Writing the Ad

When writing the ad to sell your car, take into account where the ad will appear.

Newspapers and other hardcopy specialist publications usually charge by the number of words or lines, so its important to give a clear picture in as few words as possible. Abbreviations are commonly used to keep ads short and costs down. To help you draft your ad, we have drawn up a list of the more common abbreviations used in car advertisements.

If advertising on a web site, you can often be more generous with the number of words used. Some sites allow (and even encourage) more detail. If this is the case, avoid abbreviations and give a clear and detailed description of your car.

Avoid phrases like “First to see will buy” as they add nothing and increase the cost of printed ads.

Things to include in the ad are:

• The make, model and body style of the vehicle
• The build date
• Distance travelled
• Engine size
• Transmission type
• Condition
• Accessories/optional equipment/special features (Air conditioning, CD, power steering, one owner, always-garaged etc)
• The asking price, and
• Your phone number

You may also choose to include your web address in print ads if you have a web site/web advertisement containing further details/photos of your car.

When providing a contact number, giving a mobile number in place of home number means you don’t have to sit at home all day waiting for the phone to ring.