Author Topic: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?  (Read 9997 times)

neo von retorch

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  • What online site(s) do you recommend?
  • What wording do you use to get interested, serious buyers?
  • Do you allow test drives, and if so, what tips do you have?
  • How do you price your vehicle; how much room do you leave for negotiation?
  • What kind of timeline should you expect?

Cassie

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Re: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?
« Reply #1 on: June 21, 2016, 03:15:11 PM »
WE have done it on Craigslist and my DH always goes on test drive with the person. I look at the blue book for price points and then usually ask slightly under that value. I can usually sell in a day or less.

ketchup

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Re: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?
« Reply #2 on: June 21, 2016, 04:01:31 PM »
I've sold one car for myself, and helped a few friends sell their cars.

1. I've only used my local craigslist.
2. Be thorough, answer any questions you would ask if you were looking for a car.  Emphasize "cash only" or you'll get all kinds of jokes offering weird stuff.
3. Yes, but use your judgement.  Ride with them.
4. Price about 10% above your "bottom dollar" and expect to be talked down about that much.  Be willing to wiggle.  If you're firm on pricing, say that in the ad.
5. Time to sell is inversely proportional to price of the car.  A $700 car that runs and drives sold in less than 12 hours, and a $2000 car took two weeks.

Cassie

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Re: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?
« Reply #3 on: June 21, 2016, 04:15:58 PM »
WE always ask a little more then what we want. Our cars are always less then 1500.00. The last one was a 14 yo saturn that we sold for 1100.00 and they didn't try to get us down when the BB was 1500.00. I knew someone without much $ would buy it and I didn't want to ask too much in case something terrible went wrong after they bought it. If I know a car needs a bunch of repairs I sell it dirt cheap and tell them. We did that with a 14 yo Volvo that was BB said was triple that but we knew it needed 6K repairs.  They got a deal if they cold fix it themselves. I always want to feel I was fair and did not cheat someone. 

Secretly Saving

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Re: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?
« Reply #4 on: June 21, 2016, 04:18:40 PM »
What online site(s) do you recommend?  Craigslist or autotrader or a forum for that particular brand
What wording do you use to get interested, serious buyers?  Provide detailed information and high quality pictures. Be honest about possible issues, recent work and upgrades that add value
Do you allow test drives, and if so, what tips do you have?  Always.  I make a copy of their license and/or keep the keys to the car that they brought.  We make a snap decision on whether or not we need to drive with them.
How do you price your vehicle; how much room do you leave for negotiation? Check KBB for private party value and price accordingly.  Also, run a search on whatever site you use for other cars that are similar to yours and then plan accordingly, making sure that yours stands out.  If it applies in your astute, Remind the buyer that they will save sales tax by not purchasing through a dealer.  So they save money there!
What kind of timeline should you expect?  It should move relatively fast.  Have a bill of sale ready if you're taking cash and consider having the title already notorized  if necessary in your state.

JoJo

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Re: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?
« Reply #5 on: June 21, 2016, 06:13:03 PM »
Make sure you transfer the title legally. 

Cautonary tale: My brother took my parents' old, dangerous car for his step son.  Decided he didn't want it so sold it on CL for $200  (my Dad had an opportunity to junk it for the same amount earlier).

A month or two later, my parents get registered mail from big city impound lot.  We called them and found out the car was found burned out on the city streets.  I can't remember how much they had to pay for the tow & ticket - maybe they talked it down based on the circumstances.

redcedar

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Re: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?
« Reply #6 on: June 21, 2016, 06:16:53 PM »
Great questions. I would add

How do I knew payment is legit?

I have required buyer to meet me at their bank where we walk in together to get payment which is usually watching their tellers create a cashiers check.

Dsteadma

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Re: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?
« Reply #7 on: June 21, 2016, 08:58:32 PM »
What about when the buyer wants to take it to a mechanic first? Do most people buy the car just by looking at it?

