You ever sold a Volvo before?

[Adenchik]

Is it me or are petrol Volvos a nightmare to sell? I've got an '06 1.6 S with full V/S/H and all these added extras bla-bla, etc. But it's so hard to sell! I've been trying for almost 3 weeks now, and no chance, just some chavs or freshies with their dream offers that won't get them a CAT-D!

I know my father had problems selling his 05' S60 in the past, and that was petrol aswel. Why are people so afraid of petrol cars these days? Why do they think that buying a diesel will all of a sudden save fuel? In my opinion, unless you're covering crazy mileage daily, like I am, doing nearly 120 miles a day on the M1 in this baby; then there's no point of buying a diesel at all.

My car is simply the best 1.6 s out there, and no, I'm not selling it over the market value or anything like that, it's for sale at £2700 only!! That's the bargain of the year as I've checked everywhere, and these go for at least £3k on Auto-Trader and eBay.

http://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-m...ale/1056246128

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifie...ew-car/2259234

Any suggestions? I'm supposed to be picking up a V70 in two weeks time, so urgently need to sell this baby now.

[RichT4]

Give a flashy write up and stick it on Ebay! Always seems to win!

[jeffmasson]

Or go old school and write a add aimed at parents being they kid there first car add lots of stuff about how safe it is.

[cheshired5]

Speaking for myself, I prefer the diesel because of the useable power and torque in the real world.
The economy is a bonus but the main thing is how it delivers the power available.
I used to prefer the more free and high revving petrols when I was younger but it just doesn't float my boat anymore.
Nothing is difficult to sell if it's priced for the market at the time. Yours may be competitively against equivalents but it's obviously still overpriced for the current buyers available.
Your asking price is unacceptable to buyers but if you knock a grand off, you'll sell it by tomorrow afternoon (unacceptable to you) which means there's a price somewhere in between that will be acceptable to both parties

[DaveNP]

I'm not an expert on S40's but there's a difference between what someone advertises a car for and what it sells for, looking on ebay at completed listings for S40, 2006, petrol, manual, 75k to 100k miles, there's one with less miles that sold for £2150 and one with the same miles that did not sell at the starting price of £2800, the classified ads at £3000ish are from dealers who will by law have to honour a basic 'gaurantee' as in 'fit for purpose' acording to trading standards, as a private sale you do not have to give such a warranty and therefore the buyer is taking a risk which is reflected in the lower price. I don't know what you think is a 'dream offer which won't get a cat5' but you may have to realise that dealer prices as a private seller is also dreamland. You've also billed it as 'Urgent Sale' which is a big neon sign to me that you should take an offer, if I'm not an 'urgent buyer' I've got the luxury of waiting until another (cheaper) one comes along next week.
The overall question of why petrol Volvo's are so undervalued in the marketplace is a good one, I'd agree that the diesel/petrol comparison is too often viewed too simplistically by a lot of people (I know that there are members on here who can justify it), to me it is to my advantage as I bought my V70 for peanuts which means I don't have to care about spending a bit more on petrol. Unfortunately even as a believer in petrol Volvo's I still wouldn't pay more than what the market values the car at, if you went to buy a tin of beans and in one shop they were 25p and in another they were £1 you wouldn't say 'well they are such excellent beans I will pay £1', you'd go back to the 25p shop and laugh all the way home.
Sorrry to sound harsh but I fear you may have to adjust your expectations and accept that a brilliant car is still only worth what someone is willing to pay.

[Coventry]

The ubiquitous 1.6 petrol always seems to me to be the worst of both worlds: the poor fuel economy associated with a petrol engine but without the power to make it worthwhile.

If it were the T5 then at least one could offset the petrol economy with an enormous grin and if it were some kind of 1.0 ecoboost then it would be remotely economical and worth owning, if petrol is a requirement over diesel.

I can't make a case for the 1.6 litre.

[kwk]

As above really. I sold my petrol S60 as a classified ad on e bay within 2 hours. I bought it cheap and sold it cheap 18 months later and lost about two hundred pounds.
I still have another petrol S60 which I bought at market value from a garage. I intend to keep it for a long time because when I bought it I knew that I would lose a fortune on re sale.

[Arianne]

Originally Posted by Adenchik

Is it me or are petrol Volvos a nightmare to sell? I've got an '06 1.6 S with full V/S/H and all these added extras bla-bla, etc. But it's so hard to sell! I've been trying for almost 3 weeks now, and no chance, just some chavs or freshies with their dream offers that won't get them a CAT-D!

