[2000rpm]

Why would you not repair the car when you are using it and repair it when you are selling it to someone else?

The repair work will always be costlier than the additional resale value you will get. (like accessories)

[GTO]

Voted for yes. Preparing the car for a sale goes a long way in quick turnaround + making a great first impression. I'll get all the necessary stuff done, including a detailing session, fixing any major dents (which I anyway do at each annual service), slap an air freshener in the car, maybe even put new mats + number plates if required. This work worth a couple of thousand bucks will more than pay for itself.

[lamborghini]

Voted No.

Most of our cars are generally in tip top condition mechanically, though they have all picked up battle scars.
Generally if the scars are an eyesore - we get them fixed and the vehicles do go a thorough annual detailing session.

In my experience, most of the buyers are happy to buy the car as is & unless the job done is high quality - one can make out the paint shade difference which just raises more questions in buyers mind.
When we bought our F30 328i pre-owned, I got the bigger scratches and panels repainted before bringing her home.
However, if the car is in generally good condition most buyers wouldn't even do that : as was the case with our Octy Combi, and E60 525d - both sold to enthusiasts, and where the original battle scars still remain and probably have a few more to give it company.

[Nalin1]

It all depends to whom you are selling. There is a big difference between selling the car to CARS24 and to an individual, sometimes even a known person or someone within the family.

But the least we can do is a complete wash and some reasonable amount of fuel in the tank when the final handover happens. Especially if it is an individual buyer as it is both love for the car and respect for the buyer.

[thesquaremile]

Should you fix up your car before selling it?
Absolutely, yes.
To what extent? Well, that will depend on the nature of the issues.
if there are known potential road-safety issues lurking underneath (presumably a BIG no-no for most members of an automotive forum) then there is no way the car should be sold without these being fixed. This is precisely why most used cars are sold with a 6-12 month.
Minor dings, well if the car has been looked after well, drives smooth - chances are it will sell itself despite of blemishes. A good valet is must.

[Shashankjk]

Prioritize it. First fix all mechanical issues to keep car in top notch working condition. If budget ( price expected by you versus realistic market price- you might want to do a bit of research online about current rates for cars equally aged as yours) permits, go ahead and fix the dents and scratches. There are multiple benefits. Not all buyers are car enthusiasts and they feel happy to see a visually spotless car. People are willing to pay a bit more for a clean car and avoid doing that work on their own after buying it.

[GrammarNazi]

Partly, Yes.

In an ideal scenario of selling directly to end-user, the car being mechanically & functionally sound is the most basic decency I would afford to any buyer.

If there is any particular aspect because of which I felt I didn't find it worth to maintain/repair the car, it would be disclosed (and if possible, even the solution would be explained to a reasonable extent).

This is because, there are people out there who could be buying their first vehicle, or, planning to get work done more economically at their FNG. Thus, making the price of the used car worth their time.

This is also why I quote a price lower than the ideally calculable depreciation.

However, if I'm offering it to a dealer, then NO. I'd sell it to them "as is", even leaving it to their best judgement about the condition.

[ninjatalli]

Voted yes.
But this applies more for individual buyers; dealers don't really care much, except use it as a lever to negotiate/lower the price.

Did that for my Vento - to be frank the repairs were done keeping in my ownership and not primarily for the sale, but it was in consideration.

Ironically OLX Cash My Car who finally purchased the car from me never even asked for the details, even though I did offer those while negotiating the price. I guess the end buyer who now owns the car benefitted from the repairs.

[a4anurag]

Voted a 'Yes'.

I can't a reason to not repair the damages before selling the car. As a seller, we may have lost interest or have other reasons for the sale but the person buying (read as an individual) will be looking at that purchase with hopes and trust that it shall be reliable and not bring in a trip to the ASC just after purchase or have a large sum of money required for jobs to be done.

When I was selling my Swift ZDi (even though it was sold to Maruti True Value), the only fault/damage that I could not address was the crack in the windshield. I still remember that it was the rear left door latch that was erratic and wanted to get that solved before the car leaves my hand.

