How to sell your car fast without losing money

Usually when someone is thinking about selling their car fast, it means they are having finance problems and need cash really quick. For me, the circumstances were different as I was moving to another country and I had to get rid of my car before flying out.

Get a valuation of your car

The actual value of your car depends on many things like the make/model, how old it is, the state of the car, the mileage etc. I found that the used car valuation service from Parkers gives you a rough indication of the car’s current market value. Therefore I would recommend using that service first but bear in mind that the value shown on the used car value calculator may not reflect the actual value. My 8 year old Nissan Micra (03 reg) was valued at £2000, a bit optimistic I suppose.

Next have a look on AutoTrader to see what sort of price range your car is selling for. Remember to compare mileage to have a more accurate estimation.

Once you’ve done that, you’ll have a more realistic price in mind for your car. You should then decide on the lowest figure you’ll let go of the car. I thought I could achieve £1400 for the car but I’d be happy to receive £1000 for a quick sale.

Who to sell your car to?

If you want a quick sale for your car, then it’s pretty useless to advertise it because that can take ages and you’ll have to set time apart for potential buyers to come see the car and maybe test drive it. Of course you’ll get the most money if you sell your car privately but time is not on your side, right?

Friends/family – if someone you know is willing to buy the car off you for a reasonable price, then your worries will be gone.
Local dealers – contact local dealers to see if they’re willing to purchase your car. In my region many were not buying and the one who was quoted me £700 for it which I refused.
Your car manufacturer – some manufacturers will buy your old car. Nissan said they do not accept cars older than 3 years, so that was not a choice for me.
WeBuyAnyCar – Try to get an online valuation of your car from them. This will be subjected to an inspection afterwards. Mine was valued at £1250 and therefore I decided to give it a go.

When I went to the showroom of WeBuyAnyCar which was inside car craft, the representative inspected my car and told me that I would get the same price quoted on their website. I was pleasantly shocked as I was really expecting £1K for the car. The reason why I got the same price after inspection is because I didn’t lie when filling out the form on their website. I mentioned scratches where there was any and gave an accurate detail of the state of the car. I washed and cleaned the car before going there as well to make a good first impression. Note that if you don’t have both keys to your car or there’s discrepancy in what you said on the form and the actual condition of your car, your quote will be subsequently reduced.

When selling to WeBuyAnyCar, you’ll have to bring proof of identity and the registration certificate as well. The representative did a check on the mileage to confirm that it has not been clocked and told me there was a £25 fee to get the money the following day which I agreed to.

Final things to do after selling your car

After you’ve signed the contract, you will get part of the registration certificate which you need to send back to DVLA to confirm you’re not the registered keeper/owner anymore. You will be able to claim back any road tax owed to you from this as well.

You will also need to contact your car insurance company so that you can cancel your policy as this is no longer needed now. The sooner you do that, the more you will be refunded back. Be aware there’s an administrative fee that they’ll want to deduct from the refund money.

Contrary to what many others have said in forums, I found that WeBuyAnyCar to be very efficient and allowed me to sell my car really fast (in 1 day) and get the money the following day and at a much higher value than what local dealers were offering. And that makes me happy!