Harnessing the power of the Internet to sell historic vehicles

Owners looking to sell their cherished historic vehicle have immediate, no-cost access to millions of potential buyers across the world through the ‘virtual showroom’ provided by classiccarsforsale.co.uk. Now celebrating its fifth birthday, the website regularly hits the No1 spot as the most-visited classic car industry site in Britain, with a market share approaching 50%. In addition, it is in the top 3% of all British automotive sites and is consistently one of the top 10% most visited of all the hundreds of thousands of websites, irrespective of subject, in the UK.

The site receives an average of 0.5 million hits per day - 15 million a month. 225,000 unique visitors currently use it each month, and that figure is steadily growing, giving sellers an unrivalled opportunity to showcase their vehicle. Sellers can upload full details of their car, along with a selection of images, and it is immediately catalogued and displayed on the site, together with the vendor’s contact details. There is no charge to private vendors listing a car and no commission charged when it sells.

Classic car dealers have also welcomed the immediate access to the vast audience that the site provides, so trade ads appear along with those from private sellers, giving potential buyers plenty of scope to track down the car of their dreams. Over 700 dealers are already registered with the site - including 200 from overseas - and new dealer enquiries are received every day.

The site is free to use for buyers, who can narrow their search down precisely, using several criteria, including marque and model, year, price, LHD/RHD and even colour. They can also register their requirements in the ‘Classic Cars Wanted’ section, allowing vendors to contact them should they have a suitable vehicle on offer. Or, they can use the ‘Classic Car Alert’ facility, whereby they input the make and model they are looking for, and the site automatically emails them when such a vehicle is listed for sale.

classiccarsforsale.co.uk Sales Director Charles Leith said, “We have had a tremendous response. Private sellers are delighted to have the opportunity to display their car online, free of charge, to potential buyers across the world, and dealers have been quick to promote vehicles through the site, appreciating again the unrivalled access it offers. And, whether they’re looking for a restoration project or a concours beauty, buyers value the chance to search for a car at any time, day or night.”

Something for everyone

classiccarsforsale.co.uk features cars for all tastes and budgets, ranging from starter classics like a Mini or Morris Minor for under £1,000 up to six-figure supercars and rare collectors’ machines. Private and trade vendors have found new homes for thousands of cars through the site, from venerable veterans to popular or exotic classics from the 1930s, ‘40s, ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s, up to ‘contemporary classics’ – or classics of tomorrow – from the 1990s and the present decade. Saloons, sportscars, estates, rally machines and racers have all sold to buyers who discovered them on the site.

A ‘snapshot’ of vehicles listed illustrates the variety on offer. Amongst the 3000+ cars that would-be buyers could browse through recently on classiccarsforsale.co.uk were: a 1904 Talbot 11hp Four-Seat Tonneau, a 1934 Alvis Speed 20SB Tourer, a 2006 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Coupe, an original 1966 Ford GT40 MkII, the only Jaguar SS100 FHC ever built, a 1970 Lamborghini Miura S, a 1985 Porsche 911 Cabriolet, a 1973 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow I restoration project and a 1949 Willys Jeep CJ-3A.

One very happy vendor sold his 1991 Mercedes 300SL in just seven days. During that time there were 126 online views and the owner received five emails and four phone calls from prospective buyers. Another private vendor commented, "Fantastic site. I sold my car easily and effortlessly following a very good response to the advert. Very friendly and helpful staff made the whole business hassle-free. It is by far the best on-line site for selling a classic or vintage car."

New site, new features

To mark its fifth anniversary, classiccarsforsale.co.uk has expanded its scope. As well as acting as a 24/7 online collectors’ car showroom, it is now a thriving community for classic car owners and fans. The ‘Workshop’ section carries comprehensive listings of historic motoring and motorsport events, links to a vast range of car clubs and classic dealers, and a database of marques. classiccarsforsale.co.uk issues a regular e-newsletter, keeping its visitors up to date on the classic car scene, and hosts a lively online forum for enthusiasts to discuss all manner of things classic motoring-related.