Secretly Saving

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Re: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?
« Reply #8 on: June 21, 2016, 09:52:11 PM »
Pre-purchase inspection: some people will want to do it, others will not.  My suggestion is that if you do take your car in (per buyers request and at their expense) that you see if you can get a copy of the report.  That way if it falls through and you deal with another buyer that you can just share the report with them.  Kinda like a carfax.

zinethstache

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Re: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?
« Reply #9 on: June 21, 2016, 10:36:18 PM »
Just sold my car today. It was a 2008 red Mazda Miata. Sold for 13k. I used CL, I did NOT respond to anyone that even hinted at shady/irresponsible/kids etc. I caution who you respond to with CL ads because I noticed that my responses are not masked, they will have my real email address the minute I respond. I suggest you consider creating a fake hotmail account, I will certainly do that for my next vehicle sale.

No responses to low ball offers, I delete them.

I made sure I conducted the car check/test drive in a busy populated place, my mom's house, with step dad in attendance, not hovering, but visibly around working in his garage near us.

The people who came were retired. They had just bought a Prius (no plates yet). It was a husband and wife. We had a short get to know you session. Then I let him take it on a drive with his wife, but after I'd driven it and showed him the ropes, then he drove with me then off they went.

Negotiation was easy and we used the same bank so did the transaction over the phone. Signed the title, made up a bill of sale.

I felt good about the whole process. The husband was pretty poker faced, not showing alot of interest and mentioning he was looking at all types of convertibles. I was surprised when he said I like it, now all that's left to figure out is price. I had just told my mom that these guys could be lookey-loos and it was up to the car to sell itself. I did not clean it because of recent hand surgery but DH did vacuum it out and we cleaned the engine compartment because it was gross with pollen. I had done a deep clean external wash on it it 4 weeks prior when first listing it. I did not keep pushing my ad to the top because of the surgery, so I am surprised that it sold so easy. It was very clean for an 8 year old car. It helped that it only had 32k miles.

Probably my most pleasant car sale to date! Now we have two old cars to sell, both are in the 3k range.

I got exactly what I wanted for the Miata.

If your gut says to not pursue a buyer, don't.

ShoulderThingThatGoesUp

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Re: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?
« Reply #10 on: June 22, 2016, 04:25:35 AM »
We used Cars.com to list ours and sold it in a week. Here you have to transfer the title with a notary, so the safety part is more comfortable.

neo von retorch

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Re: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?
« Reply #11 on: June 22, 2016, 07:21:12 AM »
Just sold my car today. It was a 2008 red Mazda Miata. Sold for 13k
...
I got exactly what I wanted for the Miata.

Rather relevant - I have a 2006 Black Nissan 350Z Touring (manual) w/ 40k on it. What was your KBB value (compared to your sale/sold price)? I feel like it's a little "off" for cars that are low mileage, and there aren't a lot of good comparisons on the market. I'll see a 350Z listed for $11k and another listed for $17k - but the condition, upgrades, colors, trim, etc are usually pretty different.

DeltaBond

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Re: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?
« Reply #12 on: June 22, 2016, 07:25:40 AM »
Zinethstache, how long did you have your car on the market before it sold?

boarder42

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Re: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?
« Reply #13 on: June 22, 2016, 07:49:17 AM »
I've sold numerous cars by owner.  Never sold to a dealer

What online site(s) do you recommend?

i just use CL now

What wording do you use to get interested, serious buyers?

Just describe everything about your car.  year, make, model, mileage, service you've done, etc.

Do you allow test drives, and if so, what tips do you have?

Yes you have to allow test drives.  typically the person shows up in a car so i let them test drive by themselves.  but its a judgement call based on who shows up. you can always ride along ... they shouldnt care.

How do you price your vehicle; how much room do you leave for negotiation?

I typically look up KBB, NADA, and edmunds and come up with a good priced under dealer pricing but over private party.  to allow for negotiations

What kind of timeline should you expect?

Depends on how you price the car and how desirable it is.  i tend to hold out for a hiigher price.  so i wait longer.  if you price around 10% over trade in - which is typically the price point i look to buy at you will sell fast.  if you have a super desirable car thats over KBB private party it will still move relatively fast. .. its all supply and demand and pricing for sales time.

Spork

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Re: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?
« Reply #14 on: June 22, 2016, 08:03:16 AM »
  • What online site(s) do you recommend?
  • What wording do you use to get interested, serious buyers?
  • Do you allow test drives, and if so, what tips do you have?
  • How do you price your vehicle; how much room do you leave for negotiation?
  • What kind of timeline should you expect?

