Better price with Wheel Deal

For two months, he hunted for the best offer for his seven-year-old Toyota Alphard.

But the highest offer he had from second-hand car dealers was $55,000.

Mr Ken Soo, 48, was thinking about taking up the offer when he came across an advertisement in SPH Classified about Wheel Deal, a consumer service platform for car owners to sell their cars at the best price.

Mr Soo, who owns a limousine transport company, called the Wheel Deal hotline and was offered $58,000 for his car.

"I was so surprised that my car could fetch such a price because I searched for so long and the price range wasn't anything more than $55,000," said Mr Soo.

He sold his car to 99 Motors Trading through the Wheel Deal service and also recommended his friends to it.

Mr Soo added: "The deal was closed within two days, simply by making a call to Wheel Deal.

"It was convenient and had a personal touch to it as I was able to speak to someone over the phone about the sale of my car."

Wheel Deal, officially launched yesterday by SPH's marketing division, is the first service of its kind here in Singapore.

It seeks to help sellers who are unfamiliar with the car market or are too busy to find the right buyer.

Different from the usual trade-ins, where the car owner only deals with one car dealer, Wheel Deal boasts a panel of established car dealers who will quote their best prices for the cars.

These car dealers are advertisers with SPH, who were chosen to be part of Wheel Deal based on their track record as well as consumer feedback.

'CONCIERGE' SERVICE

Mr Tan Ooi Boon, deputy head of SPH marketing, said: "You can say that Wheel Deal is like a 'concierge' service for car sellers and we create a bridge between sellers and dealers.

"We aspire to offer the most convenient way for motorists to sell their cars at the best possible price."

Mr Raymond Tang, managing director of Yong Lee Seng Motor and also the first vice-president of the Singapore Vehicle Traders Association, said: "There will definitely be competition between the other dealers and my company, but it is good competition because Wheel Deal will attract more customers and that will mean more choices for dealers to compare prices."

The first 200 users of Wheel Deal who complete successful transactions with any one of the Wheel Deal recommended dealers will each receive $50 worth of petrol vouchers.

Interested car sellers can find out more by visiting the Wheel Deal booth at The Cars@Expo tomorrow and Sunday, from 10am to 8pm, at Singapore Expo Hall 5.

Car sellers can also call the Wheel Deal hotline at 6319-8889, SMS to 8630-8919, or visit www.wheeldeal.com.sg for more details.