It’s hard to imagine a life without cars, but automobiles have only been around for less than 150 years. Today our lives are intertwined with our four-wheeled friends – they are with us for work, leisure and everything in between.

In the early years cars were a cherished part of the family, and even though the price of cars became more affordable in the early to mid 1900s, it was common for families to only ever own one or two cars in their motoring life. A person learning to drive today, however, might own closer to eight cars in their lifetime. Cars have become an everyday commodity, swapped and changed as life progresses and different needs arise.

A glimpse into the past

Picture your grandfather finally deciding to part with his car, perhaps the only car he had ever owned. He might have taken out a newspaper advertisement to publicise the prospective sale, and maybe also placed a handwritten sign inside the car informing prospective buyers of the price and his contact details.

As the years went by, so did the way we use and sell cars. Newspaper advertisements continued to provide a sales platform, the Trading Post was a popular option, then the introduction of mobile phones helped improve the process. Sellers could now be on the move and answer sale enquires. Australians were given yet another option when used car dealerships came into the picture.

Car sales reshaped

The Internet weaved its way into homes in the 1990s, and by the end of the decade life had been transformed. Now, with the click of a button, it was easy enough to find just about anything.

The first online transaction took place in 1994, Amazon was launched in 1995, and carsales.com was founded and launched in 1997.

Although Carsales remains a popular way to sell cars online today, sellers now have an array of options, including Craigslist, Gumtree, Facebook Marketplace and eBay. Sellers can choose to sell on a platform that specialises in automotive transactions, or cast the net wider and use a website where a variety of goods are sold. Regardless of which sales platform is used, a car sale can take a lot of time and the seller is responsible for navigating the process from start to end. This includes (and is not limited to) taking and uploading photographs of your vehicle, listing it online, and liaising with buyers until you reach a price you are happy with. Selling your car this way almost always comes with a cost, too.

The game changer

The flourishing app business, in turn, has transformed the way we use the Internet.

Apple was the first to instigate the apps move when launching the App Store in 2008, and Google followed suit with Google Play in 2012. Today, people use apps for just about everything.

Apps are incredibly helpful tools, and that is because they provide mobile phone users with on-the-go access to just about anything. You can use an app to monitor fitness goals, listen to audio books, video chat with friends, and to control the temperature in your home from a different location. With an app, you can do what you need to do from anywhere – as long as you have phone reception.

You can even use an app to sell your car.

Developed by Pickles, Australia’s leading asset remarketer, DIYinspect is an app designed to transform your car selling experience. It’s free to upload and use via Apple Store or Google Play, and it delivers a way for sellers to sell their car with no hassle and for a fair price. Simply take and upload photos of your car and fill in the required information. The details are immediately sent to the DIYinspect team and you will receive an offer within 24 business hours. If you live within 30 kilometres of a DIYinspect drop-off point, a pick-up truck will even come and collect your car free of charge.