ClubLexus - Lexus Forum Discussion

Lexus: So You Want to Sell Your Lexus?

Here are some simple things you can do to get the most out of your car with the least amount of hassle.

By Jeffrey Smith - January 22, 2015

This article applies to the Lexus IS, ES, GS, and RX (2005-2013).

Selling a vehicle is about as much fun as a visit to the dentist. Dealing with scammers, hagglers, and people who really have no intention to buy it is such a pain. There are some steps that you can take to make this process as painless as possible. Before you actually post the vehicle, leave your sentimentality at the doorstep. All your fond memories of the places you've gone and the things you've done in that car doesn't mean a hill of beans to anyone else. Find out what other comparable vehicles in your location have sold for from private sellers as well as what Edmunds or KBB says it's worth. Then, price it accordingly. Once you have decided on your price, read on to see how you can set yourself up as best as possible to getting what you want out of it.

Sales Tips

Get an Inspection

A car inspection is one of the smartest things you can do before you put your car up for sale. Use a reputable company to do it. You want to fix as much as possible that you can afford or think that you can get back from the sale. Any little things they find that aren't fixed become a bargaining chip for a buyer. So, pay for it now, or deduct it from your sales price anyway. Keep a record of the inspection as well as an itemized receipt of everything that was fixed. This then becomes a negotiating point for you.

Figure 1. Get your car inspected before you put it up for sale.

Get It Detailed

A clean car will sell much quicker and for more money than a dirty car. A "clean" car isn't enough; It needs to be immaculate. If you clean it yourself, make sure that you get everything in tip-top condition. This includes the following:

  • All interior glass
  • Dash - clean and then shine it
  • Ashtray - make sure nasty stuff (like gum) is out of there
  • Seats - get fabric steam cleaned, leather, cleaned and shined up nicely
  • Steam clean carpets and ceiling, especially if you are a smoker

You should not only just wash and wax your car, you should also clay it. If you have never used clay before, it's pretty simple and takes a little time, but the payback is incredible. After you clay your car, windows and headlights, use a remaining piece and do your rims. If you are not comfortable doing all this work yourself, pay to have it professionally detailed. You will absolutely get this money back in the sale. It will easily add that amount back into your price.

Figure 2. A clean car is a sold car.

Take Professional-Grade Photos

Take plenty of pictures of your car. Photograph everything from the inside out, top and bottom and under the hood. Make sure you don't give the impression that you are trying to hide anything. If you've detailed your car well enough, you'll love taking pictures of how great it looks anyway. Don't use a disposable camera, a cheap point and shoot, and especially not your phone's camera. They just can't do it justice. Use a high-quality digital SLR. If you don't have one, have someone you know take the pictures, borrow, or rent one yourself. Great pictures tell a story of a great car that needs a new owner.

Figure 3. Use a good-quality camera.

Post It at the Right Time

If you are selling an SUV or an AWD, 4WD, or truck, the winter months are a great time to sell those. Sports cars, convertables, or compacts sell well in the spring and summer months when gas prices are typically higher and the weather is nice for such things. Oddly enough, Craigslist ads seem to do really well when they are posted up on a Friday, because people tend to do their personal business and shopping on the weekends. Craigslist is nice because it is free, and search engines are optimized to search through all the listings. Make sure you use the correct keywords for the car you are selling. Autotrader's online postings are another great source as well.

Figure 4. Use online classifieds to post your car for sale.

Participate in Forums

If you are selling your Lexus, hang out in the ClubLexus forums. A simple search for your brand, make, and model of vehicle will return a myriad of similar sites that are recent and active, too. Many of these forums have a classified section. If they do, don't just rush in and post up your car. You will have much better luck if you find the introductory threads and introduce yourself to the forum community. Find some other postings and add your comments. Create your own thread and start a conversation. Once they know you are for real, then post your car in their classified section. These people know your car inside and out. They know what the issues are and can see if you have addressed them or not. They will be the ones to offer you a fair price and they will quickly tell you if your price is too high or low. They will also give you pointers on what to do to make it more ready to sell.

Figure 5. Join specialty forums for your brand, make, or model.

Make Room for Negotiation

Most buyers are not going to offer the asking price, no matter how fair you have it listed. Do not be offended by someone who offers you less than what you have it listed, unless it is just a ridiculously low amount. Kindness goes a long way. Sometimes the buyer just doesn't have a clue what the real value and is not trying to be offensive. Pricing slightly higher than market is okay; pricing way higher than market is going to keep everyone away. Price it at a fair amount, one that is higher than your absolute lowest you will sell it for so that you can counter offer a potential buyer. If you don't accept their offer, but they see that you came down a little in a counter offer, they may accept it. Give yourself some wiggle room.

Figure 6. Give yourself some wiggle room on your asking price.

Get a Bill of Sale

Get all the paperwork together and print off a blank bill of sale form. Have as much of this paperwork completed as possible to make the buyer realize that you have got it together. This leads to a more respectful sales process, more trust, and will possibly seal the deal for someone sitting on the fence. Sometimes your buyer will take a look at the spur of the moment, not really in the market otherwise, and not really have the time. Have all your paperwork ready to go, all your ducks lined up, and you've just removed some barriers and excuses; this just might be the thing to get that buyer to bite.

Figure 7. Have a bill of sale ready to go.

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