1. I have exclusively used craigslist to buy/sell the last 6 cars.  (1 of them is still pending sale).
2. I just honestly describe the car -- both the good and bad.  I generally include a link to nadaguides/edmunds/kbb to support the asking price.  I try to clean it up and put lots of good photos in there.  If someone test drives it and complains about "it looks like it is leaking oil" ... I go back and edit the listing and add that in there.
3. This sounds stupid, but I just hand the keys to a stranger and encourage them to drive it around.  I tell them the insurance card is in the glove box and wave goodbye. 
4. Yes, I absolutely add room for negotiations. 
5. Timeline can be all over the place.  I put 2 cars up for sale for my dad's estate about 45 days ago.  One sold within minutes (with at least 10 other people interested).  One is still for sale.  To me this says I could have asked for more on #1 and I have probably over priced #2.   I have been gradually reducing the price on #2.

Craigslist also gets many more responses when the posting is at "the top".  About every 3 days, check back on your posting link.  There will be a button that says "renew listing" (or something like that).  It will re-place the ad at the top of the list.  I try to time this where it gets topped right in time for weekenders that might be searching.
« Last Edit: June 22, 2016, 08:08:28 AM by Spork »

boarder42

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Re: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?
« Reply #15 on: June 22, 2016, 08:05:14 AM »
YES YES YES to spork's point ... you have to keep that listing at the top of the page on CL.

Spork

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Re: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?
« Reply #16 on: June 22, 2016, 08:06:09 AM »
Make sure you transfer the title legally. 

Cautonary tale: My brother took my parents' old, dangerous car for his step son.  Decided he didn't want it so sold it on CL for $200  (my Dad had an opportunity to junk it for the same amount earlier).

A month or two later, my parents get registered mail from big city impound lot.  We called them and found out the car was found burned out on the city streets.  I can't remember how much they had to pay for the tow & ticket - maybe they talked it down based on the circumstances.

I am sure this varies by state...  but in Texas there is a very quick web form where you can basically tell the state "It's not mine anymore."  It takes 2 minutes.  This keeps you from getting parking tickets, red light cam tickets, tollway bills, etc.

ShoulderThingThatGoesUp

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Re: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?
« Reply #17 on: June 22, 2016, 08:49:15 AM »
Make sure you transfer the title legally. 

Cautonary tale: My brother took my parents' old, dangerous car for his step son.  Decided he didn't want it so sold it on CL for $200  (my Dad had an opportunity to junk it for the same amount earlier).

A month or two later, my parents get registered mail from big city impound lot.  We called them and found out the car was found burned out on the city streets.  I can't remember how much they had to pay for the tow & ticket - maybe they talked it down based on the circumstances.

I am sure this varies by state...  but in Texas there is a very quick web form where you can basically tell the state "It's not mine anymore."  It takes 2 minutes.  This keeps you from getting parking tickets, red light cam tickets, tollway bills, etc.

In Pennsylvania it is critical that you remove the plate as that particular license plate is registered to you - and you can transfer that plate to another vehicle if desired.

boarder42

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Re: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?
« Reply #18 on: June 22, 2016, 09:00:43 AM »
in MO you have to tear off and mail back a piece of the title as well as remove the plates.

neo von retorch

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Re: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?
« Reply #19 on: June 23, 2016, 10:53:56 AM »
Question 6. Why sell privately instead of trade?

Oh, pick me! Dealers emailing you lowball offers! The KBB private party on my car is $13,196. The KBB trade range is $10,428-$13,023, with an indicated mid-range value of $11,793. The dealer emails me that it looks like it's worth $10k.

"No dealership appraises a car in excellent condition." (Of course not, it's not in their favor to do so!)

Spork

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Re: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?
« Reply #20 on: June 23, 2016, 10:58:07 AM »
"No dealership appraises a car in excellent condition." (Of course not, it's not in their favor to do so!)

And, no dealership sells used cars in less than excellent condition.  Hmmm... I wonder where in the world they get them...

retiringearly

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Re: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?
« Reply #21 on: June 23, 2016, 11:32:18 AM »
Autotrader.com was great for me.  It isn't free, but you will find buyers on it that are much more serious about buying than on CL.  I tried CL, most people that made appointments to see the car didn't show up.  Not worth it.

