INCREASE YOUR CAR’S VALUE
TV Salvage Hunter and classic car expert Paul Cowland shares his top tips for adding value to your cherished classic when you come to sell
Believe it or not, it’s my 30th year in the motor trade next year, and during that time I’ve managed to find many great ways to add value and profit to the thousands of cars that I’ve sold. Although ‘every day is a school day’, once you’ve mastered the dark arts of buying and selling classics, you soon learn the tricks and hacks to make life a little more profitable when you finally come to sale day.
Over these past three decades I’ve learned (or been taught) a few cast-iron tips that almost always add a few pounds to the bottom line of every car that I’ve applied them to – and now it’s time for me to pass them on to you so you can do the same.
I’m not saying that these will make you into the next classic car sales magnate overnight but it may just make your bank manager smile a little and give you a few quid more for your next motor.
ALL IN THE DETAIL
Want to make instant money in just a few hours? Simply polish in the profit! It always amazes me when I see a car for sale with a great history and in superb condition, but with a poor level of preparation. Even the least expensive cars can have many hundreds of pounds added to their value, simply by someone taking the time to correctly polish and wax paint, shampoo seats and give those brake-dust-discoloured wheels a couple of hours of TLC.
A day’s proper detailing will be rewarded handsomely once prospective buyers come to view your hard work. A flawlessly detailed car makes it harder for buyers to negotiate, putting you in the driving seat when it comes to price. If the car you’re selling is a big-ticket item, consider getting professional paint ‘correction’. You may spend £200-£300 on it but you’ll double your money, easily.
HISTORY WILL TEACH US EVERYTHING!
Who doesn’t love a good story? When it comes down to selling your classic, creating a clear, descriptive narrative of everything it’s had done and putting it in a neat, chronologically ordered folder can put many buyers’ minds at rest. If you have bills for service work, but no corresponding stamps in the book, enquire with the garage that did the work to fill them in. Chase down gaps in the story and do your research to build up a picture of who owned it, what they did – and where they did it. It makes a huge difference to perceived value. I once bought a totally un-provenanced Flatnose-converted Porsche 911 for what I felt was a very sensible sum. I then found the original American owner from the service records via Facebook and got the car’s whole story from him– almost doubling the value of the car pretty much overnight.
LOOK TO ADD 20-25% MORE
