How to sell your car in the Philippines

It may seem daunting at first, but the process of selling your car in the Philippines isn’t quite as complicated as you might initially think.

Here are just a few simple things to take into consideration to easily accomplish a hassle-free car sale.

Sell Your Car or Trade-in?

If you’re looking to sell your old car as a means of raising money for a new car-purchase, then it may be worth your time considering the hassle-free process of trading in your vehicle at a dealership. This way you’ll be able to directly stack the resale value of your old vehicle against the cost of purchasing a new car. The process will definitely save you time but keep in mind that the final sale price will often be below true market value as a dealer has to anticipate making profit off the resale of your old car.

You can also trade-in your vehicle for cash at some used-car dealerships, but as with the new car trade-in, you will also not get the true market price for your vehicle.

Evaluating the trade-off between time-spent selling your car and your final cash return should help you to decide if you prefer to trade-in or sell. If you do wish to consider trade-in, check out AutoDeal's trade-in application tool to get access to our trade-in partners across the country.

Preparing Your Vehicle For Sale

Ahead of selling your car, it’s worth investing some time in preparing your car for sale. Just remember, the small things (such as stains on your backseats) can often be a deal-killer, so be attentive to addressing both mechanical and aesthetic issues ahead of taking your vehicle to market.

Want more advice on how to prepare your car? Check out advice on how to prepare your car for resale.

Preparing your paperwork.

As a means to save time later, make sure you have your Certificate of Registration (CR), latest Official Receipt of Payment (OR) and a blank deed of sale on hand. It might also be worth getting a clearance certificate from the Philippine National Police Traffic Management Group to reassure prospective buyers that the vehicle has not been involved in any crime.

List your vehicle for sale.

Nowadays, there are several places that you can advertise your vehicle for sale online. At AutoDeal, we provide an easy step-by-step process that will enable you to advertise your vehicle to more than 1.2 million prospective car-buyers every month. Listing your car for sale on AutoDeal requires a one-time compulsory payment of P250. Once advertised, you may renew your listing every thirty (30) days for free until the vehicle is sold.

Unlike other websites, AutoDeal charges a compulsory listing fee to deter potential scammers from posting false or misleading information. By having sellers make a nominal investment, AutoDeal is able to maintain the highest quality experience for car-buyers which results in faster transactions. Between 20 to 40 vehicles are sold using AutoDeal every day.

When preparing your listing, you should take into consideration the following things:-

1. Images - Photo’s sell cars. The most important thing about advertising your vehicle is to insure that you have good quality images of your vehicle. In particular, be sure to take a combination of both interior and exterior shots from a variety of different angles.
2. Be Honest - At AutoDeal, our database of used-cars will help pull all of the relevant technical information about your vehicle when you begin to list. All that remains for you to do is complete information on the vehicles mileage and condition. It’s best to be honest when disclosing the condition of your vehicle as misleading information will cause buyer frustration upon the time they opt to view your vehicle.
3. Verify - Make sure to verify your contact details to show buyers that you’re a serious seller.

You can begin listing your vehicle on AutoDeal at: https://www.autodeal.com.ph/sell-your-car

Viewings and Negotiation

After listing on AutoDeal, you will receive messages and SMS notifications from us every time we find a prospective buyer that is interested in your vehicle. From this point, you may communicate back and forth with buyers either using AutoDeal’s messaging feature or by exchanging phone calls or SMS messages. 

At some point you will be required to set a viewing of your vehicle with the buyer. It is very important that you follow these safety reminders when organizing a viewing.

• Always organize viewings during the daytime in well-lit public areas.
• If possible, take an adult friend or family member with you.
• Always choose to arrange a viewing in location that is convenient and well-known to you.
• Never leave the keys or the buyer unattended with your vehicle for any length of time.

When negotiating it’s best to be somewhat flexible on price and payment terms. Be sure to have a final minimum price that you’re willing to accept and remember that in many cases, it is customary to ‘haggle’ on prices.

Closing the Deal

When closing the deal, remember not to release the car to the buyer until payment has been received. You will then need to create a deed of sale and offer an official receipt. 

If you're not to sure about all of that, check out our advice on everything you need to know about a deed of sale.