How to Sell A Used Car Quickly And Profitably

This article helps the seller to sell the used car quickly by taking much of the fear out of the deal for the buyer and having a good chance of getting more money too. Since the buyer typically doesn't know what may be wrong with the car or what has been done to it in the past and what can the buyer might expect to have to repair soon.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Receipts and service records of when any service work was done
• Any special receipts where a warranty may be still existing
• A ledger pad
• A calculator

1. Create a format for your ledger. It should encompass a column for date work done, what was done, what the mileage was at the time and the cost for the work and materials.

2. Go through all of your receipts and set them up in order of date, with the oldest dates at the bottom of the stack. These receipts should include oil changes, grease jobs, air filters and any other normal maintenance work done as well.

3. Ledger the information from your receipts and highlight parts or work that may still hold an existing warranty.

4. Next to the items such as routine maintenance, you may even make a special note or column to designate when the next oil change is due for instance. This will additionally prove your diligence to the buyer.

5. Add up your total costs if you wish, to show just what you have into the car. Other purposes for knowing the total would be, to help you set the asking price and also showing the buyer just what you have spent which may help you to rationalize your asking price.

6. With a service ledger and proof of it with actual receipts, the buyer will feel much more comfortable and more willing to give you what you want for the car, since you have taken much of the mystery out of the picture.
   Which car would you rather buy yourself? One where the seller simply tells you, this is a good car and always starts up, or a car with a service record and receipts to prove it?

Tips & Warnings

• Start your service record from day one, when you first purchase the car. Besides being helpful when selling the car, it will also be useful for you and your mechanic to trouble shoot the next time a problem arises.
• Advertise that you have a complete service record on the car when trying to sell it.
• Record even the smallest receipts, like those tail light bulbs you replaced only one month ago. One thing less the buyer has to think about.
• Another advantage of keeping a record is that it will help you to decide at any given time just how much you have into the car and whether or not you should continue to invest in it. You can even average out your monthly or yearly costs. This info will be helpful in deciding if it may be cheaper to buy a brand new one or maybe keep what you have.

[leslopez]

on 2/12/2009 Trying to get into Craigs list not E how