Don't sell
Keeping the car for long periods can save you money; the residual curve finally plateaus because no car with an MoT can hit zero. The mechanical work needed will eventually overtake the value drop in terms of costs, but at least you'll be keeping track of exactly what's been done. It becomes the devil you know. If the car has any kind of enthusiast appeal the residual curve will plateau earlier, even rising if good examples become rare.
Raffle your car
Another one for the gamblers, but if those airport people can do it, why shouldn't you? Advertise right (Gumtree, eBay are good places), promise to cap the number of tickets (giving you the price you want and guaranteeing the odds) and you could be quids in. Either that or out of pocket, but then you are a gambler. There are rules: for example, public raffles must be registered with the local authority.
Buy mats and seat covers
Obvious wear and tear inside suggests to the next buyer that your car has seen some hard use in your ownership. Protect against the subsequent drop in value this will bring by fitting seat covers and mats early on in your ownership. They don't have to be expensive, just offer another layer between children/dogs/feet and the upholstery. When you come to sell at the end just whip them off and present a clean, unworn and stain-free interior to your buyer.
Swap it
Swapping your car is one way of adding value to a cherished but commercially poorly received motor, eg modified cars. Websites such as swapz.co.uk are often used by those who spend lots of money modifying their machines, but wouldn't get anything like the same money back selling them in conventional places like Autotrader.
Sell and don't replace
Not replacing the second car is becoming increasingly practical these days as car clubs gain a bigger toehold in urban and even rural areas. It's similar to car renting, but you can rent the car for much shorter periods and, thanks to some clever tech, the cars can be parked anywhere, meaning you'll have a better chance of find one nearby. Whizzgo and Streetcar are two big names, but none will be economical compared to car owning if you plan long journeys. Short town hops are best.
Export it
If the car's value is deep into the sub-£1000 zone then one option is a one-way drive-fly holiday within the EU, before selling it in one of the newer, less well-off member states. Because it's right-hand-drive you won't get huge amounts for it, but it'll be more than you'll make for scrap in the UK and you do get a free hire car for however long the holiday is. Keep the portion of the V5 with Section 11 (permanent export) when you sell. You'll even be covered by standard UK car insurance.