DeltaBond

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Re: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?
« Reply #22 on: June 23, 2016, 11:43:27 AM »
CL for some reason produces a lot of no-shows... on everything, not just cars, even free stuff.

There are also the people who contact you wanting to help you sell the car, and they get a huge percentage off the top... and those who want to do that "cancel the cashiers' check/money order" thing.

retiringearly

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Re: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?
« Reply #23 on: June 23, 2016, 12:00:05 PM »
CL for some reason produces a lot of no-shows... on everything, not just cars, even free stuff.

There are also the people who contact you wanting to help you sell the car, and they get a huge percentage off the top... and those who want to do that "cancel the cashiers' check/money order" thing.

I agree 100%, but I have used CL to buy & sell some less expensive stuff.  I would not use CL for a car though. 

boarder42

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Re: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?
« Reply #24 on: June 23, 2016, 12:41:38 PM »
interested to know where you live as all my cars are bought and sold on CL.  may just be a product of your location.

ShoulderThingThatGoesUp

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Re: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?
« Reply #25 on: June 23, 2016, 01:42:24 PM »
Autotrader.com was great for me.  It isn't free, but you will find buyers on it that are much more serious about buying than on CL.  I tried CL, most people that made appointments to see the car didn't show up.  Not worth it.

Cars.com is free, and the one contact I got there was 100% serious and bought the car for what I hoped to sell it for. (I did get a couple of spam contacts - one wanted you to login to your cars.com account through their Egyptian redirect site, which was pretty sketchy.)

Trudie

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Re: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?
« Reply #26 on: June 23, 2016, 01:49:54 PM »
Haha.  This whole thing makes me nervous.  I spend time thinking about how I can find that sweet spot where I get maximum use out of it, then just call NPR to pick it up for a donation.  Problem solved.

boarder42

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Re: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?
« Reply #27 on: June 23, 2016, 02:38:24 PM »
Haha.  This whole thing makes me nervous.  I spend time thinking about how I can find that sweet spot where I get maximum use out of it, then just call NPR to pick it up for a donation.  Problem solved.

selling things isnt for everyone. i buy and resell lots of crap.  just found a great deal on some paddleboards i'd been wanting so i bought 2 ... then i was like i bet i can buy 2 more and cover my cost ... then i was like i bet i can buy 2 more and make some money... then i was like aww hell lets just buy 3 more... ended up with 9 total.  selling them for 3x what i paid on CL.  sold 2 already ... just have to sell 1 more to break even and the rest is profit.  i also resell lots of tickets.  i like selling things.  if there is something i want i figure out how to get it as cheap as possible.. if it so cheap i think i can profit i buy alot and resell. to make my cost free or even negative cost.

Cassie

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Re: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?
« Reply #28 on: June 23, 2016, 02:59:56 PM »
WE have always sold our old cars ourselves. Used the newspaper before there was internet/CL, etc. At first just my DH did it but I have sold many myself. It is no big deal.  I have had less no shows on CL then for smaller items.

Spork

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Re: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?
« Reply #29 on: June 23, 2016, 03:24:46 PM »
Autotrader.com was great for me.  It isn't free, but you will find buyers on it that are much more serious about buying than on CL.  I tried CL, most people that made appointments to see the car didn't show up.  Not worth it.

Cars.com is free, and the one contact I got there was 100% serious and bought the car for what I hoped to sell it for. (I did get a couple of spam contacts - one wanted you to login to your cars.com account through their Egyptian redirect site, which was pretty sketchy.)

Thank you for that... Now have it listed on craigslist and cars.com.

neo von retorch

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Re: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?
« Reply #30 on: June 23, 2016, 03:26:56 PM »
I've owned 13 cars so far - currently own 2. One is already pre-sold. About to sell the other. Of those other 11, I traded 6, sold 4 to friend, family or friend-of-friend, and sold 1 private party to a stranger. That one was a 2004 TSX, and it took me months to sell it. I was using CL and Cars.com - tried a few prices and ended up selling it for about $2200 less than I had hoped. It was painful. I don't want to repeat that experience. (Oh, of the current 2, I'm selling one to my brother-in-law...)

