The average wheelchair accessible vehicle takes three to six months to sell. Selling a wheelchair accessible vehicle is more like selling a home rather than a car. Potential buyers will have many questions. Have all your facts readily available. They will need to know door height, width, interior head room, how to lock their wheelchair down, etc. First time buyers will be even more inquisitive. How does the door open? How does the ramp or lift go up and down?’ These are the easy questions. Then, the real questions will follow. Be ready! “Where do I find financing for a wheelchair accessible vehicle?’ What state, federal or private organizations will assist me with funding? How do I obtain an extended warranty? What is the ownership history of the vehicle?’What about maintenance records?’ These are some of the questions and hurdles you will encounter during the selling process.
Remember:
The average wheelchair accessible vehicle takes three to six months to sell. Selling a wheelchair accessible vehicle is more like selling a home rather than a car. Potential buyers will have many questions. Have all your facts readily available. They will need to know door height, width, interior head room, how to lock their wheelchair down, etc. First time buyers will be even more inquisitive. How does the door open? How does the ramp or lift go up and down?
These
are the easy questions. Then, the real questions will follow. Be ready!
Where do I find financing for a wheelchair accessible vehicle? What
state, federal or private organizations will assist me with funding?
How do I obtain an extended warranty? What is the ownership history
of the vehicle? What about maintenance records? These are some of the
questions and hurdles you will encounter during the selling process.
Marketing:
Of the hundreds of thousands of potential car buyers in your area a
fraction of one percent of those are looking for wheelchair accessible
vehicles. Targeting your marketing efforts will be very important. You
should choose reputable well known methods of advertising the vehicle.
Seek out local organizations such as Multiple Sclerosis or ALS chapters
in your area, just to name a couple.
These
types of targeted approaches will put you in touch with the
concentration of potential buyers. If your vehicle is even more
specialized such as low effort steering, brakes or digital driving
controls then your target market will be a fraction within a fraction
of potential buyers.
Preparation:
Obviously the age, mileage and condition will be relative to the amount
of preparation before attempting to sell your wheelchair accessible
vehicle. Take into consideration any problems or items that require
repair. Put yourself in the buyer’s position. Either have these items
repaired or make potential buyers aware of what it will take to address
these concerns. Many individuals will request a vehicle inspection
regardless. A good thorough cleaning and detailing of the vehicle will
go a long way. Certainly many buyers of accessible vehicles are first
addressing functionality, but everybody likes to see a clean shiny
vehicle.
Pricing:
It is important to know exactly what your vehicle is worth and how much
you will be asking and what your bottom line is. There is no book or
guide on the market for wheelchair vans. The market controls the price.
You will need to study the market and ask for assistance in determining
the value of your vehicle. Be sure when using the internet as research
that you are looking at ads which are current, not one or two years
old. Many ads on the internet are out-dated and in some cases simply
over priced for what the market will bear.
Many
individuals have their vehicles priced unreasonably high. Obviously,
they will not sell. Keep in mind while you are trying to sell your
vehicle, it will be depreciating and you may even be making monthly
payments at the same time. Name brand conversions are always going to
be in higher demand and will depreciate more slowly. Name brands are
Braun, IMS and VMI for side entry vehicles and Viewpoint for rear
access and Tuscany or Norcal for full size vehicles.
Three Options:
Consignment -- A reputable mobility vehicle dealer in your area should have a consignment program. These programs usually charge a commission of between 5% and 15% of the vehicle's selling price but may be worth the cost since you will not be doing any of the work. Time = Money.
Wholesale -- A reputable accessible vehicle dealer may be interested in a cash purchase of the vehicle. In most cases this will be less than you would get from the first two options but is a very fast transaction. Since there will be no time and effort like a retail sale or time to wait for a consignment sale, it may be an option for some. -
