10 Useful Tips on How To Sell Your Damaged Car

It’s no secret that online trading has made selling exceptionally simple. But, it seems like a challenge to stand out in the crowd and get just the right price for your car. 

However, with so many terms and conditions of how you need to sell your damaged car, it’s not impossible to sell your car in the online marketplace, especially if it’s damaged or too old to run.

A Guide To Selling Your Damaged Car

Amidst the chaotic automobile marketplace, people like to visualise the current state as people screaming out their car details with their hands up. But, you can be smart when it comes to selling your car. Here are the top ten tips you can sell better despite the dire conditions. 

01. Choosing Your Buyers

When seeking buyers, it’s easy to target local buyers because who would want to travel a couple of miles further down the road? But it’s worth it. Scour the online selling sites and circle down to your closest districts. You might be able to find a much better deal outside your local area. 

02. Arrange All The Relevant Paperwork

One way to seal the deal for yourself is having a file full of receipts and documents showing the car’s history. It adds credibility to the sale and even more so if you include a service book full of stamps from your local garage. 

The documents include:

• MoT certificates for cars that are over three years. It should cover all the passes and advisory notes on concerns that can cause later MoT issues. 
• We recommend providing the maintenance bills that show the annual service receipts and the service book with the dealer stamps. 
• Your car’s V5C certification. This proves that you are a registered owner, and the vehicle is yours to sell. 

Documents like bills for minor wear-and-tear and proof of insurance covers aren’t as important as the three mentioned above, but showcasing them will only show that the car was well looked after. 

03. Ensure That Your Car Is Ready To Be Sold

As you might be aware, there is a term known as consumer psychology when it comes to selling something. Buyers will always choose a car that is better looking over one that is filthy and neglected. 

But that would be considered if your car wasn’t completely damaged, right? In case of damaged cars, you must know what condition your car is in and how that might affect the price you are going to put out. 

If you plan to sell some of the parts, you might determine your car’s scrap value. Alternatively, the scrap car value for your vehicle can still be determined if it is running. 

Your goal is to get the best selling price for your car. You should look into the damage inflicted on your vehicle and assess whether it can be repaired. If you don’t know where to start, contact a salvage or scraping car service that can help you provide the details. You can also ask them to quote each of the parts’ price if you plan to sell them separately. 

However, if you feel like selling your car is not worth fixing, you can sell it for a great price at We Buy Any Salvage Cars. 

04. Ask For A Fair Price

Do you know what is the driving factor when it comes to selling your damaged car? Depreciation. It means that you have to start looking to sell as if you were the buyer. What would have you paid? What are some of the aspects you would choose if you had to buy a damaged car?

If you cannot sell the individual parts or the car itself to an individual, your best option would be to contact a local auto salvage yard. 

It would be best to call your nearest local car recycling or scrap car company. Or, if you are in Essex, you can contact We Buy Any Salvage Car for help. Unlike most scrap car services, we will give you the best competitive rates in the shortest amount of time!

05. Hand Over The Vehicle Yourself

After you have settled on a price and decided which buyers to sell your damaged car to, it’s better to deliver it yourself. If you are fortunate enough to find a scrap car company that is willing to buy your car, they might be willing to pay you more cash if you deliver it by yourself.

06. Do Your Research On ‘Write-Off’ Car Insurance Categories

Putting out an advert mentioning that your car falls under either one of the categories given by your car insurance agency. It can help your buyers navigate themselves throughout the process.

But, don’t try to sell your Catagory S or Category N as “not damaged”. Not only will this put your buyer at risk, but then you might be held legally liable for selling fraudulent vehicles. 

To know the difference between these categories, you can visit here. 

07. Remove Your Personal Belongings

Yes, of course, you will remove your personal belongings before you sell your damaged car! Most people just figure that they might not have anything valuable inside since they cleared out most of the garbage from the exterior. 

You might have lost underneath the carpets or seats, which you will come across. If you comb the car, you might come across a couple of sterlings!

08. Background Checks

If you choose to sell the car yourself, make sure to take all the precautionary measure to make sure that your vehicle is going into the right hands. 

When a potential buyer contacts you about purchasing or taking your car for a test drive, note down their details, such as their names and contact number. 

If you permit someone to enter your car, make sure that the keys are not in it. Ask for their driving licence and proof of insurance. If they don’t have access to either at the time, you can demonstrate by driving the car yourself. 

09. Ask To Get Paid Before You Hand Over The Car

It cannot be stressed enough but do not hand over the car documents or keys before receiving the money from your buyer. 

Be it your bank confirming that you have received it in your bank account or counting it in an envelope. Once you have received and deposited with your own hands, you can hand over everything. 

Even though you are selling a damaged car, avoiding overseas buyers would be our best suggestions. Due to fraudulent cases filed by many unfortunate car owners, scammers have found a new way to take advantage of your situation. Thus, don’t bother replying to their emails or phone calls. 

10. Upon Completing The Sale

After your car has been sold, you still need to file some paperwork and notify the DVLA about the sold car. And, if you sold your car to a scrap metal company, make sure to receive a certificate of destruction. 

In Conclusion

So those were the tips we had for you, which we hope will help you sell your damaged car. And if you think that you would be comfortable selling your vehicle to a scrap car company, don’t hesitate to give us a call! We can get you the top price for your scrap car.