5 Tips for Selling Custom Cars

The auto market is full of people interested in purchasing a statement vehicle that will turn heads. The trend toward custom cars has long been in the making, but it has recently become super-charged as people have the strong desire to own something that they can call uniquely their own.

Those in possession of a customized car, or those considering getting into the business of customizing cars, might want to consider a few of the following tips for how they can sell their creations to the broader market and make some significant profits that are sustainable.

1. Review the Market

It is in your best interest to spend a weekend doing some homework on the best market for selling a custom car. You should do some research as to the best places in your local area for selling a custom car as well as what kind of price you might reasonably fetch for your creation in the market. You should try to learn about what types of people are most interested in purchasing a customized car in your area. It might be the case that you need to broaden your scope to other markets if you live in an area that is not populated with car enthusiasts. Most say that it is a waste of your time to list your vehicle in general marketplaces if you have something truly special on your hands. You will run into one of two problems if you do this. The first will be that your vehicle is so specialized that no one in that general group has the cash or the desire to purchase it. The other is that you will get a herd of people trying to submit very low bids to purchase your vehicle from you at a steal. Neither option is ideal.

2. Offer a Fair Price That Doesn’t Cheat Either Side

The quickest way to sell a custom car is to lower the price. Everyone loves when they can score a great bargain, but you don’t want to cheat yourself out of the profit you deserve to earn for your custom vehicle either. One of the problems that many sellers run into when they reach this point of the process is finding themselves too emotionally tied to their vehicle. They have likely sunk multiple hours into the customization of this machine), and their heart might not want to let it go. The brain knows that they need to sell it at a reasonable price, but the heart is too attached. Thus, it is best to do a reality check with yourself if you find that you are clinging to your vehicle just because it is something you worked hard on. You need to remember that the purpose of all of that hard work was so you could sell it off to someone else who will appreciate it and love it the same way that you have. It is a laborious task to get to that point, but it is something that can be done.

3. Create an Eye-Catching Ad

People love to see something that stands out from the pack as visually appealing. They also want to see an advertisement among the sea of other ads that provides them with plenty of detail. If you are intent on selling a custom car, you had better make sure that it has an ad that is attention-grabbing. Buyers would really like to view a custom car ad that differs from the others. You can create this ad if you put some work into it.

You should answer some basic questions about your vehicle and what makes it so special. Among those questions are:

How well has the vehicle been cared for? (i.e., Has it received proper routine maintenance?)
What special features does it have that make it unique?
Does it contain any special parts that the buyer should know about?
What flaws does it have? (Honesty is appreciated and may help it sell.)
What are you selling?

These are some of the top questions that any prospective buyer will have about the vehicle anyway. They aren’t likely to jump at purchasing it unless they have answers to those questions and more. After all, they are going to put down a significant amount of money to purchase the vehicle, so they ought to have any lingering doubts put to rest.

4. Allow for Test Drives

Just because someone asks to take your vehicle for a test drive does not mean they are going to purchase it from you, but it is a good sign that they have a deeper interest in it than other people who have looked at it. When selling a custom car, you should take this as a good sign. They are at least curious enough to want to see how it feels to be behind the wheel, and that should excite you.

Guarded as you might be about people driving something that you have worked so hard to perfect, allow for test drives as part of selling your vehicle. It is likely one of the best ways to close the deal with someone who is on the verge of making an offer. After all, most people are probably not going to make a deal with you if they don’t have the opportunity to drive the vehicle beforehand.

Always make sure your vehicle is in pristine condition and spotless on the inside before you send someone into it for a test drive. This might seem like obvious advice, but it should be repeated often as you don’t want anyone to get the impression that you don’t take proper care of your vehicles. That is a quick way to earn a negative reputation among the community that is very hard to shake off.

5. Immerse Yourself in the Community

The final tip relates to what we just spoke about. That is that you should try to be involved with the custom car community as much as possible. It is a small sub-set of people who are interested in this specific thing, and you should try to get to know them. Putting yourself in good standing with the people who are most likely to buy, sell, and trade custom cars and their parts is a good way to stay plugged in and make a sale when you need to. You can join their various social media groups and make sure that you are an active member who people know they can trust. Selling a custom car demands that you build trust in the community. Look to see who some of the group leaders are and try to network with them as well. Finally, try to attend events set up by these groups when possible to make the most of your opportunity to network with them.