.............

My car is simply the best 1.6 s out there, and no, I'm not selling it over the market value or anything like that, it's for sale at £2700 only!! That's the bargain of the year as I've checked everywhere, and these go for at least £3k on Auto-Trader and eBay.

..............

Any suggestions? I'm supposed to be picking up a V70 in two weeks time, so urgently need to sell this baby now.

Adenchick,

Ok, we sold our XC90 2006 D5 SE in December 2013 with 115k on the clock. It was a lovely car with a full dealer service history like yours. The local Volvo dealer offered us £5k px. We Buy Any Car said £5.8k. Parker's Guide said £7k. Sold it on eBay in a ten day auction for £9.3k. Fees were £60, four people came to view it and people were bidding from all over the UK. I have recently sold my Son's 1999, fifteen year old Peugeot 206 1.1LX on Gumtree and that wasn't in premium condition! It was bought within 60mins of it being listed. So I have form in this area and I want to help you - as you request.

The public want, in my experience:

• a beautiful, shiny smart looking car;
• no or very little risk;
• a good price which represents value for money (that's different from cheap).

A beautiful, shiny smart looking car
Your photographs just aren't good enough. Did you take them with a mobile 'phone? They lack high resolution and the backdrop isn't inspiring. There's a bored member of your family sitting in the front passenger seat and the kerbside shots look like a car without a proper home.
You need to get the car looking its best, take it to a better location, use a digital camera (or better smartphone) and get some better photos. I attach some shots of the two cars we sold as examples. The different shots are not an accident - they're based on the best listings I've seen from trade sellers on eBay. You are aiming to inspire buyers to feel emotionally that this is to be their car and that they'll be proud to drive it around and show it to their relatives & friends. Your shots simply portray a mode of transport, not something to get inspired about.

No or little risk
People are worried sick about buying a used car, especially privately. £2.7k might not seem a lot of money to you (you're buying a new one so you're reasonably well off). But to your buyer this is their personal pot of gold and they musn't squander it.
So tell them when you bought it, make it clear it's been your family car and how much you've pampered it, how you'be happily paid the local Volvo dealer to keep her happy & healthy. Name the local Volvo dealership and, most importantly, you have that dealer service book with those lovely stamps and invoices.......photo them in one shot with the two keys as well. That's a real USP for you!

A good price
So you've checked on eBay sold listings - good move. Only review the auction listings as you are not selling as a trader. Then get a Parker valuation - it'll cost you about £3 online. Then quote this data in your listing so people can see what the Guide is valuing your car at. Then they can form their own view about a fair price for the quality product your marketing.

[B]Other points[B]
Why tell people you want a quick sale? The only thing that'll do is send a signal that you're desperate and then they'll knock you down or hang you out to dry. Ok, you do need a quick sale. But there's no point telling folk that when it won't help you, just work against you on price! Keep cool and calm. You achieve a quick sale, not by telling people you need it, but by the way you prepare your car, your listing and your price. Is it time consuming and demanding of effort - yep, that's life unless you're one of the lucky ones. I don't rely on luck.

Petrol, let's sing it's praises
Petrol engines are good, especially on 2006 cars! I own three cars, one diesel and two petrol. Let's include the promo for petrol in your listing:

• you've mentioned the fuel economy, nice move so welldone;
• here's the big one - no diesel particulate filter to worry about. DPFs are a pain on older diesel cars but petrol cars don't have them, no need. So buyers have one less thing to worry about so say that!
• emphasise that this is a Volvo so it's built to last, and that includes the engine technology. Something like "Volvo's proven, peppy, quiet and reliable 1.6 petrol engine that is well suited to this model"
• petrol's cheaper per litre
• cheaper to maintain
• the engine block is lighter than a diesel equivalent and so the car will handle and turn better than its diesel sister

I would use eBay, set a realistic reserve (which buyers can't see), do a fab listing and gallery, pay the £2 for the bold listing and supersize shots and then sit back for ten days and watch the viewed, watcher counter increase. Service the enquiries properly,publishing your answers for all to see and don't break eBay rules by accepting any offers before the auction closes. Describe the car honestly so that the eventual winning bidder has no reason to walk away when they come and collect it. Finally, at this price you can get the buyer to go with you to your bank and the bank will do an electronic transfer of under £10k immediately there and then for you both to see. Oh, an finally finally......the AA website has a useful free sellers template where you fill in the details of your car (reg, mileage and model) and then you and the buyer sell it. Two copies and then everyone has peace of mind.

