If you're looking for how to sell my car with frame damage? You need to set a competitive price, ensure quality, be patient, add all necessary information, create the best listing, identify real buyers, and protect yourself.
The frame is one of the most important safety features in your car. Many people underestimate the value of the frames just because they don't see them.
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Without a proper frame, it can be very dangerous to drive this vehicle because any simple accident can significantly affect your safety and passengers. Also, a damaged frame might affect the suspension system, introducing additional complications to your vehicle requiring very high repair costs.
Frame damage can happen to do too many reasons, and there might be a point in time where you must deal with it. According to automotive experts, frame damages might not be easily repairable. Instead of wasting your time and effort getting it to work, you'd better sell this car and use the money as a down payment to a better vehicle.
This article provides you with expert tips to help you answer how to sell my car with frame damage?
What is frame damage?
Before we dive into the details about how to sell your car with frame damage, it is very important to ensure that we are on the same page about frame damage.
Frame damage indicates any damages that happened to the vehicle's primary structure Or any part of your vehicle supporting structural integrity.
Some of the vehicles' common components include the suspension system, the upper frame rails, and the lower frame rails. If you're driving a unibody vehicle, any damages to the windshield, the rear window frames, the A, b, and C pillars, and the rocker panels are considered frame damages.
As a rule of thumb, you can say that anything bolted to the vehicle's structure is not considered part of the frame.
Usually, when a vehicle has frame damage, it will show in the vehicle’s history reports. That's why automotive experts always recommend reviewing the vehicle's history report if you're shopping for a used vehicle.
If you are the one who's selling a car with frame damage, it will show in the history report and therefore, people might be discouraged by this car knowing that it has significant issues in the frame that might affect their safety.
What causes frame damage?
Frame damage can happen due to any situation where the vehicle gets involved in a collision with another vehicle or a certain object.
Some people might think that their vehicle did not have major issues because it's not showing on the car's external. However, even when seeing some small dents and scratches on the vehicle's external, there might be some major problems hidden underneath that affected the structure of the vehicle.
How to check for frame damage?
Before you proceed with looking and searching for ways to sell your car with frame damage, it is very important to confirm that your vehicle is suffering from frame damage.
To do so, you can follow these steps:
- Checked under the vehicle and see if the frame is bended
- Look on the external of your car for any signs of greases or cracks and rusts
- Check if your vehicle's doors close regularly
- Take your vehicle to a test drive and pay attention to any rubbing, creaking, or squeaking noises
- Consider inspecting the tires and see if they're not even
If you've detected any of the mentioned signs of frame damage, this is not a good sign, and you need to take your vehicle to a professional mechanic to confirm the issue.
Is it Illegal to sell a car with frame damage?
The short answer is no. However, there are some moral aspects about selling a vehicle with frame damages.
It is crucial to let the buyer know that your vehicle has frame damages and indicate that you both sign in the documentation. It is also essential to ensure that you're selling the vehicle “as is” while highlighting any major problems in the car.
If the buyer asks you whether the vehicle is reliable or safe, you should not say yes without clarifying that the vehicle might have reliability issues or safety problems due to the cracked or damaged frame.
You also need to be prepared about getting the vehicle back if you lied about the frame damage information when they asked you about it.
That's why most automotive experts recommend that you should sell your vehicle as parts when it has major frame damages to prevent causing some safety issues to the buyer.
However, if you haven't heard about Cash Cars Buyer before, we are one of the fewest companies that accept your vehicle even if it has major frame damages.
Tips for selling damaged frame cars
If you're looking for how to sell my car with frame damage, the process can be extremely challenging because most people are interested in buying a vehicle that they can write immediately.
Luckily, selling a car with frame damage is impossible, and there are plenty of potential buyers looking to buy cheap vehicles feared. These buyers are usually salvage yards or professional mechanics looking for projects out or training on damaged vehicles.
The question always remains how to find these potential buyers successfully and get the most out of your frame-damaged car?
Many automotive experts refer to a vehicle with a damaged frame as “an ugly Carfax” vehicle. In that case, there are certain tips you need to follow and implement to ensure selling this vehicle successfully.
