| Before you can get too carried away over buying a | | | | give good coverage for minimal cost. |
| new set of wheels, there's always the dilemma of | | | | By far the most popular car selling site is Auto Trader. |
| what to do with your old car. Whether selling privately | | | | You can choose to advertise on their website only, or |
| or trading it in at a dealer, typically hundreds of pounds | | | | supplement it with an ad in one of their magazines |
| will rest on your choice. | | | | covering your area. But unless your car is priced at |
| For those who decide to maximise the car's value by | | | | under £1,000, their fees aren't cheap - from |
| selling privately, the first decision is where to advertise | | | | £25 for two weeks on the website alone.eBay |
| the car. | | | | also has a thriving car sales section, where you can |
| If your car is a very popular model, you're in no hurry | | | | choose from an auction or classified style listing. |
| to sell, or its value is below £1,000 don't | | | | However, do watch their 'listing' and 'final value' fees, |
| automatically opt to advertise in the best known car | | | | which can add up to more than you expect - pricier |
| sales magazines like Auto Trader or Exchange & | | | | than Auto Trader if your car sells via auction or Buy It |
| Mart that cover a very large area. | | | | Now. Keenly pricing your car in an eBay Motors |
| They'll certainly have a big audience of buyers, so | | | | Classified Ad for £12.99 may be a better option. |
| you'd be more likely to get a quick sale. But for the | | | | Finally, DesperateSeller is a site that offers to |
| top-selling cars, they're also likely to have huge | | | | advertise your car on 101 motoring websites until sold. |
| numbers listed with which yours will struggle to | | | | At £29.99 the service is far from the cheapest |
| compete for the attention of buyers. This will probably | | | | here, but it is unique and offers a broad distribution of |
| mean you'll have to cut your price to make your car | | | | your ad. How many of the websites it distributes your |
| stand out from the crowd. | | | | ad to are truly worth the web space they're written on |
| So for bargain or very popular cars, the first place to | | | | is the only question. |
| look into advertising is your local newspaper. Buyers | | | | There's a wide range of other car buying / selling |
| prefer not to travel far and the ad may be fairly | | | | websites, which we list on our car search resources |
| cheap. For a wider audience of dedicated local buyers, | | | | page. Just follow the link at the bottom of this article |
| try a local classifieds paper like FreeAd, Friday-Ad, | | | | and find our 'motoring links' section. The few that let |
| Loot or similar in your area, which can also be cheap | | | | you advertise free are worth a look. But for the rest |
| to advertise in. | | | | you have to ask yourself how car buyers are finding |
| Other options include trying a card in a local | | | | them and - if you pay to advertise there - how many |
| supermarket or newsagent's window. That'll either be | | | | buyers will really see your ad. |
| free or cost just a few pounds. Or putting a big sign in | | | | If your car is a bit more expensive or unusual - |
| the window and finding a visible but safe place to park | | | | perhaps a prestige make or classic car - then a |
| your car during the day where there's likely to be | | | | national newspaper or specialist car magazine may be |
| plenty of passing traffic. Bring it home overnight though. | | | | a better choice than the options mentioned above. |
| For cars priced below £1,000, if all else fails Auto | | | | Finally, a word about scams. Avoid the brokers who |
| Trader has a 'Bargain' section and advertising on their | | | | ring up and claim that they have several people on |
| website costs from just £9.99. But if your car is | | | | their books looking for a car just like yours. They'll be |
| worth more, their prices go up considerably. | | | | after a sizable registration fee before allegedly passing |
| Using the internet to get your ad seen more widely. | | | | on your details. Yet after handing over the cash, few |
| More and more people are going online to search for | | | | ever hear from them or their mystery buyers again. |
| their next car. Submitting your ad to well-known | | | | Ever wondered what all those 'no canvassers' |
| classified sites like Exchange and Mart and Loot can | | | | statements in the car ads were all about? |