Before I go further, I think it’s important to tell you WHY I opted to sell cars. After all, most people are about as fond of car salesmen as they are of sticking castus under their fingernails. So why would anyone WANT to sell cars? Well, I was sick and tired of watching my sisters, friends and various other gals get ripped off. And I was certain that I could do a better job than most of the bozos I’d seen on various lots, using those tired old ’slick’ lines and laughing all the way to the bank. You could say that I was on a mission. I spent 4 years selling cars, quite successfully I might add, and only quit the business because it was apparent to me that I was NOT going to change the way business was done. The Old School Boys Club was firmly entrenched and I wasn’t going to change that. What I did change, however, is how all the women I know now buy their cars. In other words, I learned the business and can now use that knowledge to help others. It’s an awesome feeling and the time I spent was well worth the payoff. To that end, I shall share what I learned in an effort to help YOU make the car-buying experience a bit less dreadful. DO YOUR HOMEWORK:

There is a wealth of information on the Internet that can assist in your process and limit the amount of time you need to spend at the dealership. Such resources as Edmunds and kbb (Kelly Blue Book) will give you exact prices on both retail and dealer costs, as well as reviews on the vehicle in question. KBB.com is great for reviewing used cars, Edmunds is both new and used cars. You can also get help from Costco if you happen to be a member. They have a pretty awesome buyers plan that allows you to know before you get to the dealership what price you’ll pay for the vehicle you’ve chosen. This eliminates all the ‘haggling’ nonsense. Most dealerships that allow Costco deals have one salesman who works with those customers and you can even schedule an appointment to minimize the time you’re there. It’s quite handy. If you don’t happen to be a Costco member, you can still arrange things in advance by doing your research about the car you want and then calling the dealership to make an appointment with their Internet Sales person. But we’re getting a bit ahead of ourselves.

First, figure out what you want. If you’re deciding between a few different vehicles, set aside a couple of hours during the week (if possible) to go to each respective dealership to test-drive the various models. I suggest week days as opposed to weekends because there’s typically less traffic at the dealerships during the week and you can get in and out pretty quickly. Depending on the state in which you live, it may be required for you to hand over your driver’s license so they can make a photocopy of it. Some states actually require the dealership to have your license on file (insurance liability, etc) so you have to allow them to do this. You can check with your local DMV about your state’s laws. If you must allow them to photocopy it, GO WITH THE SALESPERSON when he does this. Why? Because I’ve seen more than one knucklehead manager try to keep the license in his possession in an attempt to keep the buyer in the dealership. As stupid as this sounds, I’ve seen it happen.

So, you’ve driven the cars you are considering and narrowed it down to 2. Next step is to see which car is going to be the better value. Go to Edmunds and research each vehicle. Get the MSRPs as well as the dealer’s invoice price. You can also use their calculator to estimate what your monthly payment will be. It’s a good idea to know your credit rating beforehand, so you’ll know what kind of interest rate you’ll qualify for. At this point you can plug in all your numbers, from how much of a down-payment you’ll have to the length of the term and figure out if it’s doable. You can also go directly to the manufacturer sites to see if they have any special deals going on (offered by the manufacturer, not the dealership) and plug these numbers in as well.

FINANCING OPTIONS:

Depending on what kind of offers the manufacturer has, you may wish to finance your vehicle elsewhere and bypass the entire dealership finance department. More often than not, they’re going to try to charge you a percent or 2 over what you actually qualify for. They make money on this, so they’ll do their best to jack up the rate. If you go to your credit union or other financial institution beforehand, you’ll be able to get the best possible rate and, again, spend less time at the dealership. When I bought my last truck, I went through my credit union and got a rate that was 5% less than the dealership offered. That’s a HUGE difference in your total cost, so don’t underestimate what you may be able to find.

TRADE-INS:

If you’re planning on trading in your old car, the best thing you can do is to get the value of that car on KBB. You’ll need to look under ‘trade-in value’, NOT ’selling privately’. and here’s the reason for this. Whenever you trade a car in at a dealership, that dealership is going to offer you the least amount they can in order to maximize their turn-around profit. In most states, they’re required by law to run those cars through the service department to make sure the car meets minimal state requirements for reselling. This costs the dealership money, so they take that into consideration when making their offer to you for the trade-in value. Also, if the trade-in has more than 60K miles, it’s value is drastically reduced because the dealership can’t offer any warranty on it when they try to resell. In short, it’s likely that your trade-in is going to be sold to an auction (that’s where those little, privately owned car lots get their cars) and the dealer isn’t likely to make any profit on it. Hence, their ridiculously low trade-in offer.