Keep in mind that the intent here is to sell your frame-damaged car fast and for the most money without tricking people because we need to be upfront with them and indicate that the Car has major issues in one of the most important safety features. Let's now take a closer look at some of the best tips you need to follow to sell your car with a damaged frame:
- The price
You are selling a damaged frame car, and therefore you don't expect to ask for a very high price because you want people to get encouraged to buy this vehicle.
Most automotive experts recommend that when listing a price for a framed damaged car, you need to start at least 10% to 20% lower than the average listed retail value.
This way, customers will be more encouraged to buy your vehicle and consider it a good deal.
If you don't know the average of the tail value, you could find some of the online tools that allow you to understand the market. For example, you might need to start with vehicle history reports or Carfax.
You need to ask for a lower price because most people who buy your vehicle will not be eligible to finance the car. After all, most banks do not accept financing a vehicle with frame damage.
Therefore, you want your prize to always be within a smaller pool that attracts customers interested in buying cheaper vehicles.
- Quality
The next thing to focus on is the quality of your vehicle. We understand that your car has major frame damages, but this does not mean you don't want it to look as good as possible.
What you can do is you might need to showcase your car to one of your family members or friends and ask them for feedback.
Understanding the feedback and being upfront with your vehicle’s quality is crucial in providing you with more confidence about selling this car to a real buyer.
The worst thing you want to do with is when a real buyer comes and sees your car and walks away without providing you any feedback.
Sometimes the feedback cannot be very pleasing but, it's OK, and the more you learn about people’s feedback on this vehicle, the faster it is to find the right buyer who might accept it.
- Patience
When dealing with cars that have frame damages, you need to be as patient as possible. The process will take so much time and effort because, as we indicated before, most buyers are not interested in buying vehicles with issues in the frame.
Thus, be prepared mentally and financially to leave your listing for a long time and wait for the right buyer. Otherwise, if you lost your patience, you would lose money, and you will not make good deals out of it.
There are situations where you are probably listing is not in the right time of the year, or maybe many sellers are selling the same vehicle as yours, and therefore, there is very high competition.
By being patient, you will give to a point where there's a high demand on your vehicle to make good money out of it.
- Information
Since you're selling a vehicle with a damaged frame, information is a very crucial component. We don't want to lie to the customers and not tell them about the frame damage bought; there is a smart way to put this information.
If you decided to put this information in the ad’s title, people will skim the ad and walk away. However, if you allow the customer to read in detail and go through the description where you add the frame damage information, you will get a higher chance of reaching out to you.
We never encourage that you lie to the customers and not include that information because you might give yourself into a lot of legal trouble. It's just about where to put this information.
- Advertising
There are plenty of online platforms that get you connected with thousands of customers every day. For example, you can create a listing for your vehicle with frame damage on Craigslist, eBay Motors, Facebook marketplace, etc.
Also, consider that not all of these listed platforms provide free service. For example, Craigslist started charging customers $5 per used car ad. Thus, keep this information considered in your budget plan.
Another thing to consider is that when you don't see any success in your listing on a certain platform, it is good to try another platform that might have other audiences interested in buying your vehicle even if it has frame damage.
- Real buyers
The next step is to flag any wrong buyers. And what we mean by this is that there aren't buyers who you will know immediately that they're not serious, and therefore, you never want to waste your time getting into a long conversation with them.
For example, if the buyer asked you about, they offer immediately, they might not be serious because usually the buyer will ask about the condition of the vehicle and require more details.
Also, some picky buyers might be interested in learning more about your vehicle's service record and imagine how their reaction would be knowing that the vehicle has major frame damage.
Thus, a good tip here is to consider spending the time with the right buyer and flagging any non-serious Flyers.
- Protect yourself
The final tip has to do with your safety, especially when selling a vehicle that has a damaged frame. You are recommended to meet with the buyer at a public place where people are around.
Also, it is recommended that you only accept cash payments because it's the safest payment method for any car selling process.
Also, you need to ensure that you sign all paperwork and finalize the deal while complying with all your state requirements.
Sell my car with frame damage: your best option!
Dealing with frame damages can be very challenging and many people decide to sell their vehicle instead of wasting their time getting it to work.
If you're looking for how to sell my car with frame damage, we provided you with a detailed list of potential tips to help you sell the vehicle fast for the most money.
If you don't want to deal with tons of private buyers and you don't want to wait for a long time, with better select Cash Cars Buyer!
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We will pay you the top dollars for this vehicle and remove it within one to three days only!
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