5 Tips to Sell Your Old Truck

Even the most robust trucks can’t last forever. If you are thinking of moving on, check out these 5 tips to help you sell your old truck.

Do you have an old truck you’re trying to get rid of? We can help.

Selling your old truck can be pretty difficult, even if it’s in great shape. If it’s not in great shape, getting rid of it for a decent price gets exponentially harder. It’s not impossible, though, if you know what you’re doing.

Today, we’re going to help you sell your old truck by giving you 4 helpful tips that you might not have thought of. We understand that it’s hard to let a good truck go, but if you want to move onto your next one, you need to sell it. 

1. Talk to Your Dealer

The first thing you’ll want to do is see what kind of trade-in offer you could get from a local dealership. Usually, this isn’t the best way to get the most money possible for your truck, but it’s better to do your due diligence first before you move on to another approach.

It’s especially convenient if you’re already looking to buy a new truck because you can trade the old one in and get credit for the new one. Don’t expect to get anywhere near the ballpark of what you want to sell it for, but if you put your negotiator hat on, you never know what could happen.

If the truck is still in great condition, there’s no reason that a dealership would have trouble turning around and selling it. But, if it’s got issues, a dealership is going to notice and your price is going to suffer as a result. Get this out of the way, then start preparing to sell it privately.

2. Creating Private Ads That Work

Selling your old truck privately can be a complete pain, but if you know what you’re doing, you can get great money for something you don’t want anymore. Private selling will guarantee that you get your asking price, but you have to be patient and do a lot of research on the truck and its market value.

There’s no shortage of outlets for you to put out an ad. Facebook, Craigslist, and Auto Trader all offer great platforms to promote your truck. Creating the ads is a bit of an art form, however, so let us guide you on the dos and don’ts.

Understand the Market

While it’s true that you can always get more for your used car when you sell privately, most smart car buyers are going to know the difference between a good deal and a bad one. Don’t try to get more than what your truck is actually worth in its current state. To find out what your asking price should be, do some research.

There are lots of resources online for you to get an idea of what your truck should be listed at. First, try to get a general idea of pricing by looking at the current listings for trucks like yours. This will tell you what people are willing to pay.

You can also use one of the many appraisal services to narrow it down to a more specific price range. Knowing what your truck is worth will help guide you when you start fielding offers. 

Making the Ad

When creating your ad, you’ll want to be very descriptive so that the reader gets a great idea of what shape the truck is in. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, you should also include numerous high-quality pictures of every angle of the exterior or interior. Let the pictures do most of the talking.

Make sure to put a particular focus on anything that’s wrong with the truck. It’s always better to include these things in the pictures so that you’re up-front with prospective buyers. The more detailed pictures that you include in the ad, the more likely you’ll be to have interested parties.

Likewise, make sure to thoroughly describe the journey that the truck has been on. The kind of person that wants to buy a used truck will care about internal wear and tear just as much as the cosmetic stuff.

3. Showing and Negotiating

When you’re ready to launch your ad, set an asking price, publish it, and wait for the responses to come in. Depending on the time of month and year, it could be hard to find interested buyers. Don’t lower your price until you’re sure that you aren’t getting any serious leads because it’s too high.

As you start to show the car, you’ll begin to realize that there are a lot of low ballers out there. Like we said earlier, selling privately takes a lot of patience, so if you’re firm on your price, don’t entertain these low ballers. You can weed out a lot of these people during your initial interactions online or over the phone.

Negotiation is going to be a part of this process. You’re selling online because you want to get a decent price for your old truck and you’ve set a price based on what the market dictates. The buyer is buying because they want a quality used truck for a decent price, so you’re going to have to work together to make the sale.

Let them test drive the car, take it to the mechanic, and do whatever else they need to in order to make the decision. But, if their offer ultimately doesn’t hit the mark, you don’t have to sell.

4. Junk Car Buyers

If it gets to the point where you’re sick of trying to sell the car on your own and the dealer isn’t budging on their offer, it could be better to talk to a junk car buyer. These services purchase scrap cars and either fix them up or strip the car of its valuable materials and sell them.

A lot of people are skeptical of junk car buyers, but there are reputable ones out there that actually pay good money for old trucks like yours. It’s a great option to turn to when your ad doesn’t get the attention you thought it would.

Sell Your Old Truck Today

As you can see, there are a few ways to sell your old truck. Take it to a dealership, sell it privately, or failing those things, sell it to a junk car buyer. Each option presents different pros and cons, so you just have to do what’s best for you and your dear old truck.

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