If you want to get the most for your old car, you’re better off selling it yourself. It’s not nearly as convenient as trading it in, but you’re most likely to get the most for it if you do it yourself. If that’s not something you want to contend with, then get all your information gathered about what you can get fro a trade and don’t say a word about it to the salesman until AFTER you’ve negotiated your price on the new car. Keep the trade-in out of the equation to secure your new car price. It’ll minimize even more ‘negotiating’.

AT THE DEALERSHIP:

So now you’ve got all your information gathered and you’ve made your decision as to which car you’re going to buy. You’ve also figured out where you’re going to get your financing and the value of your trade-in. You’re ready to buy your new car.

Before you drive onto the lot, you must have the following decisions made:

Your Down Payment (the MOST you’re willing to put down on the car)

Your Monthly Payment (not a penny more)

Your Trade-In Value (the least you’re willing to accept)

Your Credit Score (if you’re financing through the dealership) Go in and ask to speak to the new car (or used car) sales manager. Tell him/her what car you’re going to buy. Drive the car one more time to be sure it’s ‘the one’. Once you’ve returned from your test drive, they’re likely going to sit you down at some desk and begin the whole ‘negotiating’ process with what’s called a ‘4-square’. This is where you’ll be asked to fill in your information (including your SS number). DO NOT fill in your SS number until you’ve got the deal you want. Because the moment they have that number, the salesman or the manager is going to run your credit. If you already know your credit score (which you should, if you’ve done your homework), they don’t need to do this just yet. As soon as you’re done filling in your information, they’re going to disappear into another office and start with their highest numbers. The moment they return to the table, take that 4 square out of his hands (he is NOT going to want you to do this, as this is his ‘control’ document…they actually teach you this when you’re new to the car business!) But, grab the paper and cross out everything they’ve written down, replacing each number with YOUR numbers.

These numbers will include price of the car, down payment and monthly payment. (the 4th square is for the trade-in, which you’re not getting into just yet)Tell the salesman or manager that this is your ‘final offer’ and you’ve got 45 minutes before you’ll be leaving the dealership. Check your watch and make a note of it on the 4 square. They may try to tell you that you can’t buy a car in 45 minutes, and I’m telling you that YOU CAN. I’ve done it more than a dozen times with various friends/family and it is totally possible to buy a car in that amount of time IF you’ve done your homework and have all your ducks in a row.

At this point you’re going to have nerves of steel because it’s likely all the ‘tactics’ are going to appear. DO NOT BE SWAYED. Stick to your guns and tell them this is it. PERIOD. If there’s anyone in charge who’s got half a brain, you’re going to be signing paperwork in 15 minutes or so. If not, stick to your plan and LEAVE. If you’re making a reasonable offer, they’re going to make the deal. If not, you’ll know soon enough. By ‘reasonable offer’ what I mean is an offer that is above their invoice cost (they are entitled to make a profit. That’s what they’re in business for!)but not so high that they’re taking your head off in their profit. Once they’ve agreed to your offer, THEN you can tell them that you’ll be trading in your old car. Don’t be surprised if this is met with great agitation. They really hate when people do this. But, again, don’t expect to get top dollar for your trade, especially if you’ve just negotiated the deal you want. They’re going to make an offer and then it’s u[p to you to decide if it’s worth your time to trade-in or sell on your own.

IN A NUTSHELL:

The bottom line is this: go armed with information. KNOW what you will or won’t pay. And keep an eye on the time. It’s not impossible to get the deal you want with little effort or time spent. You just have to know what you’re talking about and stick to your guns. One more thing:

Depending on your location (4 season climate or not), there are certain months when you’re going to have an added advantage. In the 4 years I sold cars, I found that November through the end of February were much leaner (in sales) than the rest of the year. Also, the end of the month (whatever month) because dealerships have quotas and they’re more likely to take any deal in order to meet those quotas. Summer is probably the busiest for dealerships, so if you can avoid shopping during the summer and wait til late October or November, it may help you even more.

