can be filled in by specialists. They can also repair any damage to dashboards or door trims, and it doesn't cost the earth, either
Avoid dousing the car in air freshener, unless you have smoked in it - in which case, buy an odour neutraliser. Spray the ashtray too, after giving it a good clean

Lift tatty old mats out; the clean carpets underneath will look much more attractive.

Mechanicals

Buyers love looking under the bonnet, even if they haven't got a clue what they're looking for. You should therefore make sure they like what they see.

Steam-cleaning is much-loved by car dealers, but can arouse suspicion; are you trying to hide oil leaks? By all means clean the engine bay, but don't go overboard. Don't bother with older cars, though, as steam-cleaners can sometimes damage fragile parts or connections
Oil changes are cheap, and clean oil looks far better than sludgy treacle. Make sure the oil level is correct too
Fill all water and coolant bottles up, maybe using a sweet-smelling windscreen washer.
Tidy up generally; attach alarm wiring correctly, clean out leaves from air intakes, and generally make the engine bay appear cared-for

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Dealing with Car Buyers

Selling a car can be a daunting prospect, but by knowing what to expect, you can avoid being caught out by experienced hagglers, time wasters or criminals.

Test drives
Never let the buyer go out alone, there's a risk they won't come back. Check they have driving license, otherwise you could be liable for it.
Let the buyers follow their own route, as many are suspicious if you tell them which roads to take. Be prepared for people to drive your car hard - but if it's a performance model and they are seriously abusing it, ask them to calm down.

Inspections
Car buyers are now far more willing to do a good inspection. If you're serious about selling the car, you shouldn't have any objections. A deposit from the buyer will prove their interest.

Bargaining
Buyers inevitably bargain the price; it's all part of buying a car. You need to be firm, without being unreasonable. Set a price beforehand and keep it in your head during negotiations.

Don't refuse to take offers - this will see buyers walking away - and don't decline a sale for the matter of Rs.10, 000 or so. It'll cost you far more in re-advertising fees, time and hassle.

Handling the money In an ideal world, you'll be paid cash during normal office hours and be able to pay it in immediately (checking for forgeries), but this won't always be the case.

If you do receive cash, try to get it handed over to you in a bank, so you can pay it in straight away and the cashier can check for fake notes. If your buyer gives you cash outside of banking hours, pay it in to your account as soon as possible.

Cheques from banks can cause problems. Personal cheques can be cancelled or issued without the available funds in the account, meaning that if you've handed the car over, it could be the last you'll see of it.

Despite common belief, bank cheques aren't as good as cash. With quality fraudsters operating, don't release the vehicle until the money has cleared.

You should ask the bank if you can draw funds against the cheque. If possible, go with the buyer to the bank to draw the cheque.

Ask the buyer for ID with an address and landline telephone number. If something goes wrong, you'll know where to find them. If they are reluctant to give this information, you should be wary.

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