So that's why sometimes I just suck it up and trade. But I can't stomach getting $2500 less for the 350Z than I might get if I can sell it privately... (I can stomach ~$800 since that's the amount of tax savings I'd get if I trade it. So even... $1300 less wouldn't be so bad, though $500 is a lot of money to lose to being gun shy about selling cars...)

mynewchoice

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Re: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?
« Reply #31 on: June 23, 2016, 11:45:39 PM »
Glad that I found this thread as I have a 1993 Buick Century sitting on my driveway that I planned to sell to CarMax but they came in under what I felt my bottom price was, so I decided to sell it myself and (hopefully) get a little more.

In addition, as a new mustachian, I am planning to sell my Harley and a 1950 Ford that I have in the garage as I haven't done much with either lately and those are costs I would rather put towards my savings. Thank you all for the timely feedback and tips for selling vehicles!

Thanks,
mnc

neo von retorch

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Re: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?
« Reply #32 on: July 05, 2016, 08:31:44 AM »
Another question:
  • If you decide to change the price, do you care about timing? i.e. do you wait one week, two weeks, a month? Do you think buyers are "watching" and can see how quickly the price drops?

Spork

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Re: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?
« Reply #33 on: July 05, 2016, 08:46:57 AM »
Another question:
  • If you decide to change the price, do you care about timing? i.e. do you wait one week, two weeks, a month? Do you think buyers are "watching" and can see how quickly the price drops?

This is just my gut feeling with no evidence:  I don't think most people "watch" craigslist for a long time.  I think a lot of people just need a car and they need it pretty soon.  My suspicion is that you're never really getting the same viewers for more than a few days.

I've still got one on CL that's been for sale for about 45 days.  I'm not really in a hurry to sell it... but I've been inching the price down by $100 every week or two.  The car will make an appearance at my dad's estate sale in a few weeks... and if it doesn't sell before then or at the sale, that's when I'll start cutting the price more aggressively.

I also will occasionally pull up all the similar cars (same make/model/nearly same year) and make sure I am close to those prices.

Smokystache

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Re: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?
« Reply #34 on: July 05, 2016, 09:48:10 AM »
CL for some reason produces a lot of no-shows... on everything, not just cars, even free stuff.


Yes - there can certainly be no-shows and people who no-show and then email back to see if you still have it. I've always emphasized a policy of "first one to give me cash get it" and then you don't get sucked into "I'm sure I'll buy it, but I can't get there for 3 days ... now 5 days..."

As a buyer and seller, I can't overemphasize how much more you will get if you have a very complete, well-written description using complete sentences and decent grammar -- Plus at least 5 pictures. I'm convinced I've been able to sell for 10-20% more than CL competitors because my description read like it was written by a reasonable, educated person that others would be comfortable meeting and talking with. I know I've avoided (supposedly) good deals because the description was about "a grat deel. car runz good. cal me."

mynewchoice

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Re: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?
« Reply #35 on: July 07, 2016, 12:37:43 PM »
As a buyer and seller, I can't overemphasize how much more you will get if you have a very complete, well-written description using complete sentences and decent grammar -- Plus at least 5 pictures. I'm convinced I've been able to sell for 10-20% more than CL competitors because my description read like it was written by a reasonable, educated person that others would be comfortable meeting and talking with. I know I've avoided (supposedly) good deals because the description was about "a grat deel. car runz good. cal me."

Would you be willing to share one of your well-written descriptions as a guide of what has worked well for you?  I am still dragging my feet on getting my first car posted up on CL (thinking of also posting on a few local Facebook garage sale groups as I have seen others posting cars in there too) and there are two things hanging me up right now: 1) Cleaning up the car and taking some good photos; 2) Over-analyzing the description and scouring other ads for a decent template for my description (paralysis by analysis mode right now).

Thanks,
mnc

Syonyk

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Re: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?
« Reply #36 on: July 07, 2016, 06:33:47 PM »
Make sure you transfer the title legally. 

Cautonary tale: My brother took my parents' old, dangerous car for his step son.  Decided he didn't want it so sold it on CL for $200  (my Dad had an opportunity to junk it for the same amount earlier).

A month or two later, my parents get registered mail from big city impound lot.  We called them and found out the car was found burned out on the city streets.  I can't remember how much they had to pay for the tow & ticket - maybe they talked it down based on the circumstances.

Many states have a "I sold my car" form, either as part of the title, or as an online form.

