Should I trade my car in or sell it privately?

Going public when selling a used car is an intimidating proposition for some – especially when you can use an online purchase service, take it to a dealer or exchange it. it takes a new car without blinking.

But is that really the wisest thing to do?

In this article, we explore the pros and cons of an individual sale versus an exchange option.

Sold separately

Selling a car privately means advertising and managing the entire sales process yourself. It can take a lot of effort — and more risk — but the result is sometimes, but not always, more money in your pocket.

Advantages of private car sales

1. Earn money. It’s simple, really. When you trade a car with a dealer, they will give you a wholesale price so they can apply their own margin on resale. When you sell a car privately, you can keep any deposit that may be. Sometimes, it can be a small amount.
2. Better for older cars. Older cars, especially those with more mileage, are harder to sell to dealers – but they’re easier to sell privately. As such, an agent won’t give you that much. It’s better to sell it privately.
3. Better for niche cars. If you have a unique sports car or off-road vehicle that is widely admired, don’t take it to a dealer who doesn’t know what it is. The beauty of the internet is that it allows you to reach your niche and customers for your niche journey – and make more money.
4. It is not much effort to sell privately. Cleaning your car, taking pictures and posting ads online is easy. Many online advertising platforms are now designed to be as easy to understand as possible, meaning you can upload from your phone in minutes.
5. Kind of fun. Selling a car can be a positive experience – use your creativity to take pictures and write copy, meet interesting members of the public (especially if you’re selling a car to someone who wants to sell cars). like-minded enthusiasts) and made a decent amount of money selling cars. a reliable buyer. When the sale of a private car goes well, it’s a win for everyone and restores your faith in humanity.

Disadvantages of private car sales

1. More risks. Scam, lost money, robbed or worse. We don’t want to scare you, but stay smart on the street – keep a paper trail of any financial transactions; note down important things like the buyer’s license number – very important when selling anything to the public, especially cars.
2. Try more. Researching your vehicle’s value, informing yourself of the required documents, managing claims and organizing a test drive, all take time.
3. Dealing with the general public. This can go one of two ways. If you’re selling a near-new BMW or Audi at a premium, you’ll probably have an interesting experience. But if you’re selling a used V8 Holden Commodore car, you might want to brace yourself for the tire-spinners, the fun-loving people – and worse, the low-ballers.
4. bargain. It’s less awkward to simply engage in a slow waltz with your potential car buyer, than to go back and forth with a few hundred dollars. But everyone wants to feel like they got a good deal. It’s just part of the semi-private process. Just make sure you price your car with a bit of fat on top to make it easier to bargain.
5. More papers. When you trade cars, you can sign a contract – that contract has been sorted and printed out for you – and that’s it. When selling a car privately, the paperwork can range from preparing a simple tax invoice for you and the buyer – and filing a liquidation notice with the relevant authorities – to having to certification body of road eligibility, completing the registration conversion procedure and notifying the processing. For example, selling a private car in Victoria is so paperwork demanding that you may want to park on a busy street with the windows down and the key in the ignition. (Don’t do this.)

Sell ​​my car online / Trade in my car at

Selling your cans online is easy, you can get the price pretty fast, you can also take it to a dealer and they will give you a price. You can give it to a used car dealer or exchange it for a new car. It’s quick, easy, convenient, and simple — but at a cost.

Advantages of selling your car online / trading your car at

1. Significantly faster and easier. You’ll get a lower price than selling separately, but you can consider it a fee to be able to just drop it off at the dealer and walk away. Happy.
2. Safer. Ideally, a contract means you deposit your old car – and any worries about it coming back to haunt you in the future. Selling a car privately, if the transmission blows up a week after it’s with the new owner, even if it’s just bad luck, they can still try their luck contact you and turn it into Your problems.
3. No worries about minor repairs. IIn Victoria, Queensland and the ACT, you need to think about a certificate of eligibility when selling a private vehicle (in the ACT if the vehicle is older than six years) – this can be difficult if you’re getting a huge listing. the necessary repairs. With an agent, you drop it and that’s it. The roadworthiness certificate and any necessary repairs are their problem.

Cons of trading your car in

1. Do less money. When they sell your car online or to a dealer, it will need to be priced competitively against the private market. That means they have to give you less.
2. Deal with an agent. You are still ‘selling’ your car to someone and a dealer is encouraged to sell it to you for the cheapest possible price. Here’s why we recommend you give it a try our online shopping service.
3. bargain. For a private sale, you’ll still need to develop those negotiation skills when dealing. The dealer is a professional salesperson – compared to a member of the public, you’ll need to bring your A-game to avoid being scammed.
4. Risk of being ripped off. If you don’t know the value of your car, it doesn’t matter how good your negotiating skills are – the car salesman will see you coming. You always get paid to do your own research (that’s the kind of person we assume you are, if you’re reading this).

Summary

There’s no right or wrong way to sell your car – it’s the way that works best for you. Our advice would be this. If you are buying a brand new car – make sure you use CarExpert’s new car buying system for the best price – and your current car is under 10 years old with reasonable mileage – it’s worth getting the exchange or used price Our online service to see what we will offer for your vehicle. You might be surprised, especially if finances are involved.

If you are not satisfied, then you can compare with a troublesome private sale.