Happy Hunting!

Production of these fine cars have grown to more than 5,000 cars per year and many are waiting to see if the momentum will continue since Ford has sold Aston Martin to a private consortium led by Prodrive founder David Richards for more than $925 million.

Aston Martin has recently released the special edition 2008 DB9 LM at the Frankfurt motor show to commemorate Aston’s recent achievements in the GT1 class at the 24 hours of Le Mans racing circuit this past June. The elegance and supreme vision of this fine machine is coveted throughout Britain and the world. Would Aston Martin remodel a new machine each time they win a race? No one is quite sure yet, but I am sure there won’t be many complaints if they do.

Respected publishers such as Popular Mechanics, Car and Driver, Automobile Magazine all have raved about the quality and design of the new DB9 LM. I have yet to encounter a single negative comment about this fine piece of machinery. This vehicle is the most thoroughly tested and engineered car in the history of Aston Martin. It also belongs in a technically sophisticated class of its very own.

The Aston Martin DB9, is a Grand tourer vehicle that was launched by Aston Martin in 2004 and was the first new car to be built at Aston’s Gaydon, Warwickshire facility. The prefix of “DB” comes from David Brown, the owner of Aston Martin for a large part of its manufacturing history. This model was designed by Ian Callum and finished by his successor, Henrik Fisker.

This new product is available in the coupe style only, is equipped with rear-wheel drive and comes with a dynamic Touchtronic 6-speed automatic transmission. Amazingly enough, only 124 DB9 LMs will be manufactured, 1 for each dealer, with exclusive features entailing Sarthe Silver exterior coloring, enclosing silver mesh grille inserts, exterior vents and a rear crossbar detailed in silver. A numbered sill plaque is a nice touch with the also optional DB9 sports suspension pack with red brake calipers visible under color-keyed and diamond turned 19 alloy inch wheels. The disc brakes with 355 mm at the front and 330 at the rear are ventilated and grooved to help with cooling and boost braking performance. Mounted are four piston monobloc calipers to provide great stopping power with a firm and progressive pedal.

The driving force of the DB9 LM is the Ford-engineered 450 horsepower, 6.0-liter aluminum block and valvetrain, Dual Overhead Cam (DOHC), which echoes fine performance. The newest release has rack and pinion steering with 3.0 turns lock to lock. The exceptional performance of this vehicle is undisputed at to speeds up to 300 km/h (186.5 mph) and the 0-60 ratio is in only 4.7 seconds. The 12-cylinder engine has a total of 450 (331.2 KW) horsepower at 6,000 rpm. The torque is 570.00 NM (420.3 Ft-Lbs) at 5,000 rpm. The compression ratio is 10.3:1. The top speeds are quite comparable to the Dodge Viper.

The body frame of the DB9 LM is bonded in aluminum and has been labeled as the most technologically advanced sports car. It acquires above average agility from the fact that it has perfect 50/50 weight distribution. One exceptional characteristic of this shows that by placing the gearbox in the rear, the suspension is light and made of aluminum as well; handling is unprecedented and very functional. The dimensions of the BD9 LM are similar in size to the Dodge Viper.

The Aston Martin body is of genuine quality and harmony. It emits an aerodynamic function that cannot be outdone by its competitors. These fine pieces of machinery are designed to give the impression that they are moving even when at a standstill. It manages to drive arrow-straight at extremely high speeds and yet still keeps it’s grace about it.

Even the interior of the Astin Martin is harmonious and luxurious. You are seated as low and close to the car’s center of gravity managing to emit to you the overall feeling of balance and dynamic behavior when operating. The inside is a special handcrafted black leather interior, perforated leather inserts, with unique ‘Terte Rouge’ fascia trim.

Personal safety is of utmost importance for the DB9 LM. The aluminum structure is designed to cocoon its passengers with crumple zones on the front and rear. Dual-stage driver and passenger air bags along with seat-mounted side airbags and seatbelt pretensioners give safety of the highest quality. Volvo in Sweden is the leader in automotive safety engineering. Astin uses this dynamic to create and test their DB9 models with Volvo technology right on site.

