Car Valuations: How do we value cars at Sell Your Car 2 Jack?

It may seem like a silly question that we’re addressing but it’s something we get asked regularly. And because we do things slightly differently at Sell Your Car 2 Jack, we wanted to break down the full process for you.

We’re not like the rest – we don’t send out automated pricing because online pricing systems can become out of date and be unrealistic.

While many car buying services offer immediate valuations, this is a computer generated algorithm which send potential customers their valuation. This is why more often than not, the larger corporate buying services do not honour their prices, and do not pay what they offer – as when it is in front of a human appraisal car buyer they soon realise the car is not worth what the “computer said”.

We manually value each car that comes into us – we have a team of industry experts who look at the vehicle and offer a fair price based on today’s current market, more importantly a price we can stick on when you arrive.

We use a very sophisticated system which record the performance of cars throughout the UK month on month, together with our experience we can offer you a guide price that is in line with the trade price of the vehicle.

The assumptions we make to create a valuation are based on the following, which is why it’s so important that we have these key pieces of information…

1. Registration

From this we can populate information about the car. One of the key things to take into account here is the year that the car was manufactured. We can generally determine how old a car is based on its reg which gives us a good start at creating a valuation.

2. Mileage

It’s crucial that a customer uploads the correct mileage of their car when enter your details into our form www.sellyourcar2jack.com. As mileage increases, a car will tend to lose value because it has been used more – a car is susceptible to wear and tear – the more it is used, the more likely it is to encounter problems. We must have clarity on its mileage as any deviation can increase or decrease the car’s value.

3. Number of Owners

Again, another crucial piece of information. With fewer owners it is easier to trace a car’s history and get an understanding of how the car has been kept previous to its arrival at Sell Your Car 2 Jack. A car with a high number of owners may well have been kept in great condition, however, it can be less desirable to buy a car with a lot of owners as we will be unsure of the car’s history – it can become diluted.

4. Length of Ownership

If a car has been owned for less than 3 months we have to question why the car is being sold in a relatively short time frame of owning the car. This does not put us off buying the car but does raise a red flag that the car may not be in good condition or may be mechanically faulty. It might be a completely innocent reason or change of circumstances for the owner – we just have to complete our due diligence.

5. Service History

This is vital for understanding how well the car has been looked after. Service history is simply a document or collection of documents providing information on repairs and maintenance. A car should be serviced (oil and filter changes) annually or every 10-12000 miles – depending on which comes first. Without documentation of this we must assume that the car has not been serviced.

6. MOT history

Different to service history – an MOT must be carried out every year by law. This is to ensure that the car is roadworthy and safe to drive. Failure to complete an MOT means that the car is not eligible to be driven. Also, a failed MOT means that the car should not be on the road. The MOT will flag, if applicable, any work that needs carrying out either immediately or as an advisory and must be rectified promptly.

It is always good to know if the car has anything special associated with it. Items such as Satellite Navigation System, Leather Interior or Panoramic Roof for example can make the car more desirable and in some cases increase its value.

Car Valuation Assumptions

When valuing a car we have to make a number of assumptions too, which we base your valuation on:

● The car does not have any mechanical or electronic issues
● The car is free of internal or external damage which would affect its resale price.
● The car has more than 3 months MOT.
● The car does not have category C or D status.
● The car has not been involved in any accident.

If you are looking to sell your car and would like a quote, simply enter your reg number and we’ll get back to you with a price.
If you have any questions or would like to share some more information about your car, don’t hesitate to get in touch by calling us on 0121 296 3829.