If you are getting ready to sell your first used car as a private party seller, there are a few steps that you need to take to ensure that you get the price that you want for you and you sell your vehicle quickly.

#1 Plan For The Sale Period To Be Long

Although you will hopefully be able to sell your used car quickly, it helps to be prepared for a longer sale period. When you feel like you have to sell your old car so that you are not paying two car loans at the same time, you put extra pressure on yourself. You may scare away buyers who are willing to pay your purchase price who are leery of why you want to get rid of your vehicle so fast. You may end up accepting a lower offer than if you had put less pressure on yourself and on potential buyers.

Give yourself time to sell your vehicle, and budget for potentially paying on insurance for two vehicles at a time or paying two car payments for one billing cycle. That way you will not be harmed financially if you don't sell your vehicle quickly.

#2 Add Fluids To Your Vehicle

Before you put your vehicle up for sale, change the oil and transmission fluid, and make sure that the brake fluid levels are full as well. Be sure to also top off the washer fluid. Many potential buyers will want to pop open the hood of your vehicle to check the fluid levels themselves; adding fluid to your vehicle and making sure that everything is filled correctly will help ensure that your vehicle looks good under the hood when potential buyers check.

#3 Repair Your Vehicle

If the check engine light is illuminated on your dashboard, take your vehicle in and figure out why it is lit up. If you can afford it, invest in fixing the issue before you put the car up for sale. If you leave the check engine light illuminated, potential buyers are more likely going to want to try and bargain to get a lower price on the vehicle to account for the immediate repairs that the vehicle is going to need. Used car buyers expect to have to pay for repairs, but no one really wants to purchase a vehicle that they are going to have to drop money on immediately.

#4 Get A Vehicle History Report

Run a vehicle history report on your own vehicle. This report will show all the maintenance and work that has been done on your vehicle by licensed dealers and it will show your vehicle's ownership history. When potential buyers want more information about the ownership history and maintenance record, you'll be able to easily provide them with more information.

#5 Deep Clean Your Vehicle

Finally, if you really want to get a great price for your vehicle, it is vital that you deep clean your vehicle. Start by removing all personal effects from your vehicle and only keep the essential items you really need inside of your vehicle, such as an ice scraper or sun shades for the windshield.

Take your vehicle to a professional detailer; they will be able to clean your vehicle so thoroughly it will look brand new. They will clean all the nooks and crannies of your vehicle that sometimes seem impossible to get to, such as in between your seat and your console. Getting your vehicle professionally detailed will help put it on the same level of cleanliness as car lots. Contact a company like Airport Auto RV Pawn & Sales for more information.