How to write a used-car listing that gets real inquiries.

Photos do most of the work. A buyer who cannot see the car well will move on to one they can.

• Lead with the best front view: the first photo is the one people see in a list. Use a front three-quarter view of the car, not a close-up of a wheel.
• Use daylight and a clear background: an overcast day or a shaded spot avoids glare. Park the car where signs, other cars and the clutter of the lot are not behind it.
• Cover the angles buyers expect: both sides, the rear, the dash and instrument cluster showing the mileage, the front and back seats, the cargo area, the engine bay, the wheels and the tires.
• Show the flaws: a photo of a scratch, a dent or a worn seat tells the buyer you are straight with them. It also saves a wasted trip for someone who would have walked away at the door.
• Clean the car first: a wiped dash and a vacuumed floor look better in photos and cost very little.

Order the photos so a buyer can walk around the outside, sit inside and then see the details. Take them on a phone held level.

Start the title with the year, make, model and trim, then add the mileage. Buyers search on these, and they use them to tell one listing from another.

• Write the trim out: "Accord EX-L" tells a buyer far more than "Accord".
• Include the mileage: buyers compare cars on it before anything else in the description.
• Skip filler: capital letters, rows of symbols and words such as "must see" make a listing harder to read.

Think of the last few people who called about a car. They probably asked the same few things. Put the answers where they can see them, and fewer people will need to ask.

• Condition: what the car needs, what you have already fixed and what the tires and brakes are like.
• History: the title status, the number of owners if you know it and how you got the car.
• Features: the ones buyers search for, such as leather, a sunroof, a backup camera or towing.
• Flaws: the dents, scratches and worn parts, with the photo numbers where they appear.
• Price details: what the price includes and what it does not, such as tax, title, registration and doc fee.
• Next step: when the car can be seen and how to reach you.

Write in short sentences, as you would talk to someone on the lot. Only say what you know to be true. If you do not know something, leave it out rather than guessing.

This is an example only. The car and its details are invented, so write your own from the car in front of you.

Example only. Made-up details for illustration.

Title:  2018 Honda Accord EX-L, 62,400 miles

One owner according to the history report, taken in on
trade last month. Clean title. Leather seats, sunroof
and a backup camera. Tires are about half worn, and we put
new front brakes on it.

Flaws: a small dent on the rear bumper (photo 14) and light
wear on the driver's seat bolster (photo 11).

Price: $18,900 plus tax, title and registration, and a
doc fee of $499. Test drives any day we're open.
Questions: call or email [your name] at [dealership].

It names the flaws, says what the price covers and tells the buyer what to do next.

A buyer who has to work out the real price will often not bother. Show one number, and say what is on top of it.

• Put the price in the listing: "Call for price" costs you inquiries from people who are only comparing.
• Say what is extra: tax, title, registration and your doc fee, so no one is surprised when they see the paperwork.
• Use the same price everywhere: a listing, a sign on the windshield and your own site should all agree.
• Be careful with payment estimates: if you show one, label it as an estimate and say what it assumes.

An ad for a car that sold last week wastes the buyer's time and yours. A price that changed on the lot but not online causes an argument at the counter.

• Update every place at once: when the price changes, change it everywhere the car is listed that day.
• Take it down when it sells: a car with a sale pending should not still look available.
• Check once a week: go through your listings next to the cars on the lot. Look for sold cars, wrong prices and photos of the wrong car.
• Refresh the photos when something changes: after a repair, a detail or a new set of tires, the old pictures may no longer be accurate.

A good listing earns the inquiry, and a slow reply loses it. Buyers often ask about several cars at once, so a quick reply that answers their question gives you the best chance of the visit.

Decide who watches for new inquiries, check whether the car is still available before you reply, and answer the buyer's actual question. The lead response guide covers how to set this up.

Motorvar puts a car online from its record, so the price shoppers see is the one your team set. When a car moves to Pending sale or Sold, or is archived, its page comes down on its own.

• How fast should you answer a car lead?
• When to move an aging car off your lot