Selling a high-end, luxury sports car is not an easy task. The market is limited, because the prices are too steep for the average driver. There are buyers out there, the key is finding them. When you have an exotic Lamborghini available, you can’t sell it the same way that someone would sell an SUV, a minivan, or even a Corvette. The market is incredibly different when you decide to sell a used car that could be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
It is important that you and your car are prepped for the process of selling. One of the first things you need to understand is that the price is not as easy to set as it is to set the price of a daily driver. You might think the car is worth much more than a buyer is prepared to spend. The dollar amounts might be six figures, but there could be a big spread between the six figures you want and the six figures that you actually get.
Along with deciding on a realistic price, there are several other things you should do to prepare your sports car for the sale.
- Get paperwork in order
When you are selling a high-end car, you want to have all of your paperwork in order. This should include service records and proof of ownership. It is also important that you have receipts for anything that you have purchased for the car, especially if the add-ons will add to the value of the car.
- Decide on a high and low price
You should be able to find information about the price of the car, but expect to find a range of prices. Before you list the car, you should decide what you will ask for the car and what you will accept. The traditional websites that people use to price their cars do not always work for exotic sports cars, simply because there just aren’t many of them available.
Instead of relying on one site to price your sports car, you should look around for listings of sports cars that are for sale and some that have sold. You might also want to look at specialty websites. Don’t be surprised if you find price ranges that can vary as much as $100,000.
There are so many different reasons why a sports car has a higher or lower price than another one. Even if you are comparing Lamborghinis from the same model year, there are variations that make the price high or low. The price variations could be based on the color of the interior or the exterior or whether the car was designed for the European market or the US market.
Some buyers will pay more for an automatic transmission, while others want only manual transmissions and will pay even more for one.
- Have the car detailed
You will need to take several photos of the car before you list it, so it is important that you put some money into detailing it. Even if you have kept the car immaculate, hire a detailer who will make it look even better than it already does.
Every millimeter of the car should be free of dust, dirt, and grime. The wheels and tires should look like the car has never been driven and a high-end detailer can do that for you.
If a buyer is going to spend six figures on the car, it should look like it’s worth the price you are asking. Have the detail work done at your home or wherever you are storing the car. Then, do not drive it until you have a buyer who is ready for a test drive.
- Mentally prepare yourself for the process
Selling an exotic sports car is not easy. Since the market is limited, you might not get many buyers asking about the car. What you will get is questions from dealers who want to sell the car for you, for a large fee. You might find that this is the route you want to take, but even after you pass the car off to a dealer, you will continue to get calls.
You will also get phone calls and emails from listening services that want you to pay hundreds to advertise the car for you. Some might be lower in price and you might find those sites valuable, but others are overpriced and do not deliver on their promises.
If you continue to sell it yourself, prepare yourself for phone calls from buyers, both potential and not. People are interested in exotic sports cars and they will call you with all types of questions. Some people will promise you the moon, but they won’t deliver.
When you list your car online, you will get calls from people all over the US and they could be in different time zones, so your phone could ring early in the morning or late at night.
The phone calls might not be very nice as people find things to complain about, especially the price you are asking. You might start to second guess yourself, but if you have done your research, your price should reflect the quality of the car. Stick to your guns and you should be able to sell your car in the range that you have set.
- Take pictures
The preparation includes taking beautiful pictures of your car. If you are asking six figures and you are not handy with a camera, it might be worth it to pay a professional photographer to shoot your car. A photographer shouldn’t charge more than a few hundred dollars as a car does not have to be posed or told to smile.
You bring the car to a nice spot, the photographer deals with light and shadows. A photographer will have lighting for the inside of the car so the details are clear in the pictures. Be sure that the photos are for online use and of the highest quality so the details show up on both mobile and desktop screens.
When you take pictures, don’t just shoot the good stuff, get everything – scratches and all. You want to be honest about the car and the photos are the best place to do it. Don’t hide the issues with the car, because the buyer will find them. Think of everything that you would want to know if you were buying the car and take pictures of it all.
- Write the ad
When you write the ad for an exotic sports car, you have to include several details that you might not include in a daily driver. You do not want to hide anything. Take time to sit down and write a thoroughly detailed description so you can get the car sold.
Look back into your paperwork so you can write about the oil changes, the services that have been done to the car, and where the car has been driven. Are most of the miles local or highway? Have you taken the car on long road trips or let it sit in the garage? Has your pet ridden in the car (yes, that could be an issue for people)? Have you smoked in the car?
If you are unsure about starting the ad, read other ads. You should be able to find something that you like and you can emulate. Otherwise, you can always hire a writer to do it for you, provided you give the necessary information so the ad can be 100% accurate.
- List it on the right website
Part of the preparation for selling the car is choosing where you want to list it. You could choose to list it for free on Craigslist, but you might not get the attention of the buyers that can actually afford the car. Your email might fill up with ridiculous requests, simply because Craigslist ads can draw attention that you do not want.
Sites that specialize in selling exotic cars are often good choices, because the right buyers will go to those sites. Investing in a sports car is not something that everyone can do, especially when the cars are priced over $100,000. You might only get a few emails or calls from potential buyers on a specialized site, but you only need one person to buy your car. Do not let the limited contact get you down.
If you prepare the car with detailing, quality photography, and an eye-catching and honest description, you should be able to sell it without too much disruption to your life. The key is to tell the truth, have your paperwork in order, and choose a realistic price range.
Be prepared to have your car for sale for several weeks and possibly several months, simply because sports cars are not daily drivers. The market is limited, but it does exist and someone will want your car for a price that will satisfy. Stay focused on the goal – to sell the car.
