Maybe you’re a gear head, and can’t get enough of cars, or maybe you’ve just seen one too many reruns of Top Gear and have a fixer-upper on your hands, or maybe it’s as simple as your having gotten into an automobile accident and wanting to cut your losses.
Whatever the reason, here are four tips to help you sell a damaged car with ease.
Establish an Accurate Portfolio
The first question to ask yourself when attempting to sell damaged cars is—just how damaged is “damaged?” After all, a fender-bender or a broken window is an awfully different thing from a resale point of view than a shot engine or a twisted frame.
Remember Polonius’ words of advice from Hamlet—“To thine own self be true.” The same goes when trying to sell used goods. On the one hand, you don’t want to represent your damaged car as being in better shape than it is, as that’s not just disingenuous and likely a deal-breaker, but you’re only as good as your word, and if you get a bad reputation for passing off a Mercedes with a shot engine and twisted frame as being “slightly used,” that reputation will suffer. On the other hand, you shouldn’t sell yourself or your vehicle short, either.
Shop your Vehicle Online
Seemingly every industry has been affected in one way or another by the digital revolution, and that includes the world of autos and resells value. Making your product easy to see and access is a must n matter what the market, and online sales allow you to do just that. Taking accurate pictures and uploading them along with a description of your auto are two good first steps to joining the world of online car sales. You’ll want to balance trustworthiness against expedience. For the latter, few sites can match Craigslist.com, while for the former; you’re going to want to seek out a site that specializes in selling damaged cars.
Inspect the Buyer
One of the most important yet overlooked aspect of selling damaged cars is ensuring the trustworthiness of your potential buyer. The Better Business Bureau can be extremely useful here, as it can allow you to check into the track record and reputation of the business or individual to whom you’re considering selling.
Scrap vs. Salvage
Finally, when selling damaged cars, you’ll want to see whether you’d get a better price selling your vehicle for scrap or to someone wishing to salvage it. The latter case may be applicable if your make and model are rare, storied, or otherwise desirable. Otherwise, selling your damaged car for scrap is your best bet, as the components of your car may well is worth more than the actual vehicle itself.
Above all, when looking to sell damaged cars you’re going to want to do everything you can to try and set your vehicle and yourself as a seller apart. While you don’t want to lie about the nature or extent of the damage to your vehicle, a little showmanship and salesmanship can go a long way.
