If you are selling your car and you intend to do so through a third party agent, you should evaluate the agent first. Car selling agents sell the car on your behalf, for a commission. This arrangement will work well if the agent is reputable and honest. However, some of these agents are anything but honest. They tend to feed lies to the car seller and potential customers.
My car stayed in the agent’s selling bay for nearly 3 months. Every time I inquired about any potential buyers, I was told that a deal was in the works. One day, I decided to phone the agent posing as a potential buyer. I was shocked to find out that the price being quoted was nearly twice my asking price. The agent was trying to get much more than his commission. For good measure, I recorded the conversation and made my way to the agent’s office.
I made the usual inquiries and he gave me the same answer he usually did. I abruptly cut to the chase and revealed to him what I had discovered. I demanded that he return my car keys. Two weeks later, I was able to sell the car by myself.
Here’s my advice to those selling or intending to sell their cars. The best way to sell your car is to sell it on your own. This will also benefit the buyer because they will buy directly from someone with intimate knowledge of the car. This will allow the buyer to make a very informed decision on whether to buy or not. However, should you decide to go the selling agent route, consider the following:
1. Is the agent reputable?
2. Do all the cars in the agent’s selling bays have clearly marked prices.
3. When in doubt, phone agent and pose as a buyer.
4. Ensure contract between you and agent has clauses which allow you to back out due to non performance on the agent’s part.
5. Ensure you record the mileage when you leave your in the hands of an agent. Agent must compensate for all mileage which cannot be ordinarily attributed to test drives. The maximum distance for each test drive must be stated in the contract agreement.
For those who decide sell their cars through an agent, always make sure to do your preparation and research. The last thing you want is a car selling nightmare.
Bond Mejeh produces automotive related articles for Quick Cash Auto, a cash for cars service. Quick Cash Auto not only buys pre-owned vehicles of any year, make or model, but they also provide numerous a