With nearly two million residents, Perth is the fourth-most populous state in Australia. It is also home to the fastest growing economy which has the increasing number of vehicles ownership, with over three million registered cars and trucks travelling around from the city to the mining towns of Pilbara.
With more than a thousand vehicle sales every year, Madman Motors has an established process. So, how does the process work? Here’s a guide to selling your car in the city of Perth.
1. Determine Your Car's Worth And Place An Ad
Before doing anything else, you’ll need to have a good idea of how much your vehicle is worth. That way, you’ll be able to determine a fair asking price. The best resource for this is Red Book, which is the same publisher dealers use to set their pricing.
After deciding on an asking price, you’ll need to place an ad. There are many ways to go about doing this. You can place an advertisement on platforms like Craigslist, in the newspaper, or both if you want to receive more offers.
Alternatively, you can take the old-fashioned approach and park your car with a “For Sale” sign in the window. However, before employing this approach, ensure that this is legal in your town and won’t fall afoul of any homeowners association by laws.
When you place your ad, it should include all the essential information a buyer will need to make an educated, informed purchase. Accurately list the make, model, year, and condition, and make sure to include your contact information. This may seem like a given, but all too often, it is an overlooked step that could cost you an offer on your vehicle.
Speaking of offers, don’t simply accept the first reasonable proposal you receive. Best practice is to wait until you have at least three or four offers. In that case, you’ll have a strong idea of the interest in your vehicle, and you can then begin to see who’s willing to negotiate. Once you’ve received your best offer, it’s time to make an appointment with the buyer to test drive your car.
2. Document Your Vehicle’s History
Running a vehicle history report is not technically a requirement to sell a car in the state of Western Australia. That being said, most buyers are going to want one. So if you have all your repair and maintenance receipts, make sure they’re organized and easy to examine.
It also helps to get a vehicle history report from a company like RAC. Potential buyers could always run their own RAC check report, but it helps if you make the sale as easy as possible for potential buyers if you have one on hand.
3. Have The Car Inspected
In addition to passing a state safety inspection, many buyers will ask to have the car inspected by a mechanic. This is perfectly normal, and it’s something that sellers should agree to.
However, any professional inspection should be paid for by the buyer, not the seller. If someone wants you to pay to have the vehicle inspection, you should consider that this is not standard practice and make your decision accordingly. With this dynamic present, you should expect potential buyers to want to have it inspected by a mechanic of their choice. After all, they are paying for the service.
4. Fill Out The Transfer Papers
Once a prospective buyer has agreed to the purchase, the next step is to legally transfer ownership of the vehicle. Find the title for your car, fill out the odometer reading on the back, then sign and date it.
Keep in mind that this is a legal document. Use your real first and last name and make sure your handwriting is legible. Take your time with this step since any mistakes or strikeouts could potentially void your title.
If there’s a loan holder on the title, you’ll need to have them sign off as well. This will involve paying off any outstanding balance owed on the vehicle.
For individuals who have lost or misplaced their title, you’ll need to fill out DOT Form. It’s an Application for a Certified Copy of a Title, which requires a valid ID, a small administrative fee, and a signed loan release if the vehicle has a loan on it.
5. Complete The Transfer Application
- i) Obtain a copy of the vehicle licence transfer form, The Notification of change of ownership (Form MR9) form can be downloaded below or you can collect one from a Driver and Vehicle Services Centre or regional Agent.
- ii) Complete the Notification of change of ownership vehicle licence transfer (MR9) form
Both the seller and the buyer need to complete the MR9 transfer form together at the time of sale. Ensure that you complete all the information required on the form, including the declaration at the foot of the MR9 transfer form. - iii) Give the buyer the 'Purchaser's copy' (red) and other documents
You will need to forward the Seller's copy (blue) to the Department of Transport and give the Purchaser's copy (red) to the buyer.
Give the vehicle licence document (rego papers) and any other applicable documentation to the buyer of the vehicle.
If you have a DoTDirect account you can buy a copy of the vehicle licence document online if required. You will first need to login to your account, if you don't have one use the prompts to set up your account.
The buyer needs to complete the transfer of the vehicle and to ensure a Government approved immobiliser is fitted (if required). As a courtesy, please supply any information about the immobiliser to the buyer.
If the vehicle being sold is subject to a concession, you should tell the buyer of the concession.
It is recommended that you tell the buyer if the vehicle is subject to a concession rate as the buyer will need to restore the vehicle licence to full rates prior to the vehicle being driven on the road.
Until the vehicle licence has been restored to full rates, the vehicle licence will be deemed invalid, and the new vehicle owner will not be authorised to drive the vehicle. The continued use of the vehicle will be in contravention of the Road Traffic (Vehicles) Act 2012 (WA). - iv) Mail the 'Seller's copy' to DOT
You will need to mail the 'seller's copy' to the Department of Transport within 7 days from sale of the vehicle. The address is provided on the form. We recommend you keep a copy of the form for your records.
More info on how to transfer your vehicle are listed here: https://www.transport.wa.gov.au/licensing/sell-a-vehicle-transfer-licence.asp
6. Let 'I Want Your Motor' do all the paper work
Make it less hassle for you, head to our website and fill the form, we will contact you as soon as possible during working hours, to get your vehicles assessed, skip all those steps and let us help you.