Equipped with Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), and Emergency Brake Assist (EBA), the Aston Martin give optimal braking performance for any situation. When an emergency arises, the EBA sensors detect when maximum braking is needed and apply the appropriate force for the occasion.

And for your listening pleasure, the DB9 is equipped with the industry favorite Linn 128 W audio system including a CD changer. Exceptional features such as satellite navigation, cruise control and memory mirrors are exceptional to have with this sports car.

Pricing is estimated at $190,000 US and the cars will be available in early 2008.

The other problem that people face is that too much scrubbing of the car mats can make them look worn and old within a short span of time, and this can affects the swank look of your car. Hence, people are always looking for ways and means to protect these car accessories, and at the same time maintain the clean and stylish look of the vehicle.

A solution to these problems is that it is better to go for car mats that are not only good in quality and looks, but at the same time are cheap and easy to maintain. It is advisable to buy car mats from departmental stores and box mart stores, rather than car dealers, because they are comparatively lighter on the pocket. But, more often than not, these mats do not fit the vehicle perfectly.

The easiest and the most effective way of protecting your costly car mats and preserving their new and fresh look is to buy some plastic runner material, and cut it exactly in the shape and size of your car mats to create a very tight custom fit. Be careful while cutting around the area that runs around the seats. In case you are afraid of cutting your car mats by mistake, while cutting the plastic, it is advisable to place a piece of cardboard underneath the plastic while cutting.

This will make the mats easy to clean. Put just a little water and some soap, and scrub for really tough stains; and with very little effort, your mats are squeaky clean once again.

Here are the basic rules: Ask lots of questions. Leave emotions out of the transaction. Know what you want. Talk price not payments. Ask lots of questions.

Ask a lot of questions.

Never feel uncomfortable asking your dealer questions. And always remember that you are always free to walk away from the deal. So keep asking questions until you are comfortable that all of your concerns have been addressed. If that doesn’t work, ask for all the numbers in writing, and let them know you are going review everything and call the next day with your decision. Many salespeople will do almost anything to prevent your from walking. That’s because statistically, only one out of every 50 people will actually come back to the dealership. Do not fall for “this deal is only good today”. Unless there is a factory program ending that day (rebates, special financing or dealer incentives) and they can prove it in writing, there is no reason they won’t offer you the same deal tomorrow.

If it is a new car and the one you are considering gets sold, the dealer can almost always find you another. Be careful however on used cars, since no two such vehicles are the same. So if you found your perfect used car, make your decision or risk it being sold to someone else.

Leave emotions out of the transaction.

It’s easier said then done, but try not to fall in love with a car. If you are not willing to walk away from it, you stand a very good chance of paying too much. Be honest with your sales representative. Let him know up front if you find the right automobile and what you are willing to pay. This will give the dealer the incentive to give you the best possible deal or risk losing your business. The better prepared you are the easier and more pleasant your car buying experience should be.

Know what you want.

Come prepared. Know what you want before you walk on the lot. You don’t need to know exactly what make, model, and color, but you should have a basic idea. It is also a good idea to know whether you would like a new car or a used car. Would you rather have a slightly used car that is exactly what you want or a new car that might be a little less than what you want, but its brand new? Often the payments for a used car can end up the same as a new car. That’s because banks usually charge higher interest rates used a used car.

Talk price not payments.

Never talk payments with the dealer. Negotiate on the price of the car only. If a dealer talks only payment with you, it usually means they are avoiding the real issue -price. On the other hand, many people finance their cars and all that really matters is getting what they want for a payment they could afford.

Many sales representatives are taught to get you thinking payment rather then price. If you do your homework you will know what price automobile fits your monthly budget. All car loans and lease contracts will fully disclose the cars price. In the case of a loan, it will usually be listed as the “cash price” for vehicle. In a lease, the price will usually be marked as the “cap cost”. The base price for the automobile (before tax, license, documentation fee, any other state or local fees and any dealer added options) should be exactly what you and the sales people agreed on.

For more information on car buying go to: http://gottrouble.com/legal/consumer_law/car_buying_index.html

Selecting a Car

When selecting a car you want to think outside the box, not just I like the red car. Some of the items you need to think about are:

• What are you going to be using the car for?
• How many people will be using the car?
• What type of driving will I be doing?
• What do I like or hate about my previous cars?
• What will I be hauling in the car?
• How important is gas mileage?
• How much does prestige matter?
• Do you want a new or used car?
• How much money do you want to spend or better yet how much can I afford to spend?

