Hi Everyone,
I am going to be selling my 2007 R56 and was wondering what everyone thinks is the best way to get the most value from the car. In the past I have tried selling my own car (2000 Mustang but didn't get any buyers). My last car I traded in for the Mini. Not sure if I would have better luck trying to sell the Mini or just trading in (wouldn't even rule out Car Max).
The car does have a couple dents on the hood, some small scratches on the bumpers, and worn thigh support on the drivers seat.
One of the thing I am interested to know is if anyone who replaced their run flats with non-runflats found that to be an issue with selling their mini. I have done that and was just hoping that either the person who bought it didn't notice or care.

Thanks

 

BTW, I would prefer not having two car payments for more than a month or two.

 

i dont think to many people care about the runflats.. i know i hate mine nd cant wait to get new tires... but that doesnt really answer your whole question

 

Selling a car successfully for maximum value is work - there's a lot more to it than just popping an ad on Craigslist and waiting for the buyers to roll in....

Depending on where you are in the country (large metro area or small town in the boonies) where you advertise can make a big difference. If you're in a small town I'd go for one of the national sites, like AutoTrader or Cars.com. If you're in LA, or some other large metro you have a different set of problems - in that there's a lot more competition. The best thing you can do is set a realistic value, and the best way to get a handle on that is to get a few wholesale bids on your car - that way you know what it's really worth, and anything you can get over that is gravy.

On the other side of the equation, the cleaner your car, the better chance of getting a good price for it - and I mean clean. As in all the cracks and crevices, take out the seats and vacuum under them, get into all the corners in the the trunk. Clean under the hood and in the door jambs and around the hatch. Clean the wheels, including the backs of them. Clean the dash, blow compressed air in the vents to get the dust out of them. Clean the windows till they're spotless. Dress the tires and black trim. Time and effort spent here will really help move the metal....

Good luck!

 

Don't dismiss CARMAX - they gave me 15% more than the MINI dealer would for my BMW Z4. It was quick and easy. I'm sure that the condition of the car and the number of similar cars that they have make a difference. They have to try to predict how fast they can move the car. My second consideration in going to CARMAX was that if I tried to sell the car myself, my largest competitor was going to be, in fact, CARMAX who could offer a warranty.

 

Thanks everyone for the advice.

@MiniDave: I have the same experience. Car Max offered me more than the dealer, so I got the dealer to match. Gave me an extra $800 :-)