1. Mechanical Condition
Giving the car a test drive is the easiest way to gauge the mechanical condition. Checking some factors are easier than others when conducting a test drive eg are there scraping noises going over bumps, is there an obvious tug to one side, any problems with the braking? If you discover any irregularities such as these, you should factor in the potential replacements from the value of the car.
2. Exterior Condition
The saleability and value of the car will obviously depend on the condition of the exterior. The first observation of a car will be that of the exterior. Scuffed wheels, for example, have an average restoration price of £60/wheel, possibly including both wheels to be painted on the same, other factors would be dings, dents, and paintwork. Paintwork is complicated, for example, a mere scratch on a door does not mean that the scatch can be touched in but rather the whole door shall be painted, such a door or panel can set you back £100+. The same goes for trims and badges which can also start from £100. Visit car valuation site for a better overview.
3. Interior Condition
There is quite the mixture of interior conditions on the many vehicles we see, some notable conditions are; a scratched dash (this has to be factored into the sale price as it can’t be repaired), hard to replair floor and/or seat fabrics (reupholstering price typically starts at £75 a section). If the car needs a professional shampooing eg interior valeting for the seats due to a dog odour, this could be £50+.
4. Mileage
Mileage is an important factor in the vehicle retail price; the vehicle loses value the higher the mileage is.
5. Previous Owners
The desirability of the vehicle will descrease as the number of previous owners goes up which will affect the resale price of the vehicle. In order to combat this rate, a cheaper price for the car would be suggested.
6. Service History
When considering a high number of previous owners, service history can become a deciding factor; the desirability of vehicles is called into question with little or no service history available. However, one should consider that if a vehicle has been serviced 5 times, it may just be the result of 5 previous owners each servicing it when bought, making this a potentially misleading figure.
7. MOT
{A vehicle with a short MOT will highly affect the ability of a vehicle to be sold and the value|The value and saleability of a vehicle will be highly affected by a short MOT|the ability of a vehicle to be sold at its full value will be high affected if it only has a short MOT). Firstly, we need to look at the actual cost of the MOT test. Starting from £50, anything from brake pads, discs on any of the 4 tyres for example is an unknown risk of what could fail and quickly spiral upwards of £300. To help sell your car and avoid suspicions we suggest sorting out the MOT so that the buyer knows the value for money they’re getting.
8. Specification
There are different models to consider when buying a vehicle; a vehicle with greater specs will hold its value for longer and will be greater as a long term investment.
9. Saleability
Saleability is the ability for a vehicle to be sold. Factors can include engine size and transmission type (manual v automatic), fuel consumption and type, insurance group, tax bracket, whether a vehicle can enter Ultra Low Emission Zone. Although these factors may tick all boxes for one it may not for others, meaning a compromise on the right price might be tricky if one or more of these factors was an issue.
10. Vehicle Colour
The colour of a vehicle can majorly affect the re-sale price of a vehicle, Certain coloured cars have much less of an appeal to the general public.
Conclusion
A full vehicle appraisal is required to fully get to grips with how much you can sell your car for. It seems daunting but appraising true value of a car required all these factors to be taken into consideration for a dealers every day. Click on over to this car buyers link if you are looking for an estimation. We recommend you visit the link to grab 3 separate valuations for greater clarity on the various factors involved relating to the different conditions and how they could affect the price.