prep for selling a car

[ebv8]

just seeing what you all do to get a car ready for sale
and is it worth spending money fixing it up or leave it as is

I have a 2008 FG XT E-Gas with 250,000km
full service history inc handwritten history after 200km

anyway it has some issues cosmetically
small ding in front guard, scratches on the bumper corners and 2 rims gutter scratched
i can get a new guard painted for $220, maybe $500 for bumpers and i can fix the rims but i might be up for $1000 to fix all the cosmetic issues and detail it
mechanically its great and if it needed anything it was always done straight away

its got XR6 limited edition leather trim, XR6 suspension, G6E turbo 18in wheels, G6 grille and its silver so it hides alot of scratches and looks good from 3m away

i want between $4500-5500 for it so will spending $1k on it help get $5500-6500 for it?

or do i just detail it myself and flog it

[Mr Brooksy]

First things first, what's the market value for a similar model excluding the upgrades?

If it were me, I'd fix the ding and any panel that has scuffs that have gone through the paint. For clear coat scratches, I'd polish the car to remove it and hide them as well as I could unless it's gone through the paint (if you've got enough product to do yourself, it will save you $$).

Rims, depends how bad they really are, and the cost of repair.

In my opinion, presentation is king. Most people will pay good money for a good looking car over a mechanically A1 car with cosmetic blemishes. Having said that though, I try and sell at the same level I'd want to buy.

[Mont5.0]

This may help
https://fordforums.com.au/showthread.php?t=11453921

[simon varley]

I spent money on an SS that still didn't sell. Yes, Yes, I know it's not a ford, but it was still a good car.

I believe there is simply no point in spending money to sell a used car these days. the bottom has dropped right out of the market. If you think about how easy it is to get finance for a new car, or to get one on a lease scheme, then why would anyone borrow money for a used car.

[Smoke Pursuit]

Don't spend the money, drop the price a grand instead. Just makes sure its super clean, im sick of idiots selling dirty cars, wtf!

[BENT_8]

With all due respect, i doubt spending 1k will get you more than $5.5k anyway for a few reasons, firstly its an egas and despite how good they are people are hesitant to buy them, its an unfortunate fact.
I know in SA at the moment gas is only 30cpl cheaper than ULP so not really economical to anyone who can do simple math.
Secondly is the k's, whilst 250k's on an 11 year old car is only 22k/yr its still an 11 year old car with 250k's.
And lastly, its a Falcon, regardless of what we think as enthusiasts, Falcons are harder to sell.

I'd list it for 6k as is or at the most do the gaurd, give it a good tidy up and hope to get the 5.5k you'd be happy with.

[ebv8]

lower k examples are advertised from $5 to 8k, $5k being rough as guts but lower km's
high km ones seem to be similar price but i know what i'd rather
my cars are always clean, i hate dirty cars too, and i hate cars with mechanical issues too
i'd be happy with $4500 as it once i put 6 months rego on it in march
i could also try $4000 with 2 months rego now i suppose

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by ebv8

lower k examples are advertised from $5 to 8k, $5k being rough as guts but lower km's
high km ones seem to be similar price but i know what i'd rather
my cars are always clean, i hate dirty cars too, and i hate cars with mechanical issues too
i'd be happy with $4500 as it once i put 6 months rego on it in march
i could also try $4000 with 2 months rego now i suppose

Then i'd test the waters now as is, see if you can get any bites in the 5k range and if not take it off the market, get the gaurd done and the extra rego and put it back up looking for 5-5.5k.
If someone came out and looked at it and was put off by the cosmetics you could always use it to your advantage, explain that you wanted to leave it unrepaired so any potential buyers can see its only a minor issue and not been in a stack which can happen when gaurds etc. have been replaced, and then negotiate a deal to get it right if they're serious.

Depends what effort you're prepared to go to.

[Giant Cranium]

A lot of people looking for a cheap car don’t care about the exterior condition. I sold a Yaris last year in that blue that always has bad clear coat. Took heaps of photos and presented it nice and clean. Wrote in the add about the clear coat and priced it correctly and the person who ended up buying it said they didn’t care about the exterior as they will never wash it anyway. I’d just advertise it at 500 above the minimum you will take and it will sell

[XW 393]

I would lean toward pricing it at the lower end knowing that if you spent that $1000 to fix those things you even if you sold it for $1000 more you would be there technically anyway.
With the extras in it, it would seem like a fair trade off for a cosmetically better one.
At the end of the day it is still a relatively cheap car and I for one would expect several faults around that price point, anyway that is what I would be doing.

[lucas2]

People shopping for a car in that price range would probably expect some imperfections. So long as mechanically it's in good condition and like you said it looks good from a few metres away so I wouldn't bother. Give it a good clean and polish, touch up paint some small chips if it needs it and be honest in your advert to avoid as many time wasters as possible.

[Itsme]

Just give it a good clean inside out and advertise what you think its worth, there is always room for price negotiations or RWC option that could go with it.
Don't spend money on it unless you have to. Best of luck with your sale.


Cheers

[Big_Daz]

As long as its in good mechanical condition just price it at the lower end of the spectrum with the dents/etc left alone.. Their will be people who don't care so much about pretty but want something cheap and reliable..

[danzvtil]

The body condition sounds commensurate with its age/ kays, if it had 60k km on it, then yes,you’ll get your money back, but with 250k, it’s not worth it, plus, if I saw one that age with brand new painted panels, I would assume the worst that it was write off repair and run a mile.

[Junkyard-Dog]

Clean it up as well as you can without paying anyone else labour, then sell it.

[Mechan1k]

Swap your G6 grille with an XT one before you sell it?

[happy1]

Hi,
because of the sales value of any 08 FG is getting very low in the current market, and your km is perhaps above average, I don't think you will get any of your extra investment back.
As mentioned above, I also don't think you will get the $4500 for it that you were thinking about. Perhaps drop the price to 4k and have a quicker sale. You may also need to replace the damaged guard. Having any body dents could put off some of the potential buyers.
Cheers,

[The Yeti]

As above make it look the best it can (polish and wax etc) have the trim spotless and go for it

Spending money will only see you in to the car for $1000 more for no extra $$$

Buyers will tell you they care about this but when there’s a car with a few minor imperfections for $4000 or a glamour for $5000 the $4k guy will sell quicker and close to the 4k than the 5k car

Put simply people don’t care and most don’t even notice these little imperfections

[superfly]

I think spending money on it will probably make it sell better but not for more money. As everyone said, just make it as clean as you can.

[hayseed]

Just sell It "AsIs" for $3500-$4000 & be done with It..

Just Mt 2 cents worth....

[GasoLane]

You might want to have a quick look here for some hints.

https://fordforums.com.au/showthread.php?t=11453921