There comes a time in every motorists life when a new car is inevitable – whether it be to replace a clapped out barely running shed on wheels or simply an upgrade or change in situation.
However, this also means it’s time to part company with your existing car, a process which can be a bit of a minefield to say the least.
With tons of potential routes to market it’s hard to know where to begin, but essentially it’s a play off between hassle and money – rarely will both fall in tandem.
However, to help you along the way we’ve compiled a comprehensive guide to three of the most popular options, and here they are.
Private Sale
Provided you price your car right, a private sale is a great way to get a good and fair price, but it’s undoubtedly the most hassle-some of the three options.
Getting rid of your car via a private sale means you will have to do the pre-sale preparation (there’s a great guide here), all the legwork, and paperwork, yourself.
However, before you get to that you have the monumental task of determining where best to advertise your car for sale.
Firstly, there’s a whole plethora of online classified sites, some specific to the motor trade and others more general.
Of course, these don’t come without cost and you could easily pas £20 a week to advertise your car on just one and there’s no guarantee of sale.
On the other hand, there are a whole host of Facebook selling groups, often local to your area, they rarely demand payment and allow you to advertise a car to people who are within an easy commute of your location.
Part Exchange
A part exchange involves the dealer you buy your new car from taking your old car as a deposit, its perceived value is then deducted from the purchase price of the new car.
However, dealers will often work a part exchange price into the figures in such a way that it’s often hard to determine just how much you’re being offered for the part exchange.
In addition, if your old car is one that they are unable to retail them themselves, they may offer a lower part exchange price to cover the hassle involved in them having to send it to auction.
Because of this and despite, some claims to the contrary, a part exchange is often not the best way to dispose of your old car.
However, if you do opt for a part exchange, there’s a great guide on the Which? Website.
Online Car Buyer
Despite a number of online car buying services having been given bad press in the past, using such a service remains one of the quickest and most hassle-free ways to part with your old car.
Of course, you won’t get as much as a private sale, but you will likely fair better off than a part exchange and won’t have to deal with tyre kickers and time wasters that often come with a private sale.
That said, there are countless online car buyers to chosen from, which can make choosing the right one incredibly hard.
