Selling a car in South Australia (SA)

How To Sell Your Car In South Australia

Selling a car in SA can be a daunting and stressful experience, especially if you don’t know what it involves. Usually, we all look forward to getting as much money as possible when listing a car, but you may not know how to get the best price.

There are a multitude of ways to sell your car, and it is essential to know the ones that can get you the best price. This post will guide you through the process of selling your vehicle as well as provide information on the rules set by the government to ensure your car selling process in SA runs seamlessly.

Things To Note Before Selling Your Car In SA

If you want an easy time selling your car in SA, you must ask yourself specific questions about your obligation to the SA government and your potential SA customers.

Putting yourself in your customers' shoes helps you figure out what they would want to know about your car. Also, it will help you observe government rules as you prepare to sell your car in SA.

South Australian government rules for selling a car are easy to comply with. Unlike other states in Australia, individuals selling cars in SA are not required to have a roadworthy inspection if they are selling their vehicle. The government does not levy any ownership transfer fee. Nonetheless, you must comply with the following rules:

Transfer of ownership and registration

To legally transfer ownership and registration of your car to the buyer, you are required to fill and submit an application for transfer to the relevant SA government department within 14 days. This applies whether you are selling the car to a private buyer or to a dealer and is completed only when you and the buyer have signed the paperwork.

Handover registration paperwork and acquire buyer details

You must hand over the transfer of registration paperwork to the buyer once you have signed. It is crucial that you know how and where to find the new owner of your car in case there is a need to, so remember to record their address and South Australia’s driver's license number.

Initiate transfer and complete the notice of disposal

You are obliged by SA laws to inform the government that ownership of your car has changed to another hand. You do this by simply completing a disposal notice printed on the back of your car's registration details certificate. Once you have completed the disposal notice, you lodge it by posting to the relevant SA government department or dropping it in person at the department's office.

Payment of stamp duty

This is the obligation of the buyer. The law requires them to declare the vehicle's true market value and pay stamp duty when applying to transfer the registration into their name. The amount of stamp duty payable depends on the purchase price and the type of vehicle.

The stamp duty will vary depending on whether the vehicle is a commercial, non-commercial or heavy vehicle. Stamp duty exemptions and relief are, however, available for heavy vehicles. Also, payment of stamp duty may not be applicable when the transfer of registration is between spouses or domestic partners.

Payment relating to stamp duty on vehicles is made at any SA customer service centre or online via your mySA GOV account.

Complete a statutory declaration 

You may have complied with all rules governing the sale of cars in SA, but the individual who bought your car may fail to comply, mainly by not lodging a transfer of registration as required by law. If this does happen, you could be held liable for the buyer's mistakes on the road, and you can address this by completing and submitting a statutory declaration to the authorities.

Reasons For Selling Your Car

There are many reasons that might prompt you to consider selling your car. Knowing why you are selling your car ensures that you do everything right to fulfill your goal. It also prepares you to negotiate for a good price as well as to walk away from a bad offer. Some of the most common reasons why you may want to sell your car include:

• Suppose you need to cut expenses on car maintenance and running costs. Your fuel-guzzling car might just not be suitable for your current financial situation, and you may choose to sell it and downgrade to a smaller non-luxury car.

• To raise money to upgrade to a better car that reflects your current social status. If this is the reason for selling your vehicle, it is vital to ensure you get a deal that will offset a substantial amount on your new car’s purchase price.

• To get rid of your old car.

• To raise money to pay your debts or other pressing bills.

• You may decide to downsize your family vehicle fleet.

Value Of Your Car

Knowing the value of your car helps you negotiate a good deal with potential buyers. The following are some of the critical factors you can use to determine the worth of your car before putting it up for sale:

• Year of manufacture

• Brand and model

• Mileage

• Overall condition of the car

Preferences Of South Australian Customers

Is your car one of the models preferred by South Australians? Popular car models have good resale value. Therefore, it is vital that you know the level of demand of your car model in SA to be able to price it appropriately.

Available Car Selling Options In SA

You should know the available ways to sell your car in SA and their advantages and disadvantages. When you have this knowledge, you are able to pick the best option that will fetch you good money. Some of the ways of selling your car in SA include:

• Privately to any potential customer

• Selling to a local dealer

• Through a local broker

Armed with an idea of what your car is worth, it is important to decide which of the above options will get you the best price. The amount of time and energy you are willing to devote to selling your car will also help you decide how you are going to sell it. If you have a lot of time, you can find a buyer privately. But if you simply need a quick sale at a fair price, consider selling through a local dealer.

