Sellers put off by cost of car ads

If you've ever had to sell your own car, you'll know that it can be a painstaking process.

A recent online poll of over 30,000 people has highlighted the main reasons that car owners try to avoid selling their cars privately.

34% of people said they were put off by the time and money spent on advertising their car, while 22% said that waiting ages and getting no response to advertising was a major reason.

Although many prefer the convenience of trading a car in against another, selling your car privately can often bring you the best prices.

To get those prices, though, you need to word your advert the right way. Get it wrong and you may end up in the same boat as the 22% who waited ages.

Here are some helpful hints for wording your car advert:

• Include all relevant information - but be precise and honest;
• Keep it short and sweet - people are more likely to buy your car if they don't have to trawl through acres of text;
• Avoid cliches - nothing will put off potential buyers more than something like 'first to see will buy';
• Avoid abbreviations - however, if you need to reduce the cost of the advert, you may want to include common abbreviations such as FSH (full service history) or AC (air-conditioning).