If your car is a very popular model, or you're in no hurry to sell, or its value is below £1,000 don't automatically opt to advertise in the best known car sales magazines like Auto Trader or Exchange & Mart that cover a very large area.
They'll certainly have a big audience of buyers, so you'd be more likely to get a quick sale. But for the most popular cars, they're also likely to have huge numbers listed for sale that yours will have to compete with. This will mean, to attract buyers, you may have to cut your price.
KwikTip:
always get a car insurance quote from Direct
Line too,
as they don't take part in the price comparison websites.
For bargain or very popular cars, the first place to try advertising is your local newspaper. Buyers prefer not to travel far and the ad may be fairly cheap. For a wider audience of dedicated local buyers, try a local classifieds paper like FreeAd, Friday-Ad, Loot or similar in your area, which can also be cheap to advertise in.
Other options include trying a card in a local supermarket or newsagent's window. That'll either be free or cost just a few pounds. Or putting a big sign in the window and finding a visible but safe place to park your car during the day where there's likely to be plenty of passing traffic. Bring it home overnight though.
For cars priced below £1,000, if all else fails Auto Trader has a 'Bargain' section and advertising on their website costs from just £9.99. But if your car is worth more, their prices go up considerably.
Using
the internet to get your ad seen more widely.
More and more people are
going online to search for their next car. Submitting your ad to well-known classified
sites like Exchange
and Mart and Loot
can give good coverage for minimal cost.
By
far the most popular car selling site is Auto
Trader. You can choose to advertise on their website only, or supplement
it with an ad in their magazine covering your area. But unless your car is priced
at under £1,000, their fees aren't cheap - from £25 for two weeks
on the website alone.
eBay
also has a thriving car sales section, where you can choose from an auction or
classified style listing. Do watch their 'listing' and 'final value' fees, which
can add up to more than you expect - pricier than Auto Trader if your car
sells via auction or Buy It Now. Keenly pricing your car in an eBay Classified
Ad for £12.99 may be a better option.
Finally, while the most pricey
here, DesperateSeller
offers for £29.99 to advertise your car on 101 motoring websites until sold.
There's a wide range of other car buying / selling websites. The ones
that let you advertise free are worth a look. But for the rest you have to ask
yourself how car buyers are finding them and - if you pay to advertise there -
how buyers will find your car.
If your car's a bit more expensive or unusual - perhaps a prestige make or classic car - then a national newspaper or specialist car magazine may be a better choice than the options mentioned above.
Avoid the brokers who ring up and tell you they have several people on their books looking for a car like yours. They'll be after a sizeable registration fee before allegedly passing on your car's details, yet after handing over the cash few ever hear from them or the mystery buyers again. Ever wondered what all those 'no canvassers' statements in the car ads were all about?