How to sell your E34 the right way (also applies to all cars because, let's face it, you won't sell your E34...)
The most important step is just your car! Do not put in other cars next to it. But most of us lack of a professional studio, but that is okay. The second step is to put your car into the best scenery you can think of.
The most important step is just your car! Do not put in other cars next to it. But most of us lack of a professional studio, but that is okay. The second step is to put your car into the best scenery you can think of. For me (you might notice this spot from last weeks post), it is this little road into the woods with nice hills in the background. Using a scenery might seem to be not that important, but a good landscape picture awakes some sort of adventure feeling. Sometimes holiday feeling. And that is exactly what you as a sales person want. There are no worse pictures than just parked in front of your 25 level apartment komplex. Take the trip. And the first picture has to basically get the potential buyer a boner like a 15 year old looking at naked women in Playboy Magazine and the same time shows your car in a good way.
And always be honest in description. You might forget some knocking noise from front or a bit rust on the doors or some loose interior to mention =) but be honest. Do not say Suspension is in the best shape when the car bounces of every little pothole.
Take a few pictures to show your car on every angle
show exterior damage
My car has not suffered that much in its 25 years. But even though all owners cared for it, it has suffered two small accidents. Of course if it has suffered bigger ones do mention it and be honest if it is mended properly. If I look at a cheaply mended car, and it was not mentioned anywhere I really get annoyed and angry. Believe me, most people looking for a classic know pretty much what they are looking for. Do not try to fool someone. Might get nasty. With my car, the front splitter decided to be grounded and it is scratched a bit and there is a small dent on the tailgate, because previous owner backed up into his bike in the narrow garage.
Now move to the interior. Show the Specs of your car. If your car is low on Specs just phrase it as reliable and nothing ever gone wrong in the interior (because when nothing there nothing can get broken, right). But still take the pictures from the seats, center console and your Speedo.
Center console
A picture of the new "workingplace"
If the instruments have errors, like wrong pixels that is no dealbreaker at all. But if you show it in front, the potential buyer knows it coming to you and does not want to low ball you for that issue, and when he does, you mentioned it in the ad.
Front and rear seats and equipment they use
Interior snapshots always worth, because you want the buyer to feel comfortable and knowing what he got himself into. If your seats feature seat heating (this example has front and rear seat heating), electric seat adjustment (both features I did not want, but hey they were there) take pictures and write if they work properly. (With my M5 I disconnected seat heating, because this thing only sees summers, and the electric seat on the driver side has the typical E34 failure…. As I said two features totally not worth having in an E34)
By this time we have 14 Pictures ( the primary picture is repeated in the outside shots). On Ebay or Autoscout or mobile, where you make the ad you can put in mostly 15 pictures, so you have 1 to go…. and where to put it? - Yes the engine bay, at least 1.
Show the engine bay, if it is a bit oil filthy there are two ways actually to approach from now. For me a bit oil shows honesty, my engine is sealed quite well and dust is building up… so no need to fake sth. But some people think even a very thin trace of oil mean bad business. I mean over all, E34s are used cars well in their 20s, what do you expect. I actually look for small oil traces, because that shows honesty as I said. But you can approach this the second way and clean the engine. Depends actually just on the buyer. But I would never do it. Well oil traces are not to see on pictures anyway.
If you have any pictures left settle the deal with some sexy pictures…we all know the good chocolate side of our babes.
And no I am not gonna sell this one. If I ever want to get right of her, what most likely never happens, my Dad raised claim on me selling this beauty to him. Yes I also used this to introduce you to this beauty, and hope to have entertained you, since that is the job of a moderator, too.
It is also good to ad a video proving that the car works properly
Comments
😍 how much you want from it? I can spend up to 250k to get it! (I know and wish it won t be enought ;) )
Thanks for this post! Im about to sell one of my car soon so ill surely be using your advices
Hehe I would not sell it under 25 k which is way over its value. And therefore never selling it.
i saw one for 50k here in brazil
but my only concern is
its very hard and expensive to find parts here
well if you go to your BMW dealer he will buy them from Germany. But even I wait for wishbone (upper+rear wishbone) front shock Absorber and a few tiny bits 3.5 weeks in Germany….
It has heated rear seats? 😱 newer saw that option on an E34
Yes and many more options. First owner was not a penny picker ;) but heated seats are no good for the leather. The car has not seen much winter since 1996 never. So do not know why.
This just makes me want an E34….
well if you go to your BMW dealer he will buy them from Germany. But even I wait for wishbone (upper+rear wishbone) front shock Absorber and a few tiny bits 3.5 weeks in Germany….
Think of where you got the sun, like taking pictures of the “shadow side” of the car and the picture of the center console where half is in light and half in shadow makes it look worse than it is. Also, mid day sun is very unforgiving, i find the afternoon sun much better for a shoot! Awesome car!
was afternoon sun… look at the clock. Sadly no professional and the roads are like they are. could not set the angle right. But still this is how I sold 3 cars for more than I bought them a half year earlier and a couple of thousand km more on their clock.
(also applies to all cars because, let’s face it, you won’t sell your E34…)
This guy knows it!
S38 FTW
Could have bought an E34, but owner didn’t claim it needed new suspension, heater core. ETC
would have had to put $12,000 into it that I didn’t have.
Dad used to own a 540i E34! Was a beast of a car
I’m actually planning to sell my E34 lol. It’s okay though as it it will be replaced by an E46 eventually.
it is okay because it is a 518…. I sold one 518 and one 520 beater (for the beater I had a story here on carthrottle under the #roadtrip). As long as it is not that special E34 you will regret selling your whole life. I had good memories in all the E34, but those two were just cheap cars with rust and oncoming problems, that I was not going to fix.
Don’t tease me like that dammit!
why tease? You want an E34? Cmon I bet you are very young and your time will come buying an E34. As far as I can see you save money driving your excel
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