15 July 2021

Selling a car in Canberra

| ps0104
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Hi all,

I have recently moved to Canberra from QLD and am intending to sell my car in the near future. My partner and I moved here with a car each, but mine now rarely gets used so it needs to go! I plan on selling it privately.

I have heard whispers from people at work that it is very hard to sell cars in Canberra and if you do sell, you will get less in Canberra for a second-hand car than you would in say Sydney or Brisbane.

READ ALSO The best used car dealerships in Canberra: your ultimate guide to buying a used car

Firstly, does anyone know if there is any truth to these rumours? Secondly, does anyone who has sold a car privately recently have any tips to share for getting the best price in the Canberra market (eg. where to advertise)?

The car is a 2004 Nissan Pulsar, and i’d be hoping to get about 10.5-11k for it privately.

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We are selling a car at the moment. First time in a while that we’ve tried to sell a car. What’s the etiquette in regard to the potential buyer taking the car for a test drive? Should the seller accompany the buyer? If not, what sort of security deposit should you get from the buyer to ensure they return the car? Also, is it normal practise to get a roadworthy certificate or is that up to the buyer?

Rawhide Kid No 2 said :

reepy said :

I’ve sold 2 cars in the last year (and am about to sell a 3rd)

Watch out you don’t get classified as a car dealer. The is a limit to how many you can sell per year without being classed as a dealer requiring a licence.

I believe the limit is 6 cars in a 12 month period, although dont hold me to that.

georgesgenitals12:24 pm 26 May 10

$10.5-11k sounds like a fair bit. Of course, your car may be an auto hatch with low kms in perfect nick, in which case you may get close.

Thanks for the tip Rawhide Kid No 2. I would never have thought about that 🙂

I sold mine on Carsales. The one through the Canberra Times (Drive?) was alright, but seemed like the most traffic came from carsales. No shortage of options here as long as you’re not silly about what you’ll get for it. The redbook.com.au website gives a pretty good price guide so you’re not offended when you get told you’re dreaming.

Selling a car on RiotACT would be a first in Canberra wouldnt it? Good luck!

troll-sniffer9:22 pm 25 May 10

Perhaps. You’d want to be very low mileage and in immaculate condition for that. Still, you won’t get it itf you don’t ask it. But be prepared to accept that the second hand market isn’t what it was as little as 5 years ago…

troll-sniffer said :

Mmmmm looking at actual past sales you’re optimism is commendable 🙂

troll-sniffer said :

Mmmmm looking at actual past sales you’re optimism is commendable 🙂

There is a fine line between optimism and stupidity.

Do I take this to suggest that you think my asking price is too high?

troll-sniffer said :

Mmmmm looking at actual past sales you’re optimism is commendable 🙂

There is a fine line between optimism and stupidity.

As a buyer of a few cars I can vouch for allclassifieds I also check on redbook.com.au for an approximate value.I don,t usually worry about interstate rego as it has to go through the same roadworthy check by my mechanic as ownership transfer for a local car,it costs a little more for new plates.

Rawhide Kid No 23:36 pm 24 May 10

reepy said :

I’ve sold 2 cars in the last year (and am about to sell a 3rd)

Watch out you don’t get classified as a car dealer. The is a limit to how many you can sell per year without being classed as a dealer requiring a licence.

Gungahlin Al2:11 pm 24 May 10

Look up EPIC – they have a private car sales event every weekend.

troll-sniffer2:06 pm 24 May 10

Mmmmm looking at actual past sales you’re optimism is commendable 🙂

I think this feedback from your colleagues is a bit short sighted. The second hard car market in Sydney is more competitive than here so you’re more likely to get less for it, in Sydney. Also Canberran’s have a higher average salary and will pay more if the car is in good condition.

The other advantage in Canberra is large departments etc tend to have ‘for sale’ notice boards on intranets and people are more likely to buy a second hand car from someone they know or work with.

Also recommend allclassifieds.com.au because it’s free (without pics) and local.

Also try http://www.carsales.com.au. I sold my motorbike on the equivalent (bikesales.com.au) quickly wheras I got no interest from allclassifieds.com.au. It’s a bit pricey ($50), but cheaper than print and it stays online until sold. Just have to watch out for the buyers working on oil rigs that want to pay you more than market value, as long as they can do it through paypal 😉

Sold 2 cars on Allclassified and sold within a week. No hasssle, no probelms and no cost if you dont include a photo.

allclassifieds.com.au is a great way to go (with a photo). I’ve sold 2 cars in the last year (and am about to sell a 3rd) and All Classifieds generates a lot of interest and ultimately sales.

I still find selling a used car hard work. People waste your time with
– ridiculous low ball offers
– wanting to have a look at the car but aren’t interested in buying it
– never turn up for inspections or turn up really late
– say they will organise a mechanic to look at it then never do.

Try a forum that specialises in that model or manufacturer, that way you’ll get genuinely interested buyers that know their stuff. Also put it up at your work, either electronically or on a real-life-paper-and-pin bulletin board.

Definitely put it up on allclassifieds – spend the extra bucks to put up a photo or two as well, I know whenever I’ve looked on there, I’ve always looked at ads with photos first.

I wouldn’t recommend the Saturday Canberra Times any more – their rates are pretty high for just a couple of lines of text, and the last time I sold a car I’m pretty sure a couple of weekends of advertising there generated no enquiries.

Another avenue is the internal for sale forums some government departments have. If you know people who work there, make up an ad and ask them to put it up for you – we sold my wife’s car this way a couple of years back. May get nothing out of it, but it’s free, so why not if you can.

I highly recommend allclassifieds and the Saturday Canberra Times.

The rego has been transferred to ACT, so that’s not a problem.

As phil m just said, the only specific issue might be people reluctant to deal with the issue involved in out of state rego. Although, unless the car is less then 5 years old, there isn’t actually any difference.

Probably depends more on the car. If it is something common, then you might get a better price in Canberra. I have known plenty of people go to Sydney ’cause they can get a better price on the car they want. If you are selling something a little more exotic, likewise a bigger market might suite you better.

Allclassifieds.com.au , easy ! anything I have put up on this site for sale has sold , and normally within days

Consider also that if the car is registered in QLD, then there may be extra costs/hassel to get it converted to ACT.

I sold a QLD registered car to a car dealership as part of purchase of a new car. Due to the hassel of transferring the rego into ACT they didn’t even bother to change the rego and someone kept driving it around Canberra. I knew this because I kept getting their speeding and parking fines sent to me.

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