I hope this helps & Volvo advert text shown below (sorry that the formating has been lost in the copy & paste).

Arianne


_______________

2006/06 VOLVO XC90 D5 (185BHP) SE - AWD MANUAL GEARBOX - JUST ONE OWNER FROM NEW

Full Volvo service history with single dealer - Clelands Volvo, Galashiels. Virtually perfect condition in every way. We are selling our pampered, beautiful, 7 seat XC90 because we have a new Volvo coming. We can show you all the documentation for the life of the car. Our car has always been handwashed, never roller washed - the paintwork gleams, alloys sparkle and the interior is unblemished. Leather is treated every 6mths, carpets & carpet mats are in mint condition because we always used rubber mats. Diesel injectors are clean because we always use Shell Nitro V-Power fuel and we always let the turbo cool on idle before shutting the engine down after fast running!

This is Volvo's newer 185BHP model with manual six-speed gearbox. Much reduced VED Road Tax because the CO2 is lower on the manual than geartronic versions. MPG is better between 32mpg & 40mpg. 4 x brand new Bridgestone tyres with 8mm tread. MOT & tax to 31 March 2014. Personalised registration is being removed and car is being reset to original plate SK06WWL - currently with DVLA. Key factory fit options include Winter Pack (heated headlamp washers & heated seats), full front & rear park assist sensors + rear skid plate.

Full Details:

Colour: Willow Green Pearlescent (Volvo code 471);
Diesel D5 AWD (185bhp), 5 cylinder 20 valve engine in SE trim;
Manual gearbox, six speed with reduced VED road tax, faster 0-62mph of 10.9secs & improved fuel efficiency compared to Geartronic versions;
Huge list of Volvo safety features incl. Dynamic stability control & electronic brake assist;
Dual zone electronic climate control with air quality system & pollen filter;
B pillar vents & rear footwell heating ducts;
Full driver information centre (ext. temperature, range, fuel consumption (instant & average) + driver alert messages;
Cruise control;
Multi-function steering wheel;
Front & rear power windows;
Power adjustable & heated door mirrors with rain repellent glass;
Power folding door mirrors with ground / kerb lights;
Auto dimming rear view mirror;
Front & rear storage, cupholders & driver's armrest
12v sockets front & rear;
Power driver's seat, with 3 x memory settings & door mirror memory;
3rd row full size passenger seats, in leather which fold into floor when not in use - simple quick operation;
Leather seats, conditioned every six months, off black (Volvo code C970);
Heated front seats;
High performance sound system with 6 CD front loading multiplayer, 4 x 40W amplifier and 8 speakers (tweeters & woofers front & rear);
18" Volvo Atlantis alloy wheels with brand new 235/60 R18 Bridgestone tyres;
Front fog lamps and DRM daytime running lights;
Rear wash/wipe with interval function;
Rain sensor front automatic windscreen wiper activation;
Electronic all wheel drive system with instant traction (Haldex Coupling);
Load compensating suspension;
Rear skid plate
2 x Volvo remote control key fobs;
This has been a wonderful car for us, with pan-european holidays to Austria, Switzerland and Northern Italy from Scotland each year. It has never failed us, even in the most adverse of deep snow & ice conditions down to -19c. It's a superb motorway / autobahn cruiser with a whisper quiet cabin even at 100mph.

Bid for this car and, we promise you, you won't be dissapointed. We will answer any questions truthfully to ensure you have peace of mind and will provide you with all of the documentation - service book, various Volvo handbooks from new, service history documents, receipts. Note that the V5C is with DVLA for the registration switch, should be back very soon!

Please, no time wasters, canvassers, telesales or non-UK based overseas bidders.

Parkers Valuation (23 November 2013), mileage adjusted to this car.....

Franchised dealer: £7,791

Independent dealer: £7,556

Private (good): £7,006

Private (poor): £5,760

Part exchange: £6,381

[capt jack]

Lots of good advice there. If you're advertising anything you have to write it from the point of view if the buyer. Your ads do make it sound like you think it's a fabulous car - but that you want rid quickly. That implied contradiction will put buyers off. The fact is it's what the buyer thinks of the car that matters. Your good opinion of it ain't worth a jot! An ad is there to get someone interested enough to view. An ebay listing has to good enough to makes someone want to commit to a bid. Either redo your adverts taking all the good advice on here into account, or cut to the chase and give webuyanycar.com a ring.

Cheers

Jack

[PhilipXC90]

I sold my 240 within a day