How selling your car to us works
Four steps, in an order built to protect you: offer, deposit, inspection, balance, and only then collection. Here is exactly what happens at each one, and what to have ready.
Start with step 1
Step 1 of 3: your car
The four steps, in detail
What happens, what we need from you, and how it went for people who have already sold to us.
Step 1: Tell us about your car
Fill in the free valuation form on this page or call us. Your part takes about a minute.
We are buying cars, utes, SUVs and 4WDs 2021 or newer, with 100,000 km or less. Any make is welcome, and we have strong demand for European and prestige models, dual-cab utes and family SUVs.
If your car sits just outside that, send it through anyway and we will tell you straight away whether we can help.
Have these handy
- Make, model and year
- Kilometres (a close guess is fine)
- Rego and the state it is registered in
- Your postcode
- Whether there is finance owing
“Sold my BMW and it was simple and communication was great with no hassles.”
PeterBMW 430i Gran Coupe Step 2: Get a genuine offer
We call you, ask a few questions about the car and make you a cash offer.
The offer comes from a licensed motor dealer, not an automated online estimate. The business is run by a valuer who has priced cars since 1992 and supplies dealerships nationwide, so the offer reflects what your car is worth to the trade today.
We can price most cars from the make, model, year, kilometres and a few photos, so nobody needs to see the car before you get a number.
The valuation is free and there is no obligation to sell. There are no listing fees, no advertising costs and no hidden fees taken out of your offer. Accept it or walk away.
“No haggling, or dealerships trying to get a lower price.”
Rahul AMercedes-AMG GLC 43 Coupe Step 3: Get paid in two parts
A deposit, then the balance, both before the car goes anywhere.
Once you accept, our team contacts you to fill in a simple sale agreement. We then pay a deposit, often the same day, before anyone has inspected the car.
Next comes the inspection, at a time and place that suits you. After the inspection, the balance is paid into your bank account.
Car under finance?
We deal with your lender directly to pay out the loan, then pay you any equity left over. Cars under finance usually take 2 to 3 business days to settle.
Selling a car under finance“From paperwork and working with the Lenders, to a personal touch.”
RoyMercedes-Benz GLE 450 Step 4: We collect the car
Only after you confirm the balance has cleared in your account.
Our transport partner collects the car from your home or workplace, anywhere in Australia, at a time that suits you. If you cannot be there, a key drop-off can be arranged.
We prepare the sale paperwork and help with the transfer of ownership, which tells your state transport authority you no longer own the car. Keep your insurance active until the car has been collected, then cancel the policy or move it to your next car.
“…they even were happy to arrange a key drop off so I didn’t have to be home”
Corey KToyota LandCruiser 200 Series VX
Paperwork: what to have ready
We prepare the sale paperwork and help with the transfer of ownership, so you do not have to chase forms. From you, we need the following.
Do I need a roadworthy?
Usually not. In most cases you do not need to organise a roadworthy or safety certificate when you sell to us, because we handle the registration side of the sale. Rules differ between states and territories, so we confirm what applies to your car on the call.
Photo ID
A driver licence or other photo ID for the registered owner.
Registration papers
The current registration certificate or papers for the car.
Service logbook and receipts
The logbook and receipts for any recent work, tyres or repairs.
Loan details
Only if the car is under finance, so we can arrange the payout with your lender.
How long it takes: three real sales
Every sale is different. Timing depends on you, your lender if there is one, and when the inspection and pickup suit you. Here is how three sales went, in the sellers' own words.
Corey K
Toyota LandCruiser 200 Series VX
Enquiry to sale
“It all happened in less than an hour from the initial enquiry.”
Deposit
“I had a deposit in my bank account that night.”
Balance
“…she arranged the balance to be paid into my account which arrived in around 48hrs.”
Collection
“…as soon as I advised Holly of the money arriving, within hours I was contacted by the freight company”
Spiros
Mercedes-Benz SLK 250
Deposit
“I was paid a deposit that night after filling out a simple Agreement Form”
Inspection
“…two days later, Autohaus Australia sent a mechanic (inspector) to do a thorough check of the car (2.5hrs)”
Balance
“…the balance was paid the next day.”
Collection
“A truck was sent two days later (at a time suited to me) to pick up the car.”
Ray Murray
Jaguar XE 2.0L (2015)
Deposit
“A deposit was put into an account within a short time (without them even inspecting the car).”
Inspection, balance and collection
“A few days later, they came to my house, inspected the car and the remaining sale price was deposited into my account and the car was picked up.”
Watch the process
A short video from Dean, who you will hear named in our reviews, walking through how a sale works.
Your money clears before your keys leave your hand
Private sales go wrong at the handover: fake bank transfers, cheques that bounce, cars driven off before the money lands. We turned the order around so that never happens to you.
“I was paid before Autohaus took possession of my car, which from my experience normally doesn’t happen.”
No strangers at your door
No test drives, no tyre-kickers, no one turning up and haggling on the driveway.
Deposit first
Accept our offer and we pay a deposit, often the same day, before anyone inspects the car.
Balance cleared before pickup
The rest is paid into your account. We collect only once you confirm it has cleared.
A licensed dealer, on the record
Autohaus Australia Pty Ltd, NSW motor dealer licence MD 077404, ABN 54 618 813 737.
Questions about the process
Straight answers on payment, finance, paperwork and pickup. If yours is not here, call us and ask.
1800 73 55 73When do I get paid?
Once we agree on a price, we can often pay a deposit the same day. After an inspection, the balance is paid into your bank account by bank transfer. The car is collected only after you confirm the funds have cleared, so you are never left without the car and without the money.
Can I sell my car if I still owe money on it?
Yes. We deal with your lender directly to pay out the loan, then pay you any equity left over. Cars under finance usually take 2 to 3 business days to settle. If you owe more than the car is worth, the difference has to be covered before settlement, and we show you the numbers before you decide.
Do you need to see the car before making an offer?
No. We can price most cars from the make, model, year, kilometres and a few photos. The inspection happens after you accept, before the balance is paid, at a time and place that suits you.
Do you pick the car up?
Yes, anywhere in Australia, and we arrange the transport. Once your funds have cleared, our transport partner collects the car from your home or workplace at a time that suits you. Key drop-off can be arranged if you cannot be there.
What happens to my car insurance and rego?
Keep your insurance active until the car has been collected. After that, contact your insurer to cancel or move the policy to your next car; many insurers refund unused premium. The transfer of registration notifies your state transport authority that you no longer own the car.
Does it cost anything to get a valuation?
No. The valuation is free and there is no obligation to sell. There are no listing fees, no advertising costs and no hidden fees taken out of your offer.
Why not just sell privately?
You can, but a private sale means photos, listings, calls from scammers and tyre-kickers, strangers test-driving your car, and the risk of fake payment. Selling to us takes a few minutes of your time, and you are paid before the car leaves your driveway.
Find out what your car is worth today
Free and no obligation. If your car is 2021 or newer, with 100,000 km or less, we want to hear about it.