Getting Ready To Sell Your Car

You have to prepare yourself in a way that would command confidence in your potential buyers. One of the main ways to prepare yourself is to face the market with enthusiasm by gathering the documentation highlighted below:

Purchase and ownership documents

Did you know that showing your initial car purchase documents can get you a little more cash on the car? When you first purchase a car, the dealership provides you with all the paperwork, which includes new registration and title documents. Because a one-owner vehicle is more valuable than one that has changed hands multiple times, prepare to show these documents to your potential buyers.

If you bought your car through a financing plan and still owe some money to your lender, you should contact them in time and arrange to get your car title. This is important because not all buyers will be willing to take care of this process or even wait as you go about it. Therefore, in order not to miss out on a good deal, take the initiative early on.

Vehicle repair and service documents

Your potential customers should have a chance to read through your car history report and see its impeccable service records. Therefore, you need to be ready to walk them through such a report that should include a well-documented service and repair history done by reputable technicians.

Other essential documents may include up-to-date inspection or even smog compliance certificates. Therefore, it is advisable that you put them together earlier enough as this also helps you prepare to correct any errors and explain any negative information besides winning your customer's confidence.

Preparing Your Car For Sale

The moment you advertise your car for sale, your expectations are that you will find a buyer quickly and sell it at a reasonable price. However, meeting these expectations will depend on the amount of effort and time you spend in getting your car ready for the market.

Of course, you will not want to spend much time and resources to get a car ready for sale if the overall condition and the year of manufacture rule out the possibility of getting much return on your investment.

Nonetheless, you do not want to fail to sell your car simply because you skipped simple steps to get it ready and appeal to potential buyers. The following are some of the processes you are supposed to follow to get your car prepared for sale.

Clean your car

Before you advertise your car for sale, it is important that you clean it thoroughly both inside and out.

Here is a checklist of what to focus on so that the car is adequately cleaned:

• Clear all food items or trash

• Remove all personal belongings from your car

• Remove all plates, including license plates from both front and back

• Remove all stickers and any personalised markings on the car

• Unpair any electronic devices like your phone and remove personal information from the infotainment system if any

• Vacuum the interior

• Condition the vehicle to get rid of any foul smell

Once this is done, wax it to freshen up its look. This way, your car becomes appealing to buyers, and you can negotiate with confidence.

Do repairs

If your car has obvious mechanical and cosmetic issues, you need to address them to get it ready for sale. It is good to fix visible mechanical and cosmetic problems in your car. However, if you choose not to fix them, it is important that you point them out to your prospective customers.

Take the initiative instead of having your customers walk around your car during the inspection while showing signs of worry about all the things they will need to fix. The following are some of the minor damages you can fix affordably to boost customer confidence as well as the value of your car:

• Door dings

• Scratches on the bumper

• Cracked windshields

• Lights

• Car starter

Remember that these are things that, if ignored, you should prepare to face them at the negotiation table because your customer will definitely note them and demand a discounted price. You, therefore, need to strike a balance by undertaking inexpensive repairs and leaving significant repairs that will not pay off after the sale.

Pricing your car

You should ensure that you price your car appropriately to reflect its mechanical condition, year of manufacture, brand, and model. Quoting the value of your car to a client can be an anxious moment.

It usually is recommended that while the price you state should be high enough to allow room for negotiation, it should not scare away your prospective customers. This can be very challenging. Fortunately, there are free online resources that you can use to determine the approximate worth of your car.

Once you know the estimated amount your car should fetch, you are in a better position to compare the available ways of selling and decide on the option that will get you the best price. Do not settle for a bad offer. Make use of free online resources so as to help you get the most out of your car sale.

Generally, the following factors will determine the price of your car:

• Number of previous owners

• The condition of the car

• Mileage on the odometer

• Collisions and accidents

• Inspection compliance

Advertising And Safely Showing Your Car

Selling your car in the current digital era is more accessible than in the days when only newspaper ads were used. With a few limited clicks of your mouse, you can easily get your car ready for sale by listing it on car sale sites for free or at a low cost. Because not everyone who shows interest in your advertisement has good intentions, you must take measures that will ensure your personal and financial security when you are showing your car.

A great advertisement should include:

• Clear and sharp photos that show the best aspects of your car. It is important that you ensure neither your home address nor your license plate appears on any of the advertisement photos.

