Selling Guide - Cars: Wording a Private Ad

Wording a private ad

What you say about your car is all a potential buyer has to go on, along with the photographs you provide. Your ad could also appear in a search listing with other vehicles exactly the same as your own - so you need to get as much positive information in as possible.

We will help you write your advert by asking you for the Vehicle Registration Mark (VRM) of your car. We use this to look up a database and retrieve the key details of your car, including :

• the exact model - e.g. Ford Mondeo 2.0 TDCi 115 LX
• the year of manufacture and registration identifier -e.g. 2006 (55)
• the colour
• and the car's standard equipment

To this you should add the price (see “What's it worth?”), an accurate mileage, the number of owners or service history, if available, and worthwhile extras. But keep it brief and to the point.

A picture is worth a thousand words. Prepare the car properly and take several good pictures of your car highlighting key features. Potential buyers are much more likely to show interest if they can see what they could buy.

Be honest if the car is damaged in any way. If you're not explicit and honest you could waste time with fruitless test drive visits.

If you have a good reason for selling the car, for example, you're moving abroad, include this in the advert.