The short answer is, start with our online valuation tool. The long answer is here:
The Car Buyers Online valuation tool is the best place to start. In order to improve the accuracy, be sure to have your vehicle nearby in case you need to double check your log books for your model, shape, badge or kilometers. If you are unsure, you can always compare your car to some others online to be sure that you have the correct details, especially in transition years where a new model has come out. We want to know as much as we can about your car, but if you are having any trouble identifying it, please feel free to call us and we will gladly help.
Whether you are trading in or selling privately or just plain curious about what your car is worth, it is important to know how to get an accurate appraisal. Car Buyers Online are here to help and in the process we will source offers on your vehicle which are usually just too good for our customers to pass up!
You can access our online appraisal tool from your computer or smart phone on our mobile-friendly website.
So if you use our valuation tool you will get the short answer of roughly what your car is worth in the current market. This seems to keep most people happy as we aim to make our service as customer friendly as possible. However there is a lot more than year, make and model, etc, involved in a good valuation.
The common misconception about this question is that a car has an exact value. This is never the case. Cars, like say the housing market, have very different values at different times to different people. A car is only really worth what someone is willing to pay for it. This is why Car Buyers Online don’t do valuation certificates. Valuation certificates are a complete waste of money, because if the car is worth what they have said they should be in a position to make you an offer. That’s what Car Buyers Online do.
There is a lot more to a correct valuation than the year, make, model, etc. For an accurate valuation you need to take into account the badge, also called the trim level. The badge can refer to the type of engine, level of standard features, or even the number of doors. Here’s a few key points on trim levels.
Changes in major features, such as the car’s transmission, engine type and whether it is front wheel drive or all-wheel drive, can have a big impact on the value of the car. To a slightly lesser degree, the same goes for options like a sun roof, leather seats, navigation or automatic climate control.
On top of this you also have to consider the condition of the vehicle and the amount that a buyer may have to spend to restore it to very good condition. This is why it is extremely important for your vehicle to be assessed in person. Simple factors, such as the choice of colour, may even limit or widen your resale options and all of this needs to be taken into account by the prospective buyer. Of course, when considering the condition of the car, you also need to factor in your odometer reading and service history and cars that have a good mechanical history are worth a little more. Of course cars with a bad history, such as a repairable-write off status due to an accident or water damage, are not going to be worth as much. Also, be upfront and honest with us if this is the case, we always have to check the status and this saves embarrassment!
We also check the financial status and if you are selling a car that is under finance you should bring a current payout letter with you from your financier. We will pay the required amount to your financier directly (as is required by law) and the balance to you. Simple!
Here at Car Buyers Online we only offer our valuation tool in order to satisfy our customers need to find a quick, estimated price. We have had overwhelming demand for the online tool to calculate vehicle values. However, no computer program can be correct 100% of the time, especially when the condition and value of a used car can vary by so much.
We like our customers to see this as nothing more than an estimate. On many occasions we have gotten more than the estimated amount, but this is not always the case.
The next step is bringing your car into a Car Buyers Online site (or we will come to you) and getting a realistic value for your car on the spot. How do we find how much your car is worth? Well, very few cars are held by Car Buyers Online, we simply connect buyers and sellers. Our buyer network trusts our independent assessment enough to offer a cash price over the phone. Unlike your average dealer who simply wants to sell your car on his OWN yard and get the maximum profit, we sell to hundreds of dealers Australia wide in order to get the best price for your car. We can do this because we operate on a high turn over and every car we buy, we sell. We don’t have high overheads, just high turn over. So go ahead, get your car valuation here and start talking to your friendly Car Buyers Online consultant today!