• A well thought car description detailing its best features.

• Acceptable modes of payment. List only protected payment options.

• Hours that you are available to show your car.

• Your contact information. This should be purposely for the advertisement and separate from your permanent contact details.

• An indication that you are willing to negotiate the price.

• Car warranty status.

Here’s how you can safely show your car to prospective customers as well as protect yourself against scams and fraud:

• Do not meet them at your home or theirs.

• Never share the login details of your mySA GOV account.

• Meet them at a busy public place with plenty of surveillance cameras.

• Because your paperwork bears your home address and other personal information, do not just share them with every person who contacts you.

• Meet potential buyers at safe exchange zones such as police stations.

• Sniff out scammers from far. They will always offer to buy the car without an independent inspection or test drive and leave you with a fake check and without a car.

• Trust your instincts, and do not venture into test driving if you have doubts. If you are accompanying your prospective customer when they are test driving your car, share their South Australia driving license details with a friend or family member.

• Tell your friend or family member to call you if they do not hear from you after a pre-set test drive time.

• Do not log into your ad using a link sent to you by the person who wants to buy your car.

• You do not have to meet or show your car to every prospective buyer that contacts you. Whenever in doubt, contact the car sale site's customer service using the details provided.

Selling Your Car Privately In SA

Selling your car privately does not involve any form of dealership and is an excellent way to get the best price for your car. To smoothly sell your car privately, it is important to understand laws and regulations regarding private car transactions in SA. This is especially in regards to titles and registration documentation that needs to be completed.

In some jurisdictions within SA, you will need to complete the following documents:

• Mileage disclosure

• Liability release

• Title transfer form

• Signing off the vehicle’s title

While selling privately allows you to set your rules, there are some risks involved too.

Advantages of selling your car privately

• You negotiate directly for a better deal on your car because you are selling to the end-user.

Disadvantages of selling your car privately

• Getting your car ready for private sale through repairs and detailing takes time because the buyer is the end-user who will not be willing to incur additional pre-sale costs.

• There is the risk of being coned with fake checks or bills.

• Selling privately takes too long as it is challenging to get a buyer willing to pay the amount you want for your car.

• Dealing with strangers who will always want to view your car is risky and exposes you to dangers such as kidnapping and scamming.

• It is very inconvenient and exhausting to show your car to different people all day for weeks or months without closing a deal.

• If you have finance on your car, you must sort it out with your lender to get your title before selling privately.

Selling Your Car To A Dealer In SA

Car dealers in SA offer three options to transact:

• Cash – They visit your place to view, value your car and pay you on the spot when you agree on the price.

• Consignment – Dealers can offer to sell your car on your behalf through consignment. You benefit by getting a better price bargain, and you avoid pitfalls of selling privately, like getting scammed.

• Trade-in – Dealers give offers to individuals who want to upgrade their cars through trade-in.

Advantages of selling your car to a dealer

• You do not spend much time and money getting your car ready if you want to sell to a dealer because they expect to do repairs and detailing by themselves before retailing the vehicle. This allows you to sell your car without much hassle.

• The dealer will save you from the burden of preparing and filing paperwork.

• Dealers have an extensive car buying network, and once you contact them, they will quickly link you with their network within your locality.

• Dealers make it seamless for you to sell your car even if it has financing on it. They will pay the money you owe directly to the lender.

• Secure payment options that save you from the risks of possible swindling when you sell privately.

Disadvantages of selling your car to a dealer

• You do not get value for your car as you sell to them at wholesale price so as to give them a margin of profit when they retail the car.

Selling Your Car Through A Broker In SA

Selling your car through a broker can save you from the troubles and hassles of selling privately. Both dealers and brokers offer cash, consignment, and trade-in transactions.

Advantages of selling your car through a broker

Unlike when you sell your car by yourself, dealing through a broker secures the following benefits for you:

• Quick sale at a pretty good price.

• Secure payment options that save you from the risk of possible swindling when you sell privately.

• You save time and energy by not being in charge of finding a buyer for your car.

Disadvantages of selling your car through a broker

• They may not be reputable, exposing you to scamming and fraud.

• The price you get is lower than if you sell privately.

When To Contact The Professionals For Help

Now that you know the things to do and the rules to follow to have a seamless car selling experience in South Australia, it might still seem a bit overwhelming. However, in these instances, it is best to elicit the help of an experienced seller to assist you through the process.