Used Cars Nobody Wants and How to Sell Them

When buying a car, new or used, one should always remember that sooner or later, it will have to be sold, so the vehicle market liquidity should be among the options for smart car buying parameters. Some models are always in price. For example, the Toyota RAV4 or the Chevrolet Sequoia, even after a lapse of years, can be sold for almost the same price. But some brands and cars become a real burden when the time comes to get rid of them. The experienced Indianapolis used car dealers from Indy Auto Man explain which cars are the hardest to find new owners.

Unpopular brands

Like it or not, when choosing a car, many customers pay attention not only to its appearance and technical characteristics but also to the manufacturer. Among automakers, there are those whose cars have a weak reputation, which is why they sell poorly in the secondary market. Products of such automakers are usually bought only by their fans, which are not very numerous.

The lucky owner of an SUV from one of the most popular brands will have a queue of buyers, especially if it is in good condition. But if the driver somehow ended up with a car, for example, of French production, finding the next owner will require plenty of effort.

Premium brands

Private sellers often face difficulties when selling a used car of a premium brand. Wealthy people never buy pre-owned vehicles, as it is not prestigious, and those who can afford such a car only used, cannot pay for its maintenance, repairs, and taxes. That is why cars of premium brands depreciate quickly. But even this does not always help them be sold fast.

Even in big cities, like Indianapolis, there are not so many buyers who plan to waste their time browsing ads and visiting sellers all around Indiana to buy BMW, Mercedes-Benz, or Audi. They prefer large dealerships with numerous options in place and top customer service.

Too bright colors

Drivers in Indianapolis prefer the classics. Of course, there are pros and cons to any car color. And some connoisseurs like to stand out on the road, but the same car will go to a new owner faster if it is painted black, white, or silver.

The same is true for very rare or sports cars. Finding a buyer for such a vehicle will be incredibly difficult unless you want to sell it for nothing.

Basic trim

Cars in the basic configuration are cheaper, but it also makes it more difficult for the owner to sell them. The fact is that when buying a used vehicle, many people want it to be equipped to the maximum, so few people pay attention to models in the basic trim, despite their low cost.

Small cars with a turbine

Cars with small engines and turbocharging ones are not so popular in the US. In Europe, where gasoline is more expensive and better, and the tax is calculated, among other things, from the harmfulness of the exhaust, buying a supercharged subcompact justifies itself. In the US, most buyers prefer spacious and reliable SUVs and trucks. Runabouts with a small engine resource and an additional expensive unit – a turbine, even if they have good fuel economy, remain unclaimed for a long time.

Robotic manual transmission

The resource of modern engines and gearboxes most often barely exceeds the warranty period, and the cost of their repair sometimes makes up a decent part of the cost of the car itself. Thanks to the media and the Internet, information about such unreliable engines and gearboxes spreads very quickly among motorists, after which it becomes very difficult to sell a car equipped with an engine or gearbox with a bad reputation.

Accompanied by small turbo engines, for example, Volkswagen had the ill-fated 7-speed DSG robotic gearbox with two dry clutches, code-named DQ200. The same problems were with Ford with their PowerShift, and the Koreans with 7DCT. Buyers treat such models with extreme caution.

Fortunately for owners of not-the-best-selling used cars, many dealerships are willing to trade in their vehicles and assume all the resale hassle.