The popularity of your make and model of car, whether a prestigious up market brand or a basic but well loved economical runner, can make a considerable difference to its market value when you try to sell the car either privately or to a dealer.

Several conflicting forces come into play when you want to sell a car and judging if you are going to obtain the price you believe the vehicle is worth. While it inevitably comes down to a particular car’s mileage, year of manufacture, condition and history, the individual make, desirability and market availability must also be considered.

There can’t be too many people who don’t know that German manufactured models, such as Mercedes and  BMW, have for years occupied the top spots as the status marques to be seen driving. Surveys consistently show that the BMW 3 Series is still the UK’s most desirable make and model, followed by the Volkswagen Golf as an ever-popular choice. Other well-known brands that are most commonly traded include the Audi A4, Ford Focus, the newest Vauxhall Astras and Nissan.

What this means for you if you are selling a car is that it may very well be that a high mileage BMW can command a good resale price but crucial factors such as year of manufacture, exact model, condition, special features and current market trends in your region all play their part.

In slightly less than ten years the percentage of diesel cars entering the used car market has increased from around 15 per cent to 35 per cent of all cars sold while petrol cars have decreased to around 65 per cent of all used cars sold.

Today, factors such as carbon emission legislation and green technology are rapidly changing the auto industry which of course have an impact upon the used car sector. Greater use of direct injection technology, downsized engines and turbo-charging has resulted in far more efficient petrol engines and can have an influence on demand by used car buyers.

It’s very unlikely that anyone reading this underestimates the high risk attached to trying to sell the car, that hopefully, hasn’t given you any trouble until now when faced with the task of finding a trustworthy buyer! The used car market is well known for its fair share of rogue dealers and there are many scams online.

Often the best, unbiased advice is not to try and sell the car by yourself because you can so easily become a victim of clever – and not so clever fraudsters. Ideally, you should spend time finding a find a reputable company by looking carefully at their website, getting in touch and speaking with the staff.

However, if you are determined that selling your car is what you want to do then you should at least be aware of some of the most common tricks.

One type of scam not too difficult to spot if you decide to advertise to sell your car at a website is receiving an email from a foreign buyer who agrees to pay full the advertised price (without having seen the car) and asks you to contact a shipping agent on the buyer's behalf. They may ask for your name, address and even bank details for transfer of payment. They may also try to send you a cheque, which is later found to be bogus, or then cancel the sale and ask for a refund. Either way you risk losing both your car and your money, too!

Online auction sites like eBay are very popular but the most frequently reported fraud on the web occurs on auction sites so be warned! Make sure you carefully research the buyer and their buying history. And remember - money transfer companies are also easily exploited by the use of forged passports and identification documents.

Under the Banking rules, there is no redress from the bank if the buyer's cheque later turns out to be fraudulent. The most secure way is to either wait for the cheque to fully clear and show in your account before releasing the vehicle or use direct money transfer, the standard business procedure at sell the car.com!

You would think that everyone realises that selling your car really demands spending time and even a few bob to try and make the vehicle look as presentable as possible and easier to sell? The last thing you need is for a sharp-eyed buyer to spot several faulty or unsightly details that obviously will affect the asking price or worse, they just simply shake their head and walk away!

Incredibly, some people simply don’t bother because they think if a car is too ‘clean and tidy’ a potential buyer might suspect you are trying to cover up something wrong with it! But the reality for most people is that they don’t want to spend any more money to sell the car. But by making a little bit of effort to properly prepare your vehicle, you can actually increase the selling price.

Remember – even novice car sellers are likely to bring a more knowledgeable friend  along to a car viewing who will look carefully under the bonnet, check all four tyre treads and switch on and off every single switch and button on the dashboard – even the rear windscreen heater! How do you know if your rear brake lights works if you haven’t checked?

It doesn’t take long to also top up the oil, coolant and windscreen wash levels, ensure tyre pressures are correct – and don’t forget the air filter!  While never a guarantee that a car really has been looked after – the service history, receipts and MOT certificates should help here. 

A thorough clean and polish of outside bodywork is always essential. When cleaning the car interior you will likely expose any wear on the driver side carpet, seating, head rest, foot pedals and steering column. This is expected, if the car mileage is high, and it might be worth replacing carpets, gear stick knobs, etc!

