[jimmyca69]

Hi all

Having placed my order for a new M3 I am now on countdown until the end of September. I have a Sept p/ex price from dealer for the 335d which is decent but I am confident privately it would fetch more.

Just wondering how best to approach selling the 335d as we get closer? I had already sold my E55 AMG before the 335d arrived but I had the Fiesta as a second car. With that now gone the 335d is my only car.

Whilst selling now would yield better prices perhaps, it would also mean I would need to buy a run around until end of Sept.

However waiting increases the chances of not selling privately and p/ex for the dealer to make some profit.

Any approaches people have taken that seem to work? i.e. advertise early/late?

Thanks

[notused]

Same for me recently. I put my X6 on autotrader for £5k over part-ex price and was inundated with calls from dealers offering £1-2k over part-ex. In the end sold privately for £3k over. However, it was a nerve racking transaction and you really really need to be careful: can't take £40-50k cash, can't do faster payments, had to go with BACS, had some finance on it, who do you pay, when will finance company confirm payment, when do you release car etc etc

And then same day I bought a Micra from a neighbour which I sold three weeks later for £25 less.

I was lucky. But I still suggest you advertise it and see what other dealers offer you, if only for peace of mind that you checked all options.

[Pablo335d]

James I believe its luck of the draw when it comes to selling a car private abit hit & miss.I currently have my 535d up for sale on auto trader has been for 2 wks.Ive taken decent pictures given an honest description and priced it at a realistic figure for age / mileage compared to other 535d also advertised but I've not had 1 enquiry so far

In the past I've had no problem selling cars privately, but I do believe the value of the car influences a sale. What I mean by that is more people are inclined to buy a £5,000 car private than one worth £20,000 suppose its a piece of mind thing handing over a lot of money to somebody you have never met before.

Best of luck with the sale if you decided to try to sell private

[jimmyca69]

Originally Posted by Palo_535d

James I believe its luck of the draw when it comes to selling a car private abit hit & miss.I currently have my 535d up for sale on auto trader has been for 2 wks.Ive taken decent pictures given an honest description and priced it at a realistic figure for age / mileage compared to other 535d also advertised but I've not had 1 enquiry so far

In the past I've had no problem selling cars privately, but I do believe the value of the car influences a sale. What I mean by that is more people are inclined to buy a £5,000 car private than one worth £20,000 suppose its a piece of mind thing handing over a lot of money to somebody you have never met before.

Best of luck with the sale if you decided to try to sell private

Yes my fiesta sale is fresh in my mind, not a sniff until someone local came and paid asking. But that was after around 6-8 weeks on Autotrader, eBay, Pistonheads etc. Priced decent in comparison to others but had little interest.

[jimmyca69]

Originally Posted by RWDpetrol

Same for me recently. I put my X6 on autotrader for £5k over part-ex price and was inundated with calls from dealers offering £1-2k over part-ex. In the end sold privately for £3k over. However, it was a nerve racking transaction and you really really need to be careful: can't take £40-50k cash, can't do faster payments, had to go with BACS, had some finance on it, who do you pay, when will finance company confirm payment, when do you release car etc etc

And then same day I bought a Micra from a neighbour which I sold three weeks later for £25 less.

I was lucky. But I still suggest you advertise it and see what other dealers offer you, if only for peace of mind that you checked all options.

Yes I haven't sold privately for over 20k so that is a worry. No finance on my car so helps but I would be worried about payment etc.

[elstoof]

I got lucky selling mine really, had 2 enquiries in 3 weeks and the buyer was a nice guy. Paid with online bank transfer, money was in instantly and gave him the keys to drive home.

Anything over about 15-20k I don't think I'd want the headache tbh and just PX.

[ajfoggy]

Take a look at my thread there:

http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...hlight=private

I went with a classified ad on eBay then i could kind of judge the buyer on their eBay score, or not if I didn't want to.

Anyway it's taken about 5-6 weeks but got a buyer and nearly want I wanted for the car, still around £1500 up on trade in value.

[TonyMaloni]

James, if you get offers from both a dealer and a private punter through autotrader then sell to the dealer every time - even if his offer is a bit less.
Take it from me - someone who's had his fingers burnt.

[jimmyca69]

Originally Posted by ajfoggy

Take a look at my thread there:

http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...hlight=private

I went with a classified ad on eBay then i could kind of judge the buyer on their eBay score, or not if I didn't want to.

Anyway it's taken about 5-6 weeks but got a buyer and nearly want I wanted for the car, still around £1500 up on trade in value.

Thanks that's really useful

What is your stop-gap car by the way?

[ajfoggy]

Originally Posted by jamesca80

Thanks that's really useful

What is your stop-gap car by the way?

I havent got one...

going to try and get by.