Other important items to think about are the resale value of the car when you sell it down the road? What type of maintenance will I have to perform on this vehicle? What will insurance cost? There are many online resources or car guides to help determine which car is good for you. One example is chicagolandauto.com. This is a good website to research resale value of a car. Once you pick the make and model, you can go there and look at how many used cars are for sale and what price they are getting. This is a great way to see true value.

Once you find the car that you think make the most sense, go and take a test-drive. When you are driving the car think about the following items:

• Do I have room or is this to small for me?
• How easy is it to load people or items in the car?
• Do I feel comfortable?
• Do I have good vision, can I see other cars around me?
• Does the car have good acceleration?
• Does the car handle well?
• Is this car for me?

Getting the price

Now that you found the car you want, you need to think about the price. Do some research on the car and what the invoice is. There are plenty of places online you can go to see the invoice prices. This is a good starting point for negotiations. Remember to include any options you want on the vehicle.

Don’t be afraid to look around at multiple dealerships to get the best price, but remember that sometimes it can be worth paying a little more for some extra features such as being close to home for service issues, a good service facility and more.

• If your trading in an old car, decide if it is better to sell it on your own. If not, stay focused on negotiating the new car first, then the trade in.

• Don’t feel stuck to that one model you had in mind. Manufactures make a lot of different types that are similar and could be more affordable.

Agreeing on the Purchase

Once you agree on a price, you will have to sign paperwork and other information. You will also need a loan if your not paying it off in full. Remember many banks, credit unions as well as dealerships can give you a loan. Again this is something that you need to shop around for. You should always know you credit score before you apply for a loan. A lot of times manufactures may offer special financing, so don’t forget to check these specials at the dealership.

The final thing to take care of is Insurance. Just make sure you shop around for fair quotes. Have fun and drive safely!!!

-Here is a brief description of what to inspect in a used car vehicle:

* Cars Alignment and Frame

* Cars mileage

* Suspension- shocks, brakes, and spring

* Wheels- make sure that the cars rims are not bent, and check for wear of the tires. If the tires wear off unevenly, then theres a problem in the alignment.

* The Engine… the most important part, this is like the heart of your car. Check for any oil leaks, and check for most of the fluid reservoirs. Check the battery and its cable, air filter. When your done checking the engine, start up the engine to listen to how it sounds like. This test tells you how the engine is operating, you can tell if there are defects on the engine just by listening to it.

* Check the dashboard to see if everything is operating like: AC, Clock, Defroster, horn, locks, mirror, doors, tachometer, speedometer, windows, headlight (high beam and low beam), brake light, windshield wiper, emergency light, and tail light.

* Test the brake pedal by stepping on it, it should go down half way, but if it feels spongy and the pedal goes all the way down. Then there is a problem in the brake master cylinder.

I’m sure there is a lot more to check but this is only a brief explanation on what to check and some of the diagnosis. When you’re inspecting the vehicle take your time and don’t be intimidated by the cars salesman, just take you’re time and ensure that you’re buying a car that is not defective.

Auto insurance is a contract between you and your insurance company. In this contract you agree to pay a certain amount of money for a certain amount of protection from the insurance company. The policy you receive from your insurance company will list the terms and conditions that are agreed upon. Your policy should be reviewed from time to time as changes in coverage may be required.

Bodily injury and property damage are components of liability coverage. Liability coverage is required in the state of Illinois. You may be responsible for all or some of the damages if you cause an accident. Liability coverage will help protect you from lawsuits by providing coverage to individuals that were injured due to your negligence. The amount of coverage that you choose is mainly up to you aside from any state required minimum. Common recommended limits are $100,000 per injured person and $300,000 per accident.

Collision and comprehensive make up another type of coverage you may want to consider. Collision covers your auto when you hit an object. Comprehensive covers your auto against other types of damage not related or covered by collision. Both collision and comprehensive can help limit your out of pocket expenses should something happen. Be sure to compare and evaluate the resale value of your vehicle and cost of the premium to decide if this coverage is for you.

