best way of selling a classic
Discussion
OK chaps what method of selling do you prefer.
I'm in no real rush but have the opportunity to buy another classic.
I therefore need to get rid of one possibly 2 to fund the new car.
No real rush.
1/so options are just put the word out in club land
2/ few ads, see what happens
3/ Auctions (not keen on this)
what's peoples preferred method, they are very very good examples of their type
I'm in no real rush but have the opportunity to buy another classic.
I therefore need to get rid of one possibly 2 to fund the new car.
No real rush.
1/so options are just put the word out in club land
2/ few ads, see what happens
3/ Auctions (not keen on this)
what's peoples preferred method, they are very very good examples of their type
Moderator edit: no advertising
With owners clubs you have a very limited market, most of whom already have a car of the type you're selling.
Auctions you have cost of entry plus commission to think about and, if it doesn't sell, the cost of getting it back home. I've often seen cars at auction sold at a fraction of the cost they were previously advertised online for. I can only assume that the vendor simply couldn't face taking the car back again.
Advertising on Car and Classic is free and hits a large audience but then you have to deal with the public direct which can sometimes be a pain.
Without knowing the car type and value I'd probably start with option 3.
Auctions you have cost of entry plus commission to think about and, if it doesn't sell, the cost of getting it back home. I've often seen cars at auction sold at a fraction of the cost they were previously advertised online for. I can only assume that the vendor simply couldn't face taking the car back again.
Advertising on Car and Classic is free and hits a large audience but then you have to deal with the public direct which can sometimes be a pain.
Without knowing the car type and value I'd probably start with option 3.
My experience of selling on car and classic has been fine. Not done it for 10 years or so though. I did it 3 times on car and classic and each time the car was purchased by a dealer. The 3 times i have sold projects on eBay have been a pain, stupid questions and people expecting projects to by concours. Car and classic would be my choice.
I used www.classiccarsforsale.co.uk got replies from France, Belgium, Italy, could have got a very good price, but so much hassle dealing with Europe. In the end Beaulieu Garage bought it for a good price. Even gave me extra to deliver it.
I write monthly articles about classic auctions, and the new on-line form seems to work very well. You write it up, you take loads of detailed photos, and the prices achieved are in line with other forms of selling. Private sales, clubs apart, do not seem to work very well these days. Again, it depends on the car and especially the value of course. More people can obviously afford a Reliant Robin than an Aston DB5 Volante.And if the format worries you, well, place a reserve acceptable to yourself. Sites that I like are Car & Classic and H&H, but there are many smaller local ones that work very well such as Manor Classic up North, Anglia in Norfolk (they sold a MK 1 for £87,000 recently) and Brightwells of Leominster. This isn't exhaustive, just examples of houses dotted around the country with lesser commission compared to the international brigade and who seem to achieve a high percentage of sales. Hope this helps.
I sold a 2.7 X reg Boxster in 2020 and an Alfa GT in 2021 using Brightwells, all went OK and I got a reasonable price, even after the commission charges. In fact, the top bidder on the Boxster could have got it for £1k less if they'd seen my listing on eBay the month before, I never got a serious offer. 
However, they had waived the entry fees to keep themselves going during the Covid restrictions and I think there is now a re-instigated entry fee for their classic auctions as well as after sale fees, but they are less than some. CCA for example want £250 plus VAT just to enter a car plus 5% afterwards (with a minimum of £350 + VAT !). So that's a minimum of £660 to sell a car so only worth if if you have a car likely to fetch several thousand £ at least.
However, they had waived the entry fees to keep themselves going during the Covid restrictions and I think there is now a re-instigated entry fee for their classic auctions as well as after sale fees, but they are less than some. CCA for example want £250 plus VAT just to enter a car plus 5% afterwards (with a minimum of £350 + VAT !). So that's a minimum of £660 to sell a car so only worth if if you have a car likely to fetch several thousand £ at least.
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