Mrs works from mon-wed so I can borrow her car. then Thur, Fri going to try and work from home.

looked long term rental and it's was about £350 a month for a fiat 500.

I think I only really need the car for 14 days between now and pick up.

mention it to my boss today and he didn't say no or yes so think it will be OK.

[ajfoggy]

Originally Posted by TonyMaloni

James, if you get offers from both a dealer and a private punter through autotrader then sell to the dealer every time - even if his offer is a bit less.
Take it from me - someone who's had his fingers burnt.

how did you get burnt out of interest?

[225]

I have always found you get out what you put in selling cars. When I sold my old car for the 340 I waited until a sunny day, gave it a deep clean and Polish after I had the alloys refurbished cheaply and took some photos. I also took a photo with all the history I had which showed a big wadge of every receipt spent on it. I used photoshop to hide personal or financial numbers in the picture though.

I then put it on auto trader and the first people that saw it bought it. They commented on they were drawn to how good it looked and assumed correctly as it goes, that I had looked after it.

It amazes me people put up pictures of dirty cars with pictures taken on dull days on auto trader.

[jimmyca69]

Originally Posted by 225

I have always found you get out what you put in selling cars. When I sold my old car for the 340 I waited until a sunny day, gave it a deep clean and Polish after I had the alloys refurbished cheaply and took some photos. I also took a photo with all the history I had which showed a big wadge of every receipt spent on it. I used photoshop to hide personal or financial numbers in the picture though.

I then put it on auto trader and the first people that saw it bought it. They commented on they were drawn to how good it looked and assumed correctly as it goes, that I had looked after it.

It amazes me people put up pictures of dirty cars with pictures taken on dull days on auto trader.

Yes agreed, I have some decent pics I can use after a good clean but also booked in for a full detail at beginning of August. Will note that in any ad I put up before then and update pics afterwards.

I also find on older cars putting up the service history (date/mileage/location) goes a long way as well as pics of each alloy and details on tyre make, tread life as well as brake life. Basically try to answer any questions in the ad.

[TonyMaloni]

Originally Posted by ajfoggy

how did you get burnt out of interest?

...had a car stolen by two very plausable guys who came round to view it is the short story. They came back later that night and took it. Was a real professional job. So, that was even before risk in terms of taking payment etc.

Sold the next car to a dealer through autotrader. Was able to check him out thoroughly and get fast payment. So much less risk and transaction went fine. You obviously still need to make sure he is legit.

My absolute number one rule now is know who you are dealing with - check and copy identifcation for example.

[ajfoggy]

Originally Posted by TonyMaloni

...had a car stolen by two very plausable guys who came round to view it is the short story. They came back later that night and took it. Was a real professional job. So, that was even before risk in terms of taking payment etc.

Sold the next car to a dealer through autotrader. Was able to check him out thoroughly and get fast payment. So much less risk and transaction went fine. You obviously still need to make sure he is legit.

My absolute number one rule now is know who you are dealing with - check and copy identifcation for example.

Ah yes sorry, think I read this on the other post.

Fingers crossed my buyer seems good. That is why I did it on eBay, so I could at least pre-judge to a certain extent the type of person from their eBay feedback

[Y2AJ]

I just sold my F30 320D 2012 and I got £2500 over what the dealer was giving. I did have it on Autotrader for weeks and only had 1 call here another text there. Nothing solid. I did the same as you. Some really nice pictures, an accurate description, but a price £3k over the PX. As much as I didn't want to, I put it on Gumtree and the same day I had 8 calls from interested parties. The next day someone came to look at it and gave me a deposit and a week later came to pick up the car and did an online transfer. The PX was £12,000. I managed to get £14,500. This was before March and i picked up my new 330D. So definitely don't just rely on Autotrader. I also used Pistonheads and didn't hear a squeak. So use as many options as you can. You'll always find someone who wants your car. That's my 2 cents anyways. Good luck mate.

[sensible]

I placed my order in Sept 15 for Dec delivery. About 4 weeks before my car was due I gave my old car (6 year old Honda Civic Type S GT) a good clean inside and out and took some good photos. Put it on Auto Trader with a good description and priced as per others and waited. Got a few enquiries and a week later the first person viewed. Made sure the car was spotless and had all the paperwork ready, service books and receipts, two keys and handbook. Took them for a varied drive (I drove) motorway, round town and lanes.

We haggled on price and I only dropped £250. Cash was offered but due to the abundance of fake notes said I would only accept cash if they came with me to the bank. Trip to bank, cash paid in. Back home, paperwork and they took the car. Job done and £1500 more than part exchange price. This method has worked for me with every car I have sold and usually it has been the first viewer.

Had to wait 3 more weeks for my car so used shared the wife's and made do for that time.

Good luck!