Preparing Your Classic Car for Sale

Posted by Classic Car Expert on Aug 17, 2009

If you are planning to sell your classic car, there are a number of things that you should look into before you put up an ad for it. The appearance of the car has a significant effect on the success of the sale, and you should take the necessary measures to ensure that your car looks attractive to potential buyers. Also, make sure that the engine and other parts are functioning well before you sell it.

The first thing to do is to give your car a good clean. Remove all your personal belongings from the inside of the car, and then, vacuum and clean the floors and the seats. If you have been smoking while you are driving your car, use some air freshener to remove the smell, because it can turn off some car buyers. The trunk should also be properly cleaned. Give the exterior of the car a good wash and polish, scrub the wheels, and make sure the windows are sparkling clean.

After cleaning your car, send it to a servicing center and change the oil. Servicing your car will make it a little more appealing to car buyers because they know they don’t have to service it right after they purchase it. If there are any mechanical problems that you know of, make sure you get them fixed before you offer your classic car for sale.

Finding the right setting to photograph your classic car is also important. Choose a place that can provide a perfect background for your car, with a wonderful setting that can make the paintwork look more brilliant.

Preventing Fraud When Selling Classic Cars Online

Posted by Classic Car Expert on Jul 24, 2009

Those who are selling classic cars online should be aware that there are scammers on the internet who will pose as buyers to cheat people of their cars or money. Therefore, it is important to exercise extra caution when you are dealing with online buyers. Here are a few tell-tale signs that you may be dealing with a fraudulent buyer.

Buyer requests that you pay for an inspection: The buyer will ask for the car to be inspected, and then, he will recommend an inspection company of his own. When the inspection company receives payment from you, you will not hear from the company or the buyer again. It is usually the buyer’s responsibility to pay for an inspection.

Buyer can only be contacted via emails: Scammers will try not to give you their real phone numbers, and they will suggest that you contact them through email.

Buyer claims that he is in a foreign country: Many fraudulent buyers will tell you that they are in another country.

Buyer sends payment by cashier’s check: A cashier’s check can take up to a month to clear. By the time you realize that the check is no good, the buyer would have disappeared with your prized classic car.

Buyer is an agent or has an agent: This is one of the common tricks that are used by scammers. The buyer may send you more money than the actual price of your classic car by cashier’s check, and then, he will ask you to send the extra money to his agent, who is of course the scammer himself.

Buyer uses a phony escrow company: Make sure that the buyer sends payment through a legitimate escrow company.

The Best Places to Advertise Your Classic Car

Posted by Classic Car Expert on Jun 01, 2009

Finding the right place to advertise your classic car will definitely improve your chances of getting a good sale. There are many different advertising media these days, ranging from the traditional classified ads in newspapers to online auctions, and they have varying degrees of effectiveness.

Popular classic car magazines attract a lot of classic car enthusiasts, which include both owners and aspiring owners. If you advertise your classic car in such magazines, you will have a high chance of getting an enquiry or two. However, you should plan your ad in advance, because it usually takes about a month or so to get your ad published in such magazines.

If you want to sell your classic car in a hurry, the best thing to do is to sell it through an auction. But you may not be able to get the kind of price you want, since most car buyers expect to get a good bargain at auctions. Another thing that may discourage you from selling your car through an auction is the commission that is charged by the auction house, which varies from one auction house to another.

Presently, online auctions are some of the hottest meeting places for buyers and sellers of classic cars. If you are planning to sell your car through online auctions, make sure you give a very honest and detailed description of your car, because car buyers won’t be able to see your car and they need a good description to know whether it is worth buying or not. You can also advertise your car through online car dealers that have a classic car classified ads section.

Assessing the Value of Your Classic Car

Posted by Classic Car Expert on May 22, 2009

Most people won’t doubt you if you tell them that your classic car is worth a considerable fortune. If you are planning to sell your little treasure in the near future, it is a good idea to find out its exact market value.

Many classic car owners will take a look at classified ads or car value guides to get an idea of how much their cars are worth. While this is a good way to get an assessment of your car’s value, you should consider certain things when you look through the ads. Obviously, you will look for cars that are of the same year and model as your car, but the prices of these cars may not be good indications of how much your car is worth, because they may have special features and other specifications that can reduce or add to their market values. For example, things like custom wheels and paint, as well as modified engines can bring down the values of classic cars because they make the cars lose originality. On the other hand, AC and power steering are features that will make classic cars more valuable.

Rarity can make a big difference when it comes to the value of a classic car. Many Corvettes were produced in 1967, but only 20 of them featured the L88 engine, and these rare cars are much more valuable than the ordinary Corvettes of that year. You should also consider the condition rating of your car. If your car has a better condition rating, it will fetch a better price.

If you are still unsure how much your classic ride is worth after looking at classified ads and value guides, you can engage a professional appraiser to give you an accurate valuation.