When it comes to selling & replacing your current car, a lot of vehicle owners are opting to sell their cars privately instead of trading them in with car dealers hoping to get add about 10-20% to the sales price.
This is of course very possible, but it does go hand-in-hand with a little more work and sometimes it can take a long time to make a sale.
A well written ad can make all the difference to the amount of interest you receive from prospective buyers as well as the speed at which you sell your car.
Like any advertisement, a classified car listing needs to be engaging as well as informative to capture a potential buyer's attention.
Make sure that you include all the relevant information.
Your ad should be accurate, honest and free of spelling and grammar errors.
Whether you're selling your vehicle online or through newspaper classifieds, this guide will help you to write exciting, effective ads to sell your vehicle in no time: Gather Information Start off by grabbing a pen and paper and write down everything you know about your car.
Write down the car's mileage (kilometres) and continue to list all the features that can be found in your car, from tow bar to sunroof.
Before creating your online listing, ask someone to proof read your write-up and give you suggestions.
Follow the Format Follow the standard format.
Browse through some of the other online car classifieds and you will quickly notice that all vehicle classifieds sites follow a traditional format and have a legend for standard automotive abbreviations.
All well written ads have a clear pattern.
These ads will include year, make, model, engine size and whether it's an automatic or a manual transmission.
This information should also make out the headline of your ad as this is the most important to buyers when browsing through the ads.
Next should be the mileage and price followed by the condition of the vehicle, any accessories and options, colour and your contact information.
Start with the Basics Every car classified ad should begin with the basics, starting with the make, model, mileage and year.
Include the engine size or trim version of your model, as it makes a difference in the value.
The trim version could include standard extra additions such as leather upholstery, luxury accessories or additional safety features.
When browsing, car buyers will want see the most relevant information as soon as possible in your ad, so build a basic foundation of information, and then add more details towards the bottom of the ad.
The basic advert should include the following essential details: • Make, Model (Including engine size / trim level) • Year of registration • Mileage (Kilometres) • Price • Whether it has a full service history • Colour • Number of previous owners • Seller's contact details Getting Into the Details List of Equipment / Features This is where you should focus on the car's equipment, features and all of the car's other unique selling points.
The more information you include, the more effective your ad will be and you won't have to spend so much time answering questions from prospective buyers.
Fuel-efficient vehicles are in demand and it might also be a good idea to mention your vehicle's fuel efficiency (Ave km/litre) if you feel it is a good selling point.
Abbreviations Use only the standard, well recognized abbreviations, but if you can rather try to avoid abbreviations.
Many potential buyers would only scan over them and lose their meaning if they don't know what stand for.
Some common, well recognized abbreviations are: • AC: Air conditioning • AUTO/MAN: Automatic Transmission / Manual Transmission • EW: Electric windows • FSH: Full service history • ONCO: Or nearest cash offer • RCL: Remote central locking • PS/ABS: Power Steering / Anti-Lock Brake System Care & Maintenance Show potential buyers that your care was cared for.
Mention things such as 'non-smoker' or 'no pets' or even whether the car was regularly garaged.
It can be surprising to learn how important such details can be to a potential buyer.
You should also note whether you are the first owner or not.
Condition Be realistic and honest about your vehicle's condition.
Second hand buyers expect used cars to have some wear on them and there is no need pretending the car is something it's not.
If you own up to a couple of faults such as: stained upholstery or dent in the rear fender that will be obvious upon viewing anyway, you will save you time in the long run, and will let buyers know you are truthful.
Include the reason for selling the car.
This is a very common buyer question, and it gives buyers a sense of the car's condition.
Take a good look at your vehicle and decide which category it falls into: Mint (excellent), good, fair or poor condition.
Remember to factor in possible maintenance or repair work and make price adjustments in accordance with necessary repairs.
Service history & warranty information A well-serviced vehicle is always in demand.
If you have the full service history documents / receipts, mention in your ad that you have this on offer.
It will back up your claim that the car has been well-cared for.
If your car is still under warranty and it is transferable, list the details of the maintenance plan your car has and for how long it is still valid.
Asking price, Negotiating terms & Forms of payment A vehicle's price is determined by a whole range of factors including: make, model, mileage, service history, condition, accident reports and the demand for the particular vehicle in the current market.
Carefully take everything into consideration before determining a price that you feel is appropriate.
If you are willing to consider lower offers, be sure to add wording such as 'Price Negotiable', 'ONCO' or 'Best Offer' to your ad which could result in more leads but, make sure you're ready to follow through on the price reduction and always consider beforehand how low you would be prepared to go.
Let buyers know what types of payment you would be willing to accept and/or will not accept.
If you are only willing to accept cash, or would not consider accepting checks, make sure to mention this in your ad.
Creating a good ad when selling a car online is essential.
Be sure to highlight all the positives, but also mention the negatives.
