Preparing your car

• Give it a thorough clean. If it looks the part, you'll be half way there when the buyers turn up.
• Spruce up the interior. Use sprays that rejuvenate surfaces and plastics.
• It's often worth getting dents and scratches removed from nearly new cars before putting them up for sale.
• Collect together all the relevant paperwork for your car, including the R.C. book and servicing schedule.

Selling your car

• Trade-in/dealer - This is the quickest and simplest way to get rid of your car. If a dealer is keen to sell you another car he may offer a good price for your old one.
• Private sale - You will get the best price for your car if you sell it privately, but the process can be time-consuming. You have to be around to take phone calls and meet buyers for inspections and test-drives. Also, advertising can be costly, particularly if your car takes a long time to sell.

Meeting buyers

• You must look after your own security and your car. If you feel vulnerable, ensure you have a friend or relative around.
• You should aim to meet them at your home in daylight hours to give them plenty of opportunity to examine the car thoroughly.
• Ask to see a driving licence, and make a note of the licence number.
• Never allow a potential buyer to drive your car without you.
• Allow the buyer to drive on a variety of roads and for a decent amount of time.

Receiving payment

• Once a price has been agreed, take a deposit, making it clear that it is non-refundable. That way, if the buyer pulls out and you have to re-advertise, you won't be out of pocket.
• Never hand over the car until you have been paid the full agreed price.
• Always wait for a cheque or banker's draft to clear before handing over the keys inform the buyer that this will be the case.

Wording a car advertisement

• Include all the relevant information but be precise, accurate, honest and avoid clich's.
• List the exact model, its year of registration and plate number, mileage, whether it has a full service history, colour, number of owners, list of equipment/features, price, colour photograph and contact details.
• If you're selling online, keep it short and sweet and include all the relevant details. There's more scope for pictures online, so take advantage.
• Avoid abbreviations. It's easy to scan over them and many buyers won't know what they mean.

Understand your car's value

• Remember that if your car is in a particularly good condition and has covered fewer miles than average, it'll be worth more.
• Unfortunately, a higher-than-average mileage means you'll have to deduct some cash from the asking price if you want to get people interested.
• Be honest with yourself about the condition of your car. If it's a little battered, you'll have to adjust the price accordingly if you don't want buyers to walk away the moment they see it.
• Special and limited editions aren't worth much more than the basic model they were based on unless they're absolutely packed with extra equipment.
• If you're lucky enough to have a highly desirable model that other motorists are clamoring to buy, you might be able to sell it to them for more than the list price so they can jump the waiting list.