KBB and NADA don't buy or sell cars, and they are notoriously inaccurate. Dealers don't use them, only the banks and insurance companies really do these days. Go to Autotrader.com and Cars.com. Do a 500 mile advanced search for cars identical to yours (but don't enter the color). Price your car at least $500 lower than any comparable car you find advertised by a dealer. Color DOES make a difference. The less popular colors will not bring as much. If your car is purple or green or red or maroon or gold, price it lower. Price the car fairly and then STAY FIRM! Don't worry, the dealers that price their cars on the lower end of the spectrum won't discount their cars either. You might also want to consider advertising on Cars.com and AutoTrader. They are quite cheap and you will get to a MUCH larger audience of potential buyers!
Preparation and presentation are ULTRA important!
1. If the bumpers are marred, have them repainted. You can get them done for $150 to $200 each.
2. Pay to have the car professionally detailed inside and out. This includes having the car buffed. You can have this done for between $100 and $200, depending on how much work needs to be done. Have them recondition the headlamps if they are foggy.
3. If the car is a dark color and has a few unsightly dings or small dents, have them removed by a good paintless dent repair man. It isn't very expensive and makes all the difference in the world on a dark colored car.
4. Touch up all of the paint chips.
5. Spray black primer or undercoat on the areas under the car that show surface rust. The buyer WILL be looking under the car!
6. Fix/replace anything that is broken and can be done for a reasonable price (like door handles, visors, interior trim pieces, etc).
7. If a couple of the tires are badly worn, replace them. You don't need to get fancy here. The cheapest ones you can find that are the right size will be fine. Don't pay for lifetime balancing and road hazard! If you have mismatched tires on the car, replace whichever ones you have to so that you have NO MORE than two different brands/models of tires on the car.
8. If the brake pads are badly worn, replace them. Again, you don't need to get fancy here and you don't need to have a complete brake job done. Just replace the pads with inexpensive ones, don't turn the rotors or do anything else, just make sure to bleed the brakes when you are done.
Remember, you will be competing with dealers, some of whom will do many (if not all) of these things. If you want to win the battle, you will too. If you don't do the above, you will need to price the car lower to compensate. Remember the old saying, sometimes you have to spend money to make money.
Preparation and presentation are ULTRA important!
1. If the bumpers are marred, have them repainted. You can get them done for $150 to $200 each.
2. Pay to have the car professionally detailed inside and out. This includes having the car buffed. You can have this done for between $100 and $200, depending on how much work needs to be done. Have them recondition the headlamps if they are foggy.
3. If the car is a dark color and has a few unsightly dings or small dents, have them removed by a good paintless dent repair man. It isn't very expensive and makes all the difference in the world on a dark colored car.
4. Touch up all of the paint chips.
5. Spray black primer or undercoat on the areas under the car that show surface rust. The buyer WILL be looking under the car!
6. Fix/replace anything that is broken and can be done for a reasonable price (like door handles, visors, interior trim pieces, etc).
7. If a couple of the tires are badly worn, replace them. You don't need to get fancy here. The cheapest ones you can find that are the right size will be fine. Don't pay for lifetime balancing and road hazard! If you have mismatched tires on the car, replace whichever ones you have to so that you have NO MORE than two different brands/models of tires on the car.
8. If the brake pads are badly worn, replace them. Again, you don't need to get fancy here and you don't need to have a complete brake job done. Just replace the pads with inexpensive ones, don't turn the rotors or do anything else, just make sure to bleed the brakes when you are done.
Remember, you will be competing with dealers, some of whom will do many (if not all) of these things. If you want to win the battle, you will too. If you don't do the above, you will need to price the car lower to compensate. Remember the old saying, sometimes you have to spend money to make money.
Last edited:
