You finally find the car you always wanted, but before you buy it, you need to first sell your old car. Your goal is to get the most money possible so your best option is to sell it yourself. Of course, selling your car yourself comes with many hassles, but if you follow our tips, you should be fine.

1. Representation is everything

The outside and inside of your car is the first thing people will see, so your goal is to make this impression define their final decision. Make it spotless as you’ve never done before and maintain it in this clean condition until it’s finally sold. Now take some high-quality pictures,

2. Set a realistic price

Visit Kelley Blue Book to find the market value of your car and come up with your own reasonable price. If you overprice it, you will either take a long time to sell it or not sell it at all. Also, see what cars similar to your are selling for on the internet.

3. Prepare for questions

You’re going to receive lots of questions about your car, so be prepared to answer them. Prepare all the details regarding your vehicle such as safety features, type of engine, gas mileage, odometer mileage, and so on. If there are any issues with the car, prepare to give more details regarding them.

4. Do the paperwork

Get all your paperwork in order. Find all the service records, title, registration, and so on. It’s also a good idea to get the car serviced, such as an oil change done, breaks and tires inspected. If the car has any unsolved problems, be honest about them.

5. Advertise in the right place

You don’t need to list your car on every possible website. Just pick one or two authoritative car selling sites that you know people in your area use. Some good examples would be Craigslist or AutoTrader.com. Post your car’s specifications, description, and pictures along with your asking price.

6. Don’t meet with buyers at your house

It’s best your potential buyers don’t know where you live so avoid meeting at your house. It’s best to meet at a public place such as a mall parking lot. Also, don’t put your home address in the ad, simply provide the city where you live. This way you won’t get any unannounced visits.

7. Have a safe test-drive

Before letting anyone test drive your car, first check their driver's license. Also, make sure you’re present in the car during the drive. It’s also a good idea to find out if your insurance company will cover accidents that may happen during a test drive with someone else behind the wheel.  

8. Don’t give up too fast

Almost no one will just flat out pay you your asking price. People will try to negotiate. Come up with the absolute lowest price that you’re willing to take and stick to it. Selling a car takes time, so be patient. Of course, if you are in a hurry to sell your car, you can always visit sites that offer cash for cars and sell it that way. Don’t forget to never hand over your keys until you’re paid in full.