How to Sell Your Old Car Online in Dubai?

Purchasing a new car is one of the most exciting affairs in Dubai because of the cavernous range of vehicles available in the region and the flexible finance and payment options to choose from. However, with the advent of your new ride, it often brings the time for your pre-loved car to say ‘sayonara’ to your garage.

Where most folks contacted their close friends, relatives or acquaintances to sell their car as it was regarded to be the only and best way to sell car in the older days, things have conveniently rejigged to go online as an enormous number of buyers is present to gape at the car and strike a deal with you and it saves a lot of time and effort. However, this process can still be exhausting as every website has a different interface and first-timers will take some time to get accustomed to selling their used car in the UAE. Hence, here is a full-fledged step-by-step guide on - How to sell your old car online:

- Log in to your Preferred Automotive Portal

After entering the website name on the search bar of your browser, it’s time to log in to the portal. Most portals to sell used cars have the log in section on the top-right corner of the screen. As it might be the maiden time that you would be logging in, you will have to first click on ‘Create Account’ link.

Generally, the page will ask you to enter an email address and create a password for the same or your local mobile number to be uniquely recognized as a user. A verification code will then be sent on your email address or contact number to approve your request. Post this, you will become an active user of that portal. The YallaMotor portal asks for your mobile number to authenticate your request. 

- Click on Sell My Car Icon

Once the account setup is completed, go to the Home page and search for the Sell My Car icon. On YallaMotor, this button is placed just before the login link. Upon clicking the button, it will ask you to choose from a meticulously curated array of listing packages.

While the basic package will be free, it will have limited perks accompanying with respect to ad visibility, number of photos and generally refrains from displaying a WhatsApp button. The paid packages bring privileges such as ad availability for a larger time frame, increment in the number of images and featuring on the listings page for better buyer footfalls.

The most expensive packages go a notch even further to provide special badges for the seller for buyers to get attracted to these before viewing other listings and a WhatsApp chat icon for seamless online communication between the buyer and seller. 

- Provide Adequate Car Details

It’s on this stage that verbiage will help you strike a deal faster. Make sure to mention all the technical details, mileage, features, service and accident history, modifications (if any), regional specs, color, warranty (if existing) and so on.

Providing as much detail as possible will keep things transparent for the potential buyers and there will be less apprehension on their part about the car. In a few exchanges, things can be stirred up to finalize the deal. It’s advisable to provide these details in a structured format under specific headings so that buyers can easily comprehend them.

If your car is reasonably old, you can search for its specifications on YallaMotor’s New Cars page by clicking on the year of its manufacture and selecting the trim level. When needing information, even more is less so be explicit in providing information about the car.

- Upload Car Pics

The next step is to upload images covering all angles of your car and interior for better clarity on the part of surfers. Providing detailed pictures is of use as it will offer a close-up view of those sections of the car that the naked eye might not be able to always reach.

Make sure to provide images taken in daylight so that these are clearly visible. Refrain from using fancy animations that enhance the quality of images as it might superfluously portray the car to be in a better condition than its actual state. Buyers disapprove of this and it reduces the chances of selling your car fast in the UAE. 

- Provide Contact Details

Lastly, provide your contact number for buyers to connect with you, enquiring about the car and schedule a time and location where you can meet for them to see and test drive your car. It’s recommended to select the package which provides a WhatsApp chat icon tab for seamless communication. You can mention ‘Only Serious Buyers to Call’ in the description to avoid unwanted and casual callers who have little interest in purchasing a car. 

Once these steps are fulfilled, your ad will be verified by the team managing the portal. Once approved, it will go live and your listing will be visible to all those on the portal scouting for their next set of wheels. Within the tenure of the ad, you can modify it to make it better and more persuasive or if you have missed out on adding something valuable.

Once a deal is struck and the vehicle’s ownership transfer has taken place in the buyer’s name, make sure to remove the ad so you don’t receive unsolicited calls and it doesn’t lead to a waste of time for all those aspiring buyers who would’ve ventured on fulfilling their next dream of acquiring a heterogeneous mixture of speed, sound, emotion and memories.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

• Should I sell my car to an individual or a dealer?

It’s purely a matter of preference. If your car is maintained well with all the documents such as service and accident history, warranty, etc., a dealer might be interested in purchasing your car. This also reduces the hassle of engaging in the process of ownership transfer as these tasks would be carried out by him. However, some dealers might offer less value to make a sizeable gain when they sell your car. If you’re getting a good deal from a genuine buyer, better to sell it to that individual. 

• Should I prefer purchasing a non-GCC car?

We would advise going for a GCC-spec car as it would conform to the vehicle regulations set out by RTA and the concerned authorities in the UAE. Moreover, a non-GCC spec car might have some preposterous hidden secrets such as a body remoulding or key facts hidden to promote its sale. This is why such cars have to be exported. The prices for these are also too low, suggesting a ‘Too Good to be True’ case. Reading the speedometer number in MPH instead of the Km/h convention as followed in the UAE is a frustration that might balloon over the years of ownership.