Husband and I have been in the market for a new (used) car since before the start of the pandemic, after ours went to car heaven for good. We’ve been lucky enough to have been loaned a car by my parents, which is something that has genuinely saved our bacon for the last two years, but we’ve managed to replenish our savings a bit and have started to look around for cars again. We’ve got a fairly set idea of the type of vehicle we want, but we’ve also seen a fair few things along the way that have been very off-putting, too. That’s why I’ve put together a little guide for anyone selling a new car of things that you can do which will ensure you get a good price:
Car Detailing
I’ve got a bit of a confession to make; I have a slightly weird obsession with watching car detailing videos on YouTube. After having watched these for some months now I’ve realised that there is a vast difference between cleaning your car and having it properly detailed. The average person will generally clean the outside and maybe hoover and dust the inside of a vehicle and consider this to be properly clean. However when you have a car fully detailed the process of getting the car clean is actually much more in-depth a proper car detailing service like Fenland Auto Detailing will use machinery to deep clean your upholstery, use specific solutions to get rid of different types of dirt such as tall and insect debris, and some will even clean behind your alloy wheels.
Check Your Tyres
Selling your car with minimal tread left on the tyres means that you’re probably going to have to charge less so that the buyer can replace them themselves. However, you can pick a set of part-worn tyres which still have a decent amount of tread on them and won’t cost nearly as much as a brand new set. It will make the overall appeal of buying the car look a lot more attractive and you’ll probably make back any money that you spent on the part-worns in the final selling price of the vehicle.
Buff Any Scratches
It’s rare to find a used vehicle which doesn’t have even tiny areas of cosmetic damage to the paint and it’s not something that most buyers expect. However, if you do have any little scratches or scrapes which aren’t particularly deep, investing in some scratch remover and a microfibre cloth will only cost a few quid but will improve the look of your vehicle exponentially.
Window Chips
Small chips in the windscreen aren’t necessarily an automatic fail on an MOT, depending on the size and location, but there are some chips which are a definite concern when it comes to them spreading. You might be surprised to find that a lot of windscreen repairs are actually covered by your insurance, without affecting your no claims. Have a read of your policy to see if you’re covered, as many windscreen repair companies will actually come to you and do the work while you’re in the comfort of your own home.
