Selling guide

Dealing with potential car buyers

Try and give yourself the best possible chance to sell your car. You need to keep potential buyers interested!

Once you’ve created your ideal listing, make sure you check your emails regularly so you can respond quickly to potential buyers – you want to keep them interested!

Try and give yourself the best possible chance to sell your car. It's a good idea to know as much as you can about the vehicle – potential buyers will ask a lot of questions. Make sure you're honest with all of your answers to avoid any issues later on.

Car viewings

It can be a little stressful worrying about meeting a stranger and showing off your car. Hopefully, our tips will help put you at ease.

If it’ll make you feel more comfortable, ask a friend or family member to be with you when you arrange for someone to view the car.
If you don’t want buyers to come to your house, ask them to view the car at work or at an agreed location.
Remember to give the car a good clean inside and out so it looks its best.

The potential buyer may want to purchase your car there and then – make sure you’ve decided on a price and be ready to negotiate!

Test drives

If someone asks to test drive your car, it means they’re interested and want to try it out. There are some things you should do to ensure everything goes smoothly. Make sure you:

Have insurance – check with your provider and ask if your policy covers test drivers. If it doesn’t, ask for short-term cover for all other drivers.
Request proof of identity – ask to see their driver’s license before they drive your car and take a photo record of it in case anything happens.
Agree on how long the test should take – be specific about how long they can drive it for and whether you’re comfortable with them taking it on the motorway or open road.
Have their phone number – you should already have it, but if you don’t, make sure you get it so you can keep in contact with them during the test drive.

Most importantly, make sure you feel comfortable! It's a good idea to have a friend or family member with you and to ride with the potential buyer. Don't be scared to ask for a form of security, such as their own keys, phone or wallet, etc.

Pre-purchase inspection

Unless the buyer knows a lot about cars, they’ll most likely want to get it mechanically checked before they make an offer. This will give them confidence in the deal – everyone wants to be reassured they’re buying a good car.

Have you met the potential buyer and they’re interested in your car? If you’ve listed as a classified (asking price), have a price in mind and be ready to negotiate.