Also a 'well maintained' car will fetch a good resale value whatever be the reason. A genuine buyer will definitely appreciate the maintenance and may not bargain hard since the car he is buying shall be trouble-free.

[ashis89]

Voted No

I keep my cars in very good mechanical condition, clean but may not be the best cosmetic condition (minor battle scars are ignored). When I sell the car, it would be mechanically sound and very clean, which is good enough if I were the buyer on the other end. If there are any known issues, then I will inform the buyer before selling the car.

As for the cosmetics, the buyer can choose to get it rectified or continue to ignore. I know I ignored them when I bought a used car.

[vikramvicky1984]

Originally Posted by androdev

As many of the members would say, the most important thing is to be transparent about the issues.

If you spend money to repair it, you will naturally be expecting a higher price and it will mean you need to find buyers who appreciate what you did and be willing to pay extra.

Unfortunately in India, lowest price is the best USP of a product, esp in used car market.

This is my view as well. Have realised it while selling all my vehicles. There is a market price and you rarely get above that irrespective of how well you have kept your vehicle. So don’t put extra effort on keep up when you are about to sell.

However on the contrary, a startup called Spinny does get used cars, refurbishes them and then sells.
Their prices are clearly higher than market ( apparent in their reviews as well), and they seem to be pretty successful.

I guess their customers would mostly be regular guys and not ones who would appreciate Yokohama, Michelin, Mobil 1 and microfibre.

Looking forward to more insights.

[punto_]

I would definitely get the car fully serviced before selling. That will be reassuring to the person who is going to pick it up.

Repainting is something I'll totally skip, too many knicks after 10 years of usage and living in three different cities during that period! Atleast the dings are clearly visible and there's no hiding.

[PSM_360]

We sold our 2009 Ritz (blue colour) in 2018. We bought it new and through the entire ownership, not a single panel was painted, not even bumpers. Metal panels had minor scratches and 2-3 small dents overall. Bumpers had significant scratches, deformations and torn but plastic repaired sections (rear). Mechanically, it was perfect. Servicing was always done on time, mostly at MASS. Mechanical parts were replaced on time, way before it's too late. Always driven by my father or me, we both drive sedately. Driving it wondered many, that it was a 1,57,000 kms run car. Not a single noise from suspensions or other components, except some of those (Maruti) interior panels minor rattles.

People around us knew this fact about car's originality. When we put it on sale, three of our knowns came up immediately with their offers. Actually, one of them was pushing us from 1 year prior to sell it to him.

Something I observed (at least) in Punjab market is that people value originality over makeovered vehicles. It's the opposite for Markets like Delhi-NCR I realized. Most Delhi-NCR based dealers try to repaint bumpers, remove dents to attract more customers. Then there comes the fact that most of those customers keep those vehicles for short term which justifies such purchases. Whereas in other markets like that of Punjab or maybe of south as well, people like to keep vehicles long term, so they are more into actual, original health of the vehicle they are picking. Makeover can be done anytime later, that way you know what actually you have.

[arindambasu13]

Like many others here, I keep my cars in top mechanical shape, with regular servicing and niggles addressed at the earliest and without delays. Hence, whenever the time has come to sell cars in our garage, we have managed to get fairly decent prices without expending too much effort. Keeping a car scratch and dent free in Bangalore is next to impossible (and most used car buyers are aware and sympathetic of this), even if you are the most careful and sedate driver around. Hence, when I sold my cars they all had their fair share of battle scars from the urban commute, did not get them rectified. Any major dents or damages, were of course repaired as and when they happened.

But most certainly, my cars were sold in top mechanical shape which I have always believed to be the main consideration for any prospective car buyer.

[ObsessedByFIAT]

It actually depends. If I am selling the car to someone I know personally, I would like to handover the car in good shape. Whereas, if I am going to give the car in exchange of a new car, I would not bother too much. Yes, I would share all the history of the car, but thats as far as I would go.

For all other cases, it depends on what the deal is. If the buyer wants me to prep the car up before handover, I would happily do so!