Make selling your used car easy

When you think of selling your car, the first thing you will want to know is its worth. There are a variety of sources you can go to, including car bonds, brokers, friends, colleagues and online, to find out the rough value of your car in terms of make, model and year. Car advertisements will also give you an idea of how much similar, new or out the bond cars are going for.

Trade-in
Decide if you are going to swap your car for a new one or if you want to sell it outright. Swapping a car for another is becoming a popular trend in Uganda. This is when you hand in your old car, add some cash and get a car of choice. This route is cheaper than outright purchase and is preferred by brokers especially if you are selling a popular car such as the Toyota Harrier aka Kawundo, Spacio, and Premio.

Documents
It is advisable that you have the car’s registration documents or copies with you at all times. This is a good indicator that the car has not been stolen or has a list of problems such as debtors associated with it. If you have lost the original documents, you can always do a re-print online via the Uganda Revenue Authority website.

Private sale
If you sell the car yourself, you shall almost certainly receive more money for it. A broker has to be confident that he will be able to sell it for a profit, so he is likely to offer you less than what it is actually worth. Think about whether you need to sell the car quickly or whether you have the time and inclination to field lots of phone calls and views from potential buyers.

Keep in mind that when you sell your car, people will also be evaluating you. They will be thinking something like; “this’ the person who’s owned this car for the past few years. Do I trust him/her?”
Make the buyers feel comfortable. They will probably be uneasy about making a big decision and spending money. Put them at ease and answer their questions.

Clean car
Matovu says first impressions matter. He, therefore, advises you to get your car into the best possible shape, both inside and out. “When people come to look at your car, they will probably make up their mind to buy or not within the first few seconds.
Make sure it is washed, is both mechanically sound and free from huge dents. Consider making low-cost repairs yourself rather than selling it “as is.” Shovel out all the rubbish from the inside of the car,” he says. If the car needs servicing or even a routine oil change, take care of that before putting it up for sale.

Emphasise best features
Do not forget to mention any extras that will be popular with potential buyers, such as maintenance parts availability, low fuel consumption, in-car entertainment system and new tyres, among others. If it has not done much mileage, say so. Consider whether it is a particularly reliable car. “If you are stuck, try to think what attracted you to the car when you bought it, chances are, it will be the same things that make it attractive now. If the car is no longer in daily use, make sure you take it for a drive on a regular basis. You do not want to have any trouble getting it to start when you have got a prospective buyer ready to take it for a test drive,” Matovu advises.

Payment
Matovu says, principally, always have an absolute lowest price in mind, and stick to that. You may have to negotiate a little, but never go below what you really want. When it comes to payment, cash is always best although a down payment is a reasonable alternative. Depending on who you are dealing with, it is also perfectly fine to hand over the car but not legally transfer documents until the final payment is done.
Sale agreement
“The sale agreement should include the name and contacts of seller, name and contacts of buyer, sale amount, payment terms, AS IS nature of car, sale date, name and contact of witness and other indemnity clauses such as the buyer having inspected the car to their satisfaction and buyer is not in any way liable for any repairs or breakdowns after the car sale date,” he says.

Against all this, the easy way to sell your car is by having a minimum price, hand it over to a broker and sit back. While this works, you shall almost always get less than what you really want. Get involved and as a confidence booster, most buyers prefer meeting the real owner of the car in person as they know the buyer shall be more truthful and accurate on the objective aspects of the car.

Test drive
Edrisa Matovu, a car dealer, says some potential buyers will want to test-drive the car. “Ride along with them so that you answer any questions about the car’s history and performance. There are many unexpected bumps in the road that can arise while selling a used car. These will be handled easily if you are dealing with a reasonable person,” he says, adding that as prospective buyers contact you, use your intuition to evaluate them. If they seem difficult, pushy or even shady, wait for another buyer. With the right person, selling a used car should be simple.

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