Lessons in how to prep a car for sale and make it look its best

[Jonathan]

I won't critique the car's asking price or other features here, but wanted to say how absolutely stunning the car looks from a very well cleaned up, polished and shined point of view. I have no affiliation with this for sale ad, just felt it needed some credit for how good it looks.

Wow. These guys could teach a few things about how to detail a car and make it look its best when putting it up for sale. Can't get over how good the black exterior pieces look. Damn. Would love to know what their secret is or what products they use on those black trim parts. Taillight edges, louvre, inside the engine bay, even the interior looks slick. Nice job.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1983-DeLorean-DMC-12/282778076805?hash=item41d6e30685:g:FXIAAOSwi8xaOhY S&vxp=mtr

http://vi.vipr.ebaydesc.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItemDescV4&item=282778076805&t=1514472821000&tid=10&category=31830&seller=corvetteautoco&excSoj=1&excTrk=1&lsite=100&ittenable=false&domain=ebay.com&descgauge=1&cspheader=1&oneClk=1&secureDesc=0

[Iznodmad]

I agree, it is well presented. Lighting, camera, angles. All well done. Would love to see undercarriage pics of this one.

[Rich]

You're right, the photos of this D do show the car in its best light.

To that point and echoing Post #2 here, keep in mind that the photos themselves were done properly as well. Most importantly in this example, the flat, diffuse daylighting from the cloudy sky keeps the car's stainless from looking too bright and helps the interior and black trim show up well in term of contrast and detail. Second, the photos were likely tweaked to improve the 'pop' we see in each image. This helps downplay some blemishes, especially in the darker areas.

The point being that it is the photography (lighting, composition, camera, image adjustments) as well as the prep (the car itself) that make for the best "look" in a listing.

As for the detailing products Griot's, Mother's and others offer good solutions for the black exterior trim, interior vinyl/dash, leather, rubber seals, engine bay, tires, etc. Then there's the stainless prep.

The less important thing in the detailing is the exact brand chosen for each detailing task with the primary factor being doing each task at all - and doing it correctly with any good product meant for the material in question.

And of course the car needs to be clean and in decent shape to start with.

[Michael]

You're right, the photos of this D do show the car in its best light.

To that point and echoing Post #2 here, keep in mind that the photos themselves were done properly as well. Most importantly in this example, the flat, diffuse daylighting from the cloudy sky keeps the car's stainless from looking too bright and helps the interior and black trim show up well in term of contrast and detail. Second, the photos were likely tweaked to improve the 'pop' we see in each image. This helps downplay some blemishes, especially in the darker areas.

The point being that it is the photography (lighting, composition, camera, image adjustments) as well as the prep (the car itself) that make for the best "look" in a listing.

As for the detailing products Griot's, Mother's and others offer good solutions for the black exterior trim, interior vinyl/dash, leather, rubber seals, engine bay, tires, etc. Then there's the stainless prep.

The less important thing in the detailing is the exact brand chosen for each detailing task with the primary factor being doing each task at all - and doing it correctly with any good product meant for the material in question.

And of course the car needs to be clean and in decent shape to start with.
Yes, yes, and yes

[David T]

Yes, yes, and yes

Black Again is a great product for that stuff but keep in mind it is always easier to make a good car look great. It is a LOT harder to make an OK looking car great. Often all you can do with an OK car is to make it look good. For other information on how to make a Delorean look good refer to the Millennium Concours manual for tips.

[Jonathan]

Good point on the lighting. I know the photos of my own car can make things look amazing in some light and blah in others. Not to mention the whole photoshop touch-up idea.

Agreed on it being less the product and more the guy using it. Or the car you're starting with. They get A+ for effort at least. Noticeable difference compared to those for sale ads where the car has noticeable dirt on the carpets or glass or whatever.

I think I may go back to doing without the dashmat carpet on my car. If my garage were to ever warm back up again, I'd even try and get a head start on things!

[Dangermouse]

Here's another fine example, only to be expected for an asking price of $55k

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/d/1981-delorean-1-owner-only-5k/6452537974.html







...no wait, the other thing. :umm:

[dodint]

"I'm not sending out pics so if you like what you have read and expect a 100% bone stock Delorean, that's what you'll see when you get here."

Comforting when you live 2500 miles away.

[Chris 16409]

I like this product for restoring the black finish:

https://www.amazon.com/303-Protectant-Plastic-Fiberglass-Leather/dp/B00J8NKGSG/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_263_tr_t_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=A1BEFGZZ0RK64211JH3N

It's 303 UV protectant. It holds up for quite a while.

[DL4567]

Something no one's mentioning is that they took the time to wet the pavement with a water hose. This, in addition to the diffuse lighting, ALWAYS looks great. That's why in movies the pavement is always wet during night scenes, no matter the weather. If you've never noticed this, start paying attention to it and you'll see it's true. Reflective black pavement is 10x more photogenic than dry, gray pavement.

[Rich]

Something no one's mentioning is that they took the time to wet the pavement with a water hose. This, in addition to the diffuse lighting, ALWAYS looks great. That's why in movies the pavement is always wet during night scenes, no matter the weather. If you've never noticed this, start paying attention to it and you'll see it's true. Reflective black pavement is 10x more photogenic than dry, gray pavement.

+1

Yes, good point here. Wet pavement is also a popular setup for new-car promotional photos.

Such as this one from the original brochure for a car that's special to all of us here: LINK: Stainless and Water (https://images.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Ffaimg1.forum-auto.com%2Fmesimages%2F103432%2Fbrochure%2520delor ean.jpg&f=1)