Best place to sell a car privately (not Maserati) / experiences of

Delmonte

Member
Messages
878
Trying to sell the wife’s mini. 2010 cooper S. Anyway, after many years of using autotrader to buy, but not sell, put it on there. After 3 weeks, not one single call... which has surprised me. It’s priced at 4300, when equivalent dealer cars are on at 4800-6k. Mileage average 86k. V well looked after & huge history file. I’m going to discount the idea that I’m **** at adverts & pics because I’ve not had trouble before, and the car is in a mainstream colour of laser blue, but this is a sector I’m not used to selling in - last few I’ve sold have been classics (used classic car forums) and cheapies (500 to 1500 quid) where I’ve used EBay, both have been successful.

What are people’s experience of places to sell? Is AT poor (in this sector maybe?) Or maybe is AT poor for private sales? Thinking of changing to eBay or piston heads what do people think?
 

Tallman

Member
Messages
1,833
When there are about 7.5k Mini’s to choose from I’m not that surprised…even if you drill down to your exact model and year there are still many options But buyers aren’t going to be that strict in their criteria I would think. It’s just a numbers game so it will take longer
 

dickygrace

www.richardgracecars.co.uk
Messages
7,309
A few things that’ll affect it. Laser blue along with red is the weakest colour. Low spec car, no leather. Cars like this with fewer miles, Works kit, at a dealer in a better colour are a far more attractive purchase:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202106073574632

The main thing is your car is pre facelift and engine upgrade, 2010/60’s are a much improved car so those in the know will be looking for one. I’d suggest it will sell if you drop to £3800, book is £2800-£3400. Hope that’s of help.
 

Delmonte

Member
Messages
878
A few things that’ll affect it. Laser blue along with red is the weakest colour. Low spec car, no leather. Cars like this with fewer miles, Works kit, at a dealer in a better colour are a far more attractive purchase:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202106073574632

The main thing is your car is pre facelift and engine upgrade, 2010/60’s are a much improved car so those in the know will be looking for one. I’d suggest it will sell if you drop to £3800, book is £2800-£3400. Hope that’s of help.
It’s actually got the later engine FWIW
 

outrun

Member
Messages
5,017
Trying to sell the wife’s mini. 2010 cooper S. Anyway, after many years of using autotrader to buy, but not sell, put it on there. After 3 weeks, not one single call... which has surprised me. It’s priced at 4300, when equivalent dealer cars are on at 4800-6k. Mileage average 86k. V well looked after & huge history file. I’m going to discount the idea that I’m **** at adverts & pics because I’ve not had trouble before, and the car is in a mainstream colour of laser blue, but this is a sector I’m not used to selling in - last few I’ve sold have been classics (used classic car forums) and cheapies (500 to 1500 quid) where I’ve used EBay, both have been successful.

What are people’s experience of places to sell? Is AT poor (in this sector maybe?) Or maybe is AT poor for private sales? Thinking of changing to eBay or piston heads what do people think?

Having owned 7 Minis, and still missing not owning one now, @dickygrace speaks some wise words. It's a touch too much money for a car without the key desireable options of Works bits, panoramic roof or the chili pack xenon lights. So it's therefore stuck in a sea of other Minis and nt standing out. I'd advertise it on Gumtree and make it clear that it is the later engine, this is very important (i've twice paid fortunes for the chain tensioners on pre-2010 cars). Drop it to £3800, take some nice pictures, don't post the one of the scratch and get people over to see it. It's 11 years old and nobody sensible expects it to be perfect.
 

dickygrace

www.richardgracecars.co.uk
Messages
7,309
It’s actually got the later engine FWIW
Apologies, my mistake, I didn’t think you could get a late engine with early AC controls, I incorrectly understood that being the way to tell them apart from pics. Rest still stands though re spec, colour etc. I know pretty well, as @outrun we’ve owned 7 of them as Lucy’s car over the years.
 

mjheathcote

Centenary Club
Messages
9,033
Pistonheads, car not special enough.
EBay, everybody wants a bargain, also applies to gumtree, site to dispose if your car isn't perfect or has problems!
AT, best platform really, everybody searches AT.
Have you tried a WBAC valuation?
 

allandwf

Member
Messages
10,958
I only have experience of you young team at work buying cars. There viewpoint, right or wrong, is AT mainly dealers or cars with issues, so they tend not to look there. EBay is the preferred window but needs to be local, gumtree is where bangers and fixer uppers reside. Pistonheads and carandclassic for special models. As I said not my view, but the younger ones here.
 

Oneball

Member
Messages
11,075
eBay seems to be people who want everything for £5 or “ my son pressed the buy it now button by accident” yep I’ve actually had that said to me.

Pistonheads is populated by us lot. “ Did you have the 3rd service in 1995 done and did it include rubbing Sicilian lanolin in to the carpet in a clockwise direction by a factory approved mechanic using a Hermes scarf?”

“WHAT!? You used Tuscan lanolin because of the 1994 Sicilian sheep plague? Sorry not for me then”.

Even if I was selling a 458 I’d go AT the other two haven’t worked for me in the last few years.
 

nigw

Member
Messages
904
I haven’t tried it myself, but a lot of people now swear by Facebook Marketplace. Worth a try as it’s free and for that car/price range you’re probably trying to target a local audience
 

philw696

Member
Messages
25,114
I second Facebook marketplace first place i look here for my projects and parts been very useful.
 

Andyk

Member
Messages
61,038
Autotrader is where most will look so put it on there but the advert and pictures have to make it stand out from the rest with so many for sale. I would find a good location…beauty spot or something like that and take some really good picture to make it stand out from all the others picture of them on people’s driveways.
 

gb-gta

Member
Messages
1,130
The pool of private buyers isn’t anything like it used to be ‘when I were a lad’. I blame those pesky PCP deals everyone gets these days!

Just have to look on AT, total for sale is 440,000, only 33,000 are private. And I bet a good chunk of those are traders too….

It’s not easy unless you are selling a cheap, sub £1500 runabout, you are prepared to sell cheap, virtually at trade, or have a special/rare car. Or just get lucky.

I guess AT is still the best place though for something mainstream, along with Facebook marketplace.
 

Delmonte

Member
Messages
878
Ta everyone. I'll slam it on ebay and see what happens, not in a great rush to sell and the 3 minis look quite good in the drive lol.
No im not going to WBAC lol. I think wife put the car on there and they offered somewhere between 4p and 6p. Would get more at auction i believe
 

MarkMas

Chief pedant
Messages
8,795
.. ..
No im not going to WBAC lol. I think wife put the car on there and they offered somewhere between 4p and 6p.. ..

I think WBAC 's initial offers and final offers can both vary a lot, but for a decent car, correctly described, they have to make a sensible final offer or their reputation suffers.
For my QPV I was hoping someone, somewhere, somehow, would pay me £11,500. WBAC quoted £10,750 and actually paid £8,929, which was almost exactly my "worst case I'll accept" number (£9,000), so we'll done them! I suppose I 'might' have got £10,500 privately after a couple of months of faffing about. (Or sold it to @rockits for £2,500.)
For my sons' really crappy Fiat Punto, the online offer was £1,280, but given its truly appalling condition, I was VERY happy to take £150 on the day.
 

DJS

Junior Member
Messages
76
Try old school and park it in a prominent place with a For Sale sign on it - its free and you never know it might work