How to sell my car in Berkshire?
You have three options;
1. Sell my car to a cash car buyer;
This can be a hassle free, quick and easy way to sell your car, provided you choose a reputable company that not only comes to you, but fits to your time schedule. Many online cash for cars companies require you to drive your car to them within normal business hours. This requires another person accompanying you to drive you home should the deal complete, but may also put you in a weaker position when it comes to the price quoted for your car. Should the car buyer decide that your car is, maybe not as described, they may reduce the price that was quoted to you over the telephone or online – putting you in the position of either accepting what is offered, or returning home with an unsold car. If, on the other hand, you choose a company that comes to you at a time and place that is suitable to you, either at home or work, during the day, evening or weekends – you are in a much stronger position and have greatly reduced the risk to yourself. The car buyer will come to you at his own expense of cost and time – so their interests lie in buying the car and not going away empty handed.
The best way to locate the most suitable local company for you is to use phrases such as; sell my car in Berkshire, best cash car buyer in Berkshire, cash for cars in Berkshire, cash car buyer in Berkshire.
Once you have decided upon a company and accepted the quote they have provided, you must accept payment only by a secure method either by a banker’s draft or bank transfer – this is for your protection. At this time, we would strongly recommend that you complete the V5. Both parties need to date & sign where required and complete the yellow section (notification of sale or transfer to a motor trader) which you need to send to the DVLA to inform them that you no longer own the car. This, again, is for your protection and will prevent any correspondence/ fines/parking tickets etc coming to you.
2. Sell my car to a private buyer;
This is an option that may prove to be more hassle than it’s worth – but if you are aware of the facts you will be able to make an informed choice. You may be able to ask a little more when advertising to private buyers than by selling your car to an online buyer or a trader, but its best to be aware of what is involved.
Firstly you need to establish what your car will sell for on the open market, look at a site such as www.autotrader.co.uk. to get an idea of what similar cars are priced at, you may find that the prices that cars are actually achieving is very different to what an online price calculator will suggest as you are limited as to the information you can enter.
Once you have researched the price, it is advisable to have the car valeted, it makes a huge difference, you can either do it yourself or get a professional in, it allows you to show your car at its best. Great pictures are a must as many potential buyers will maximise the pictures to full screen size, make sure you take both interior and exterior photos to show your car off, using a nice background also helps.
A good idea, when making an appointment for a viewing, is to request that the potential buyer bring some form of identification with them i.e. photo ID driving license or passport, that you can photocopy should they buy your car.
When showing a potential buyer your car, firstly make sure it is spotlessly clean- it shows that the car is well taken care of. Make sure that you stay with the car the whole time, and don’t allow anyone to test drive your car without you – you wont be insured if you have handed the keys over and your car is stolen. It is also important, before you allow anyone to drive your car that you check that they are insured, even if they have fully comprehensive cover, they may only be covered third party to drive your car and at this stage you don’t know what sort of driver they are!
Finally, when you have reached a price that you are prepared to accept, take payment in cleared funds, either a bankers draft or transfer directly into your account before you release the car, cash has potential security risks and a personal cheque can be cancelled.
It is important to complete the V5 – logbook – with the new owner’s details. Both parties need to sign as seller and new keeper. It is best that you retain this to send to the DVLA yourself so that you know that it will be registered with the new owner, but you do give the green section – the new keeper supplement, to the purchaser so that they have proof of ownership.
3. Sell my car to a local dealer;
This may be a good option if the dealer is low on stock or already has a customer lined up for a car specifically like yours. Most likely, though, the dealer will sell it to a cash car buyer/trader taking a quick profit, which has been factored into the price that you have been offered. If this suits you best, then once you have agreed a deal, you must ensure that you are paid in cleared funds, either by bank transfer or bankers draft for your own security.
When selling to a dealer, you are required to complete the yellow section on the logbook with the dealer’s details and VAT registration number, along with both parties signatures. It is advisable for you to send this to the DVLA yourself so that you know that they have been informed of the change of ownership. You won’t then have any fines, parking tickets etc that may be associated with the car after you have sold it, sent to you. The dealer will need to keep the rest of the logbook to be able to sell the car on.
Good luck in selling your car in whichever way is most suitable for you, by using some of this advice we hope that you have a successful sale.
