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Selling a new car isn’t as difficult as putting an old car on the market. You have to do a lot more work to make the latter more appealing to the buyer.
However, regardless of whether you are selling a car for cash to people residing across New Zealand, there are a few legalities to complete.
In this article, we’ll tell you how to sell your car in NZ with the completion of all the documentation and legalities. So, let’s dive in.
Before you worry about any paperwork, you must first prepare your car for the big day. Prepare your car for the sale before you put it up for sale. The likelihood of receiving a higher and fairer price will rise as a result.
Also, just as a first impression matters in person, it also matters online. Use a reliable PFP creator to present yourself professionally when listing or negotiating online. This means preparing the car in such a way that it attracts the most buyers.
Here is what you must do before you put your vehicle on the market.
It can be very expensive to have mechanics fix your car! Sometimes the costs are so enormous that owners would rather sell their cars than fix them.
However, there are some circumstances where it makes sense to think about repairs. It can be worthwhile to spend some money on repairs if your car is relatively new, is insured, or is a rare and valuable car.
You can get nice offers once it is fixed. There is no harm in trying if the proceeds from selling the car after repairs would cover the repairs and even turn a profit.
A clean and shiny car is something that would catch the eye of any buyer. So, it doesn’t matter if your car is new or old; you should give it a good wash and then polish it for maximum effect.
Once you have done that, selling your car for cash shouldn’t be hard.
The second thing on your list should be to remove all your personal belongings from your vehicle.
After all, you don’t want anything valuable to end up in the hands of the buyer. So, perform a thorough sweep of your car’s interior and then repeat it once more to be sure.
Once you have completed this step, you can move on to the next.
Finally, you can take out your camera or mobile phone to take pictures of your vehicle. Make sure you do so during the day when there is ample sunlight so that the buyer can see the car clearly.
Also, do not forget to take pictures from various angles so that the entire car can be seen in the photos. To make your listing more engaging, you can also create a short AI video showcasing your car’s features and condition.
After that, upload these pictures to an online platform to start finding potential buyers.
Roof racks can have both advantages and disadvantages for a car’s value. For buyers who frequently transport outdoor gear, roof racks can be a positive selling point.
A vehicle that is “ready to go” for outdoor activities —i.e., camping, biking, or road trips — will attract more buyers than one that doesn’t have these features. In this case, it’s best to leave the roof racks on the vehicle, as they make it more attractive and can even justify a slightly higher asking price.
On the other hand, scratched, old, or rusty roof racks, or even a lack of interest in travelling on the buyer’s part, deter other prospective buyers.
Damaged roof racks that are cosmetically worn can also make a car look older or less well cared for.
A majority of buyers also prefer a clean, obstruction-free roofline and may find removable items, such as roof racks, to be unnecessary attachments.
Roof racks can also create wind noise, especially at high speeds, and this can be a significant irritation to some drivers.
Therefore, roof racks will add or detract value depending on their condition and potential buyers’ needs.
If you do not plan on leaving the roof racks on the car, there are several options for disposing of them.
One option is to sell them as individual used parts. Good-condition roof racks are always in demand, especially for older cars, where replacement trim can be hard to find.
Breaking them down into pieces can help you recover some money while keeping the roof of the car clean for resale.
Another option is to sell the roof racks together with the car. If well maintained, some customers may think it is convenient to have them pre-fitted as part of the car buyout.
In certain circumstances, selling the car with roof racks together makes it more appealing to customers who use them regularly.
Now it’s time to decide on the platform you want to choose to sell your car for cash. For that, you have multiple options:
Your first option is to consider online vehicle buying and selling platforms. There are several websites you can choose from, such as TradeMe. On these sites, like TradeMe, for example, you can post pictures of your vehicle and find buyers for it in no time. Alternatively, you can look for private buyers online, as it is the best place to sell privately and private buyers usually pay the most for a car.
Several auction houses accept old and even new cars to sell to potential customers. If you are finding it hard to get rid of your car, contact an auction house, and you may get some good luck. But keep in mind that in an auction, you lose the power to negotiate with the buyer. The highest bid is what you’ll get for your vehicle. Therefore, it’s better to keep auctioning your car as a last resort.
One place you can get good value for a junk car is at a wrecker. Yes, scrap yards might seem like the last place you would want to go if you want to sell your vehicle, but they are, in fact, a viable option. Car wreckers buy cars in any condition, even if they are old, damaged, unregistered, or written off. Basically, anything that other buyers would object to, they would pay no heed to those things. So, if you can’t find any viable buyer for your damaged vehicle, call your nearest car wrecker.
The first important step is to deregister your vehicle with NZTA (New Zealand Transport Agency). You can do this by completing the application to cancel registration form (MR15).
There is a small administration fee of around $10.02. When you deregister the vehicle, make sure to hand in the number plates to any local VTNZ or AA centre.
If you do not return the plates, you may not receive a refund for any unused licence fees.
Before giving your vehicle to the car removal company, check for personal items such as documents, chargers, door pockets, or GPS. The GPS tracking software is very important; forgetting to remove it can cause you to lose your navigational history.
Continuing to pay insurance fees for a car that is no longer owned is a waste of money. After selling your vehicle, cancel your insurance immediately.
Failing to research your car’s worth can result in accepting a lower offer than its actual value.
Even if the car is old or broken, its parts still have value. You can research the make, model, year, and condition of the vehicle to get a general idea of its value.
You must complete a checklist before you can hand over your car to the buyer. The NZTA requires you to complete the following things before completing the transaction:
A vehicle license, also called ‘rego’, is a fee that you must pay to use NZ roads. If this is unpaid, the buyer of your car would get in trouble with the authorities. Therefore, pay any outstanding licensing fees before selling your vehicle.
If the Road User Charges (RUC) are not paid, you, as the seller, are committing an offence under the Road User Charges Act 2012. Therefore, clear the overdue RUC, if any, to avoid both you and the buyer getting into trouble.
The Warrant of Fitness (WoF) certificate for your car should be at least a month old. But the buyer is well within their right to ask for a more recent WoF. So, ask the buyer if they need something like that before completing the sale transaction.
If your vehicle is unlicensed and you intend to sell it, you must pay the fee until the date the car is registered to the new owner.
It is possible to sell an unregistered vehicle; however, you must keep in mind a few things:
– You must inform the buyer of this detail
– If the licensing fee isn’t paid for 12 months, the registration is cancelled by default.
The buyer can register the vehicle on their own after buying; however, if there are any outstanding fees, you must take care of them.
Once you have completed all the documents, the last formality is informing the NZTA that you have sold your car. You can do so online by visiting the NZTA website.
However, if you can’t do it online, you always have the option to do so by mail or by visiting the NZTA office in person.
Note: No matter if the vehicle is old or new, you must inform the NZTA or else risk a serious fine.
The last thing to do is transfer the vehicle into the buyer’s name. Make sure you do so immediately and always confirm the car’s title has transferred over. Also, cancel any insurance on the vehicle and remove your car from your tolling account.
If you are done with selling your car and the NZTA contacts you through email or mail, there is something wrong with the procedure. Usually, this happens if the buyer hasn’t informed the authorities of their buying the vehicle. Therefore, don’t worry if you ever receive an email from NZTA. Just follow the procedure, and all should be good.
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About the Author
Jay Rahimi
Managing Director / Removal Team LeadJay is the lead of car buying team and one of the directors of the company. With strong experience in the automotive and car removal industry, he specialises in purchasing vehicles while arranging the...