Deductible is the amount of money that you pay out of your own pocket if there’s an accident. A higher deductible will save you money on the cost of your premium. Just remember, if you get into an accident, you need to pay the deductible amount before the insurance company pays.

Exclusions are an important part of your policy that you should read and understand. Conduct that is intentional, reckless or in disregard of the law may not be covered by your insurer. In this case you’ll be responsible for paying the bills for both you and the injured party.

Filing a claim in a timely manner is very important. Your insurer will have you fill out a report stating what happened in the accident. Filing a claim for property damage will require you to get an appraisal. If you are injured, you will be required to get a physical exam. If you do not notify your insurance company of an accident in a timely manner, the insurance company can disclaim coverage.

If you decide to sell your car yourself, you will probably get more money from an individual than a dealership. What you need to ask yourself is the extra money worth the cost? You will still need some sort of insurance while you are selling your car. Also you will spend time answering the phone calls and showing people the car, advertise the car, which cost money. One way to save on adverting your automobile is finding local websites who will let you sell your car for free. One such website is Chicagolandauto for the Chicago and Chicagoland area. Each major city will have a free classified ad system that will let you post your vehicle. Take time and research your options, before you spend big money on advertising.

However, if you don’t have the time or the patience, trading in your car might be the best way to go. Again as noted earlier, you do pay a price by receiving less money. In addition if your car isn’t worth that much money, you might be far better off by trading in your car as a dealership can just sell it at their next auction.

How do you know how much your old car is worth?

You can not just go stick any price on your car and expect to sell it, you will need to research your car’s value. There are a couple ways you can research your value. One is by looking at the National Auto Dealers Association Office Used Car Guide, which is at your local library. Another is through consumer reports or Kelley’s blue book. We feel the best way is to look at your local classified websites just for your area and see how much they are selling for. Just because one of these big companies such as Kelley Blue Book say your car is a certain value, it might not be in your area. Your area might be over saturated with that model, which would fetch you a lower price. However, you might be one of the only sellers which could give you a higher price. Again the best way is to look at your local market and see what the same car is being sold for

There are many items to consider after you determine an extended warranty is what you need. Obviously one of the most important is the length of time you plan to own your car. Most manufacturers’ warranties last for a specific time or number of miles. If you know you will surpass these benchmarks, then an extended warranty may be right for you.

As mentioned above, extended warranties vary drastically in items covered. Make sure you do a thorough comparison of different warranties and their respective total coverage before making your final purchase. In addition to what is covered, you must compare the cost of each of the warranties for the same types of coverage. Include in this comparison deductibles on any claims that would be made. Lastly, find out how the extended warranty you plan on purchasing pays out your claim. Will the provider send funds directly to the repairer of your vehicle or will they send the funds directly to you.

There are many different approaches you can take to buying an extended warranty once you have done all your home work and decided you need one. The most common approach is to work with the selling dealer. Don’t forget that just like with the price of the car, you can negotiate the price of your extended warranty. Just make sure you have your car price set first before you talk warranty. You can also go to competing dealers just to buy extended warranties, whether it is for a new or used car. Lastly, don’t forget to check different independent finance companies for their choices. You can research them by using the internet. Just type in “extended car warranties and service contracts” using your favorite search engine and you will receive all the information you need.

With today’s technology and resources, you can prep your car like a professional and sell your vehicle more easily than ever before.

Follow these simple helpful hints below and you could be on your way to increase the selling price and decrease the time it takes to sell your vehicle.

Setting a Selling price

Setting a selling price is obviously very important. A price too high warrants no interest. A price to low loses you money. So a good place to start is Kelley’s Blue Book. Remember this is only a starting price and not an end all. You need to remember that supply and demand plays a big part in the price also. If there are few vehicles in your market with the options available on your vehicle, then you could get a premium price.

You need to research your local market. Search through local classified vehicle ads found on sites like Chicagolandauto.com. Chicagolandauto.com is a local classified used car website for the Chicago area. If you are in a different market, look for a local website with used car classified ads. Search these ads and look for a vehicle with the same (or close to) miles, options and even color.

Once you come up with a selling price, the next important item is your low price. What is the lowest price you would be willing to take for this vehicle? Again remember supply and demand. If you start getting a lot of calls, you shouldn’t have to negotiate to your lowest price. If your not receiving a lot of inquiries, you might have to lower you rock bottom price when someone does make an offer.