The extra time and effort can make that vital difference to the final price agreed, whether you decide to sell the car yourself to a private buyer, a local dealer or through a specialist online car buyer.

Before you get you put your car on the market it is worth trying the Internet to get a good idea of how you wish to sell it. There are services out there that will offer you a fair price for your car and come and collect it. Selling a car has never been easier! Gone are the days of trudging around to dealers or waiting for someone who wants the exact model you are selling and then dealing with their queries. Now it is just a matter of forwarding a few details to the right site and sitting back while you wait for them to answer you. It is even easier than waiting for a consignment deal, you get the money up front with a minimum of hassle.

I have had some terrible experiences while selling a car. I have had to do it on multiple occasions when I have upgraded or purchased a new vehicle and needed to get rid of the old one. To me, any form of advertising based approach can be painful. There is a reason they call people tyre kickers. Fielding queries can become a full time job for the duration of the sale and you have to put up with them at all hours. That is where services who do all of the leg work for you become worth their weight in gold. It works both ways. There are services out there that will find the car you like for you and get it at the right price too.

When you complete a hassle free transaction both the buyer and seller come away from the whole thing feeling relieved that it has been such an easy going transaction. People are more likely to feel satisfied with the transaction and there is a greater possibility of repeat business. Companies that connect buyers with those selling a car are doing a great service. Alternatively having companies who just take some details, send you back an offer then come and pick it up are even better. You are dealing with the buyer directly in this instance and can be assured that nobody is going to be knocking on your complaining about being sold a lemon.

There is the other end of the spectrum as well; that is people who actually enjoy the thrill of selling something privately, as I was when i wanted to sell my car. In fact many people make a career out of it. Online auction houses are full of people who buy low and sell high. It is also the back bone of the whole share trading system. For most people however, the hassle far outweighs the advantages. It is also a competitive world where you are reliant on your product selling. Having a service in place that actually wants your product before you are even contemplating selling it makes the whole process so much smoother. It is nice to know that when the day comes you are able to sell what you want to sell and continue on your merry way without having to rely on random strangers coming across your advertisement.

There are plenty of people out there that are willing to play fairly. If you are selling a car you still need to keep on the lookout for dodgy buyers. These are normally pretty easy to spot. They may ask to pay half now and half later. You can’t give them half the car now and half later so why would you want to accept such a deal? They may also tell you they are a licensed driver – always check the license and insurance of anyone you let test drive your car. If they crash the car and it needs to be reported, letting an unlicensed driver drive your car will earn you a fine as well. There may also be insurance complications with you footing the bill for all of the repairs. This will also make your insurance premiums go up.

When someone takes your vehicle for a test drive; always go with them. Just because you are selling a car doesn’t mean you can afford to have it stolen. If the buyer doesn’t have a license and is unhappy about you joining them on the test drive then the deal is probably not worth the risk. Pleasantly tell them that you have changed your mind about selling the vehicle and that you may change your mind at some stage. This will let them down softly and avoid the risk of them coming back with vengeance on the mind. Always let someone know that you are seeing someone about selling a car. If possible bring a friend along to make sure the deal goes down without a problem. It will also give you a witness in the event you need some paper work signed.

Never hand over the car until you have received the full agreed upon price. If you are paid via a cheque, make sure the cheque clears first. A common scam involves people paying with a cheque. The cheque never clears and the buyer has already taken the vehicle. This is why it is important to see a license for identity purposes when a buyer approaches you about buying a car. It is easy to become a victim of such scams buy avoiding them is even easier. If the buyer does not want to wait for the cheque to clear tell them that they can pay via a cashier’s cheque. That way you can go to the bank with the buyer and get a cheque you can cash immediately on the spot.

Be aware of your rights. You do not necessarily have to refund the buyers money if they are unhappy with their purchase. If the buyer has taken the car and driven around for a couple of weeks then comes knocking on your wanting a refund there is no telling what the car may have been used for or how it was treated when the buyer was using it. Do not give the buyer a refund on the vehicle unless you can verify that the car is in the exact same condition as when they took it.