There are many differences between selling a car to a dealership and selling it to a private individual, and almost anyone who has ever had a car to shift is aware of the most fundamental ones. As the perceived wisdom has it, private sales allow your own personal salesmanship to shine as you prepare a car and negotiate a price with a stranger. It can be a stressful business, of course, but many people choose to go this way. With a dealership, on the other hand, it is all about professionalism and the expertise that can be offered in order to arrive at the best possible price for your car. From DMV connections to professional appraisals and market knowledge, dealerships (or good ones, at any rate) can make the whole thing easier and more secure.
Nothing new here then – everything just covered is something that even most rookie of used car sellers will know. And yet, there is actually one broadly accepted difference between private and dealership sales that might profit from some interrogation.
Dealership for New, Private Sale for Old
For a long time, it has been accepted that dealerships and private individuals simply have different priorities when it comes to buying a used car, and it is this that explains all the other differences between them. It is indeed the case, for example, that when a dealership pays cash for cars in San Diego, New York, or anywhere else in the country, they are looking to sell it on as soon as possible, whereas a private buyer is looking to have their own intended use catered for.
Therefore, it follows that a newer car in good condition will be better sold through a dealership as the car is a valuable and appealing object and is therefore best sold on the open market with the advantages of a dealership’s sales team behind it. Similarly, it is widely thought that selling privately is the better way to go for an older car in less good condition, as a private buyer only needs to have one specific need satisfied (for example, personal use driving to and from the grocery store) and therefore a showroom-standard condition is unnecessary. Newer – dealership; older – private, or so the rule went. But is this really the case?
What a Dealership Can Offer
If private buyers are said not to be overly fussy regarding appearance and superficial condition, then it’s a good job for private sellers. It’s a simple fact that a private individual only has access to limited resources when it comes to restoring or cleaning a car ahead of sale. All the tools, restoration parts and cleaning products need to be purchased, many restoration tasks involve expertise, and there are even some that are impossible without professional intervention.
A good dealership has no such trouble, and typically has significant resources and facilities to both restore and clean cars ahead of their intended sale. It’s thought that older cars are less suited for dealerships because they are simply not in the condition for showroom display. But what if the dealership can restore them to that condition? Suddenly the old dichotomy is troubled.
If you’re selling your used car in San Diego or Southern California, for example, then going with a reputable dealership such as Cash for Cars in San Diego is easily the better option – regardless of the age or condition of your car. In fact, cleaning or restoration needn’t be something to worry about at all as the dealership can do it better. This means that even older cars are well suited for dealership sale.
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