It’s Time

There is the old saying in real estate – location, location, location. In the automobile industry it is appearance, appearance, appearance. When someone is looking online at your ad, they tend to look at the pictures first and read later. If the picture looks bad, the probability of someone passing up reading your vehicle goes up. If they come to look at your vehicle and see it is dirty, smelly or some other appearance flaw, this will push them away. A couple good tips to get your vehicle in prime selling shape are:

• Clean You vehicle on the outside

• Wash

• Wax

• Shine your wheels and rims

• Clean the windows

• Clean your vehicle on the inside

• Vacuum

• Clean the windows

• Wipe the Dashboard

• Take out you items. Don’t leave the vehicle cluttered with your belongings.

• Make sure the trunk is clean, the spare is intact and filled.

• Make sure all fluids on the car are topped off

• If you have any lights out, replace them

Your vehicle’s History

You can tell a buyer all day long what you did to the vehicle, but he/she will not care until they actually see your records. Make sure you have all your records neatly organized and easy to read. Now a buyer can see that you actually took care of the vehicle. Just remember to cross out your credit card information on the receipts.

Another history item to consider is buying a vehicle history report. This can be a good selling point if the title is clean. Now a buyer can not only see you have all the records and took care of the vehicle, but they also see in writing the title is free and clean. In addition, it will show all accidents and proof of what the vehicle has been through.

Time to Let Others Know it is for Sale

There are many ways to let others know your car is for sale, but the three best ways and most efficient ways are:

• Word of Mouth

• Online Advertising

• Window Sticker

Word of mouth –

Let your friends, family,neighbors , co-workers and others know your car is for sale. They may know of interested buyers. The plus is you now have people who will help you find buyers at no additional cost.

Online Listing –

With the internet becoming more and more part of our everyday life, a great advertising medium is to post your vehicle online. First, listing your vehicle online is a great way to direct towards your target audience. There are many places to list your vehicle online, but the best places are the free websites that deal strictly with used cars and have lots of traffic. Every market has one of these websites. For example, chicagolandauto.com lets users sell their vehicle for free in the Chicago area. Again the plus to this type of advertising is maximum exposure and free of charges.

Window Sticker –

Not everyone looks online, reads the paper or looks at other forms of advertising. Putting a for sale sign in the back side window is a great way to advertise to a local market. When you drive and when you park, people will see you are selling your vehicle. The people you get to call you are very interested because they all ready know the price and they have seen it first hand. Again the great part, this is FREE

These are three great ways to advertise your car for free. So before you spend a lot of money trying to sell your car, try these ways first to get maximum exposure for FREE.

There other ways to advertise your automobile, but some of these cost a lot more money. Here, you have to weigh the costs versus the benefits. These costs eat away at your overall selling price. Just because an advertiser tells you they reach 3 million people, doesn’t mean it will help you. What good is it when these people are from all over the country. You don’t care about people in California seeing your add when you are selling in Chicago. Your emphasis is local direct advertising, not national.

Your Online Ad and showing your Vehicle

Taking Quality Pictures

Remember– Appearance, appearance, appearance! Take great pictures of your vehicle. Remember most people look at the photos before they read your description. Great quality photos will let your buyer stay focused on your vehicle and not wonder off to someone else’s vehicle. Also, if you don’t have a digital camera, you can always use a film camera. When you get your pictures developed, just ask them to convert your pictures to digital. They will give you a CD you can use to upload your pictures to your online ad. When you take pictures of your vehicle rember the following points and you will have great looking photos:

• Take the pictures in the day, the sun acts like a natural light to enhance the look of your vehicle. Just make sure the sun is not glaring off the chrome on your vehicle.

• Make sure you have a good background, such as grass or something else that looks nice. You don’t want a dumpster or some other unflattering picture in the background.

• Take a picture of the front, back, side and from the corner of your vehicle.

• Also take any close ups of defects like major scratches. (only post if you have extra room to post these pictures) Don’t worry about minor defects like a tiny chip or scratch.

• Take pictures of the inside, especially the dash board or any other pleasing features you have in the vehicle. Remember to make sure the lighting is good. Again, take your items out of the vehicle before you take the pictures.