Used car buyers knows they are buying second hand and does not expect everything to be perfect, so you might as well be honest.
This is of course very possible, but it does go hand-in-hand with a little more work and sometimes it can take a long time to make a sale.
A well written ad can make all the difference to the amount of interest you receive from prospective buyers as well as the speed at which you sell your car.
Like any advertisement, a classified car listing needs to be engaging as well as informative to capture a potential buyer's attention.
Make sure that you include all the relevant information.
Your ad should be accurate, honest and free of spelling and grammar errors.
Whether you're selling your vehicle online or through newspaper classifieds, this guide will help you to write exciting, effective ads to sell your vehicle in no time: Gather Information Start off by grabbing a pen and paper and write down everything you know about your car.
Write down the car's mileage (kilometres) and continue to list all the features that can be found in your car, from tow bar to sunroof.
Before creating your online listing, ask someone to proof read your write-up and give you suggestions.
Follow the Format Follow the standard format.
Browse through some of the other online car classifieds and you will quickly notice that all vehicle classifieds sites follow a traditional format and have a legend for standard automotive abbreviations.
All well written ads have a clear pattern.
These ads will include year, make, model, engine size and whether it's an automatic or a manual transmission.
This information should also make out the headline of your ad as this is the most important to buyers when browsing through the ads.
Next should be the mileage and price followed by the condition of the vehicle, any accessories and options, colour and your contact information.
Start with the Basics Every car classified ad should begin with the basics, starting with the make, model, mileage and year.
Include the engine size or trim version of your model, as it makes a difference in the value.
The trim version could include standard extra additions such as leather upholstery, luxury accessories or additional safety features.
When browsing, car buyers will want see the most relevant information as soon as possible in your ad, so build a basic foundation of information, and then add more details towards the bottom of the ad.
The basic advert should include the following essential details: • Make, Model (Including engine size / trim level) • Year of registration • Mileage (Kilometres) • Price • Whether it has a full service history • Colour • Number of previous owners • Seller's contact details Getting Into the Details List of Equipment / Features This is where you should focus on the car's equipment, features and all of the car's other unique selling points.
The more information you include, the more effective your ad will be and you won't have to spend so much time answering questions from prospective buyers.
Fuel-efficient vehicles are in demand and it might also be a good idea to mention your vehicle's fuel efficiency (Ave km/litre) if you feel it is a good selling point.
Abbreviations Use only the standard, well recognized abbreviations, but if you can rather try to avoid abbreviations.
Many potential buyers would only scan over them and lose their meaning if they don't know what stand for.
Some common, well recognized abbreviations are: • AC: Air conditioning • AUTO/MAN: Automatic Transmission / Manual Transmission • EW: Electric windows • FSH: Full service history • ONCO: Or nearest cash offer • RCL: Remote central locking • PS/ABS: Power Steering / Anti-Lock Brake System Care & Maintenance Show potential buyers that your care was cared for.
Mention things such as 'non-smoker' or 'no pets' or even whether the car was regularly garaged.
It can be surprising to learn how important such details can be to a potential buyer.
You should also note whether you are the first owner or not.
Condition Be realistic and honest about your vehicle's condition.
Second hand buyers expect used cars to have some wear on them and there is no need pretending the car is something it's not.
If you own up to a couple of faults such as: stained upholstery or dent in the rear fender that will be obvious upon viewing anyway, you will save you time in the long run, and will let buyers know you are truthful.
Include the reason for selling the car.
This is a very common buyer question, and it gives buyers a sense of the car's condition.
Take a good look at your vehicle and decide which category it falls into: Mint (excellent), good, fair or poor condition.
Remember to factor in possible maintenance or repair work and make price adjustments in accordance with necessary repairs.
Service history & warranty information A well-serviced vehicle is always in demand.
If you have the full service history documents / receipts, mention in your ad that you have this on offer.
It will back up your claim that the car has been well-cared for.
If your car is still under warranty and it is transferable, list the details of the maintenance plan your car has and for how long it is still valid.
Asking price, Negotiating terms & Forms of payment A vehicle's price is determined by a whole range of factors including: make, model, mileage, service history, condition, accident reports and the demand for the particular vehicle in the current market.
Carefully take everything into consideration before determining a price that you feel is appropriate.
If you are willing to consider lower offers, be sure to add wording such as 'Price Negotiable', 'ONCO' or 'Best Offer' to your ad which could result in more leads but, make sure you're ready to follow through on the price reduction and always consider beforehand how low you would be prepared to go.
Let buyers know what types of payment you would be willing to accept and/or will not accept.
If you are only willing to accept cash, or would not consider accepting checks, make sure to mention this in your ad.
Creating a good ad when selling a car online is essential.
Be sure to highlight all the positives, but also mention the negatives.
Used car buyers knows they are buying second hand and does not expect everything to be perfect, so you might as well be honest.