Can You Quote My Car Over the Phone?

I get asked a lot when people call me “how much will you pay for my car”.

Before I go any further into this post, here is some more information if you are the executer of and wanting to sell a car in a deceased estate.

I very rarely offer prices of cars over the phone.

There are just too many variables.

For example I get a lot of people wanting to sell their Holden Commodore in Brisbane.

Even if you call and describe the car as best as you can in a few minutes, there are so many things that can affect the price I will pay for a car.

If you drive down Logan road and check out one of the cheap car yards, are all of their 2000 model Holden Commodores exactly the same price? Or for that matter comparable to the same model Ford Falcon?

Or scroll through CarSales – put in 2000 Holden Commodore Sedan. In fact don’t worry because as I was writing this post, I did this exact search Australia wide and the results were:

There are 116 for sale with the lowest price one being $1,200 and the dearest $22,500.

Sure if you are into mathematics there will be a classic bell curve plotted between these two extremes, but you get the idea.

Things that make a re difference are how well the car has been looked after generally.

I can always tell a car that has been cared for.

It is the little things like the condition of the carpets, have the door jambs been cleaned regularly, the seat rails – do they have 15 years of accumulated dust build up or are the clean(ish).

Also the engine bay. A picky owner will take the time to clean and degrease it from time to time.

These little things make themselves known in the long run.

I look at the service history – a well maintained car regularly shows a level of care one can assume upon other aspects of the car’s life.

Then there are a load of less obvious things.

When I inspect a car, I make sure all the electric windows work – or for that matter wind up windows. And the electrical things work generally.

Then there are the mechanical and roadworthy items to consider.

You may not be aware, but your brake pads may be really low and need machining/replacement.

This can be up to $900 alone.

So a 2000 Commodore selling for $4000 just became closer to $3,000.

Other items which are expensive to fix are various suspension bushes and boots and mounts.

And if there are any hints of an oil leak, this may or may not be expensive to fix up for the next owner.

Remember all these little things cost money with mechanics, auto electricians, detailers, seat repair men, air conditioning mechanics, upholstery repairers to fix.

Remember I am in the business of re-selling your car for a modest profit so I have work out in my head how much all these things will cost to repair OR how much they will hurt the final price I can on-sell the car for myself.

So I hope you get a little bit more of a picture why when we speak I am reluctant to offer a price for your car over the phone.

Because I buy and sell so many cars in and around Brisbane, there is a good chance I have bought and sold many of the same model you have for sale so I can give some feedback based on my previous transactions.

Either way, just pick up the phone and let’s see what I can do for you if you want cash for your car today. My number is 0411 362 229.