Your Vehicle Description

Now that you have the buyers attention with the appealing pictures, it’s time to let the buyer know as much as possible about your vehicle. A buyer wants detail. Remember to make your ad interesting as people tend to have short attention spans. So if they get bored in the first sentence or two, they will just move on. Also, don’t write a book for the description. Be descriptive, but don’t go on and on about the item. For example instead of saying. “I bought this 6 cd Bose stereo system and had it installed last year.” Just say “Bose 6 CD changer, 1 year old.” Also let the buyer know if the vehicle has any major defects. This way you can save yourself and the buyer a lot of time, diverting unwanted phone calls and wasted visits to see the vehicle. Below are good points to consider for information and detail about your vehicle:

• Remember your selling your vehicle. Give a good sales tune to your ad such as “fun sports car” or “great gas mileage” Use something catchy for the buyer.

• Let the buyer know of any modifications or improvements you have done to the vehicle.

• As noted earlier in this document, let the buyer know you have all the service records and maintenance records.

• Let the buyer know about the wear and tear items such as tires, battery, etc. If you have replaced the battery recently, let them know. Same with tires and other items

Now come the emails and phone calls

Now that your ad is live (from the advertising methods above), you should start to receive emails and phone calls from interested buyers. Be prepared to get a lot of different questions. If there is a question you don’t know, let the buyer know your not sure and will get back to them with that information.

Be honest with every question, don’t lie to get them to come over and see the vehicle. You will just waste your time and the buyers time.

Making the Appointment

Once the interested buyer wants to see the vehicle, you will have to set an appointment with them. Two keys to setting an appointment:

First, set a defined time such as 6:00p.m. Don’t just say sometime in the afternoon. A defined time is more of an appointment and you will keep more appointments that way. Also make sure you get their phone number as well. This way you can always confirm the appointment with them. Let them know if they need to cancel or reschedule the time, to please call you in advance.

The key concept to the appointment is having everything ready, such as your vehicle being clean and service records all together. Another important piece of information is having your car value printed out. That way they can see you’re not just pulling numbers from the sky , but instead have a valid reason for your price.

Now that the buyer is at the appointment, they will naturally want to take it for a test drive. Make sure before they drive the vehicle you see their driver’s license and proof of insurance in case something happens. It is for both of yours protection. Also try to have a good route planned out ahead of time, so the driver can really feel the car during different driving conditions.

Coming to an agreed upon price

The time has come to come upon an agreed price. You know what your vehicle is worth and the buyer knows what they think it is worth. So now is the time to talk. When the buyer tries to talk you down, let the buyer come up with their price first and reason why they feel it should be lower than your price. Remember you thought ahead of time and already know the lowest price you are willing to go.

The buyer main complain that there are chips or the tire treads are worn. This is when you need to tell the buyer that this is natural wear and tear and is no more than you would to expect to find with a vehicle this age, unless the buyer is right. You can also come back with your vehicle reports that have shown you took great care of this vehicle.

At this point you might come down a little, depending how you feel, but stay strong as there are other buyers out there. By this time you should see how popular your vehicle is. If you’re getting a lot of calls, you probably will not have to come down in price a lot.

If you end up negotiating an agreeable price and the buyer wants you to hold the vehicle, you should get a deposit from them. Also have them sign an agreement, which you can pick up from any stationary store.

Making the sale final

Now that you both have agreed to make the sale final, the payment time has arrived. If you get cash or a money order (cashier’s check), you can pass the vehicle over to the buyer by signing the title. If you were paid via check, make sure the check clears before signing the title. Also, if at any point you do not feel comfortable, don’t complete the transaction. I would be cautious of other types of payment methods.

Once you get the desired payment method, you will need to present something called “A Bill of Sale” for both parties to sign. Again this can be picked up at any local stationary store. Another good place to see what else is needed is your state DMV, in Illinois it is http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/. For you local dmv, you can search any major search engine by typing your state followed by dmv.

Important other factors:

First remember to cancel your insurance once you transfer the title over to the buyer. Why pay for something you don’t have.

Finally, have fun selling your car and remember to put yourself in the buyer’s shoes. That way you understand what they want or would like to hear.

Happy selling!