Find yourself thinking ‘I want to sell my old car.’ Over time we can find that the car we first bought is now undesirable. Worse than that is when your current car starts performing worse or needs an expensive repair you cannot afford. So what happens now? Do you sell it and how?

At Assington Autos we can help explain all the methods of getting rid of your old car for money. The three areas we will cover are private selling, instant selling, trade-in and scrapping. Each area has its pros and cons and it’s important to understand at what point each one is necessary.

Is there a single best website to sell a car online?

The short answer for this is no. Each website and platform gives you different options and benefits. So there is no true best website to sell a car online because each one has pros and cons.

Instant online buyers are a great first example. It is rather likely you have seen some form of advertisement for a company that guarantees to be able to buy your car in just 24 hours. This is the best choice for someone in a rush to sell and needs money urgently. The process essentially consists of:

  1. Downloading an app or visiting their website
  2. Filling in the details of your car
  3. Being given an estimation
  4. They travel to you to inspect your car, or you travel to them
  5. The transaction is finished when both parties are happy and the money is in your account

Because of how rapid this service is there is a decrease in the value you get for your car. Potentially this is the most effective way for someone who is not looking for a new car and instead just wants money fast. We personally wouldn’t recommend this as although with private selling you take more time you are rewarded for your efforts.

Private selling of your old car

When selling your car privately take into consideration nobody is there to help you. You might have had friends or family sell this way previously and there’s a good reason for it. Here’s why they likely did it:

  • You typically get the most money selling your car this way
  • You receive the money instantly 
  • You can be paid in cash for your car

Looking at this might make you believe that private selling is the only way to go. Despite it getting you the most money out of your old vehicle it does require the most footwork. You need to make sure your car looks ready to sell and is in good condition. However, the most important step is advertising your car. Since you are by yourself on this, the amount of effort you put into advertising is completely up to you. It can range from simply sticking your phone number and price on the dashboard to creating well thought out blog posts. If you want to get the most money out of selling an old car put in the effort into marketing your car effectively. 

So what are the downsides of selling privately:

  • More effort and time is required
  • Have to deal face to face with prospective buyers
  • You have to organise your own paperwork

You must have the documents ready when selling privately:

  • V5C
  • MOT certificate 
  • Maintenance bills

Where can you trade in a car?

With a car dealership, there are a few things you should be aware of. They will heavily examine your car so they can talk you down to a cheaper price but selling to them means you can often get in-store credit for a future car.

Going to choose trade-in at a dealership, therefore, is a good decision for someone with a car with very little use. This is a great decision for someone seeking a new car fast when they’ve gone tired of their previous one. Our recommendation when looking to sell at a dealership is to try a few of them first, get some evaluations so you can bargain better. Where you can trade in a car is limited to just how far you are willing to travel. 

The people who you speak to about the sale of your car negotiate on prices for a living so don’t allow yourself to be swindled out of your money. Imagine the steps you would take to negotiate the price of a car.

How much will my car scrap for and is it worth it?

So far all the methods we have gone over typically only work for functional cars. With around seven million cars sold and two million scrapped each year obviously, a lot of the cars people are getting rid of are non-functional. Most car dealerships and buyers will not accept a non-functional car. This limits the available options but, don’t worry you can still sell your car. 

So when is it a good idea to scrap your old car for money? When you know your car is never going on the road again this is when scrapping is valuable. The benefits include of scrapping your car include:

  • Getting value out of nothing
  • It benefits the environment by recycling useful materials
  • Companies like us will come to you after getting a valuation making it an easy process

So if you are looking to scrap your old car for money check us out or call us on 01787 210 519. The fact your car doesn’t work is none of our concern. Assington Autos are always ready to help so get your quote instantly today for the best prices paid on junk cars.