Using a car buying service removes a lot of the stress from selling a car. The process is usually simple: you get a valuation, the car is inspected, and all being well you will get a fair price. However, it has become clear in recent years that car buying services can vary greatly in terms of quality. Here, we’ll take a look at three different websites and tell you the pros and cons, in order to help you make the best decision for you.
Trusted Car Buyers
Trusted Car Buyers offers a very quick and simple valuation, the site doesn’t ask a ridiculous number of questions, and they make it very easy to book a time to drop off the car. They also make it fairly clear that they adjust for issues that are found on the day, although they could be considerably more informative in terms of what will lead to a change in the valuation. They do list the assumptions made to come up with the valuation, but in the form of small cartoon drawings that would confuse an inexperienced seller.
The Car Buying Service
This site was very simple to use, and had the nicest user interface of the three. It also offered the best price for the car without adding any hidden charges, and offers you assistance in claiming outstanding road tax. Unlike the other sites, The Car Buying Service also offers you the chance to complete a Condition Appraisal and get a very clear picture of how the price is likely to be affected by any exterior damage, so you won’t be surprised at the inspection.
We Buy Any Car
We Buy Any Car are well known, but their service isn’t necessarily the best and there are many reasons why people prefer ‘The Car Buying Service’ over ‘We Buy Any Car’. For one thing, they charge an administration fee, which goes up depending on the value of the car. For another, they offered the lowest valuation of the three services for the exact same car. However, the website is quick and easy to use, and booking an appointment is pretty simple. They are also very open about their terms and conditions and provide a lot of information, although you’d need to spend a while finding exactly the information you’d want here.
Overall, we found The Car Buying Service to be the most helpful in terms of getting a realistic valuation. One of the main problems with online valuations is the possibility of a nasty shock when the car is inspected, and they allow you to avoid that. It can be difficult to find a good car buying service online, but as long as you know what to look for, you should have no problems getting a fair price for your vehicle.
