The most cost effective things to do are: clean, clean and clean.

1. The inside should be carefully vacuumed. There are many products to fix tears and restore a new look to the plastic, leather, carpet and vinyl so get them and use them. They should pay for themselves by helping to get you a higher price, or at least one closer to your asking price. Do not forget to clean the glass!
2. Take out and leave out any mats that are worn and remove the stuff in the glove box. Leave the owner’s manual and records of services done to the car.  The longer and more detailed the records the better. Copies with your personal information blacked out will do just fine in most cases – use your judgment as to what to leave.
3. Clean out the trunk and touch up any rusty spots or worn paint.
4. The outside should be washed and waxed. Carefully try to touch up any rust spots and rock chips. Again touch up paint, wax and car wash is not expensive and you will have lots left over!  Do not forget to polish the chrome. The wheels should be cleaned to be free of brake dust and the tires should be sprayed with tire shine.
5. Under the hood you should consider having the engine bay cleaned. You can do this yourself at a car wash but you need to be careful to cover electrical components and air intakes. Failure to do so can leave you stranded there or cause electrical system problems. While there clean the battery terminals (baking soda works but do not get any inside the battery!) and apply an anti-corrosion spray or gel.

The next six things have a small cost but can make all the difference when a buyer is comparing your car to the competition.

1. Tires should have at least one half the tread left and all should be the same brand if possible. No one wants to buy a new (to them) car and then have to go out right away to buy new tires.  Installing a set of used tires or ordering tires online can make the difference between a sale and your car sitting unsold for months.
2. The exhaust system should not be noisy, if there are holes in the exhaust get it fixed.  It will only scare away potential customers or reduce what they are willing to pay.  Most muffler shops will charge as little as $50 to professionally fix an exhaust leak in a pipe or seam.
3. A fresh oil change says a lot about the fact that you cared for your car. They are not expensive to do and are a good idea as most inspection reports include the state of the oil.
4. Subscribe to The Secret Mechanic Newsletter for your free used car buying guide. Think like the buyer and do as many of the things listed there as are appropriate to the value and nature of the car you are selling. Try to have as many things as possible right on the included buyers check list.
5. Price it right. Check sources like Kelly books, Edmonds, Autotrader, Buysell, newspapers, Ebay and other online sources to determine a value. When asked, auto dealers will typically tell you a trade in value or a wholesale value. You would like to sell at the higher retail price. This is a good reason to sell your car privately and not trade it in to the dealer. There may, however, be reasons like taxes that make trading in logical and you need to determine that in light of your personal circumstances.
6. Advertise where you get the biggest exposure for the lowest cost. Kijiji, Craigslist, bulletin boards, a sign on the car (Buy one! Do NOT use a crummy piece of cardboard with a price scrawled on it. That sends the wrong message – one that says you do not care).  The Autotrader, and local newspaper classifieds are a bit more expensive but can also help spread the word about your car if the free methods above don’t get you the interest you deserve.

Happy selling!