Get a bill of sale (I'm usually not picky about putting the price on it, I don't care what they tell DMV for registration purposes), fill that form out (print the confirmation), and then you've got a very compelling, "This is no longer my car on the date you're trying to claim it's my problem" case to make.

My parents sold a car and got a call from the Chicago police a few months later - something about it having been seized with a trunk full of guns.  They were a bit sad that it went that way, but they were able to quite convincingly say, "Not ours anymore.  Here's the date we sold it, here's the dealer we sold it to, and you can go bother them."

Syonyk

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Re: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?
« Reply #37 on: July 07, 2016, 06:34:29 PM »
How do I knew payment is legit?

Cash or Bitcoin? ;)

Going to the bank for a cashier's check is about as safe as you can get.

Smokystache

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Re: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?
« Reply #38 on: July 07, 2016, 06:34:54 PM »
As a buyer and seller, I can't overemphasize how much more you will get if you have a very complete, well-written description using complete sentences and decent grammar -- Plus at least 5 pictures. I'm convinced I've been able to sell for 10-20% more than CL competitors because my description read like it was written by a reasonable, educated person that others would be comfortable meeting and talking with. I know I've avoided (supposedly) good deals because the description was about "a grat deel. car runz good. cal me."

Would you be willing to share one of your well-written descriptions as a guide of what has worked well for you?  I am still dragging my feet on getting my first car posted up on CL (thinking of also posting on a few local Facebook garage sale groups as I have seen others posting cars in there too) and there are two things hanging me up right now: 1) Cleaning up the car and taking some good photos; 2) Over-analyzing the description and scouring other ads for a decent template for my description (paralysis by analysis mode right now).

Thanks,
mnc

I can't seem to find my old description, but this is a description that caught my eye.

http://knoxville.craigslist.org/cto/5649786285.html

Of course, the other benefit of a well-crafted and thorough description is avoiding (most of) the emails and texts asking "sunroof?" or "V6 or v4?". Not that those aren't important questions, but a full description will save you and any buyers a lot of time.

Note: That is not my car and I don't know who is selling it. Just a decent description.

jeromedawg

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Re: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?
« Reply #39 on: July 07, 2016, 08:22:33 PM »
Great thread and info here! I had a question to tack on. I'm distantly thinking about selling my old 93 Camry XLE and was wondering how much I might expect to get back for it in the case that I had repair work done on it where I replaced the driver's side fender and door assemblies completely (long-story, but I basically backed out of the garage with the driver's side door open and pretty much bent it backwards, ruining the original door/fender). The colors are completely mismatched with a white fender and dark blue driver's side door (which looks like it was painted over from the car I pulled it off at the junkyard). Other than this, the car is in perfect running condition and the rest of the exterior is in decent condition. The interior is also in pretty good condition overall, with some signs of aging on the driver's seat (one part of the leather has a rip - I have a car seat over it). I think I've seen estimates anywhere from $1000-$2000 depending on the condition. Of course, not sure what condition I would classify it in currently.

meghan88

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Re: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?
« Reply #40 on: July 07, 2016, 08:38:07 PM »
  • What online site(s) do you recommend?
  • What wording do you use to get interested, serious buyers?
  • Do you allow test drives, and if so, what tips do you have?
  • How do you price your vehicle; how much room do you leave for negotiation?
  • What kind of timeline should you expect?

3. This sounds stupid, but I just hand the keys to a stranger and encourage them to drive it around.  I tell them the insurance card is in the glove box and wave goodbye. 

This does NOT sound stupid at all.  Google "Tim Bosma" in case you have doubts about this approach.  Just hand them the keys and wave goodbye.  Though it would be nice if they would leave the rest of their wallet, or something else of value, with you.  The price of your vehicle is not worth your life or safety.  Isolated incident?  Perhaps, but it's something to think about.

mynewchoice

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Re: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?
« Reply #41 on: July 08, 2016, 07:55:40 AM »
I can't seem to find my old description, but this is a description that caught my eye.

http://knoxville.craigslist.org/cto/5649786285.html

Of course, the other benefit of a well-crafted and thorough description is avoiding (most of) the emails and texts asking "sunroof?" or "V6 or v4?". Not that those aren't important questions, but a full description will save you and any buyers a lot of time.

Note: That is not my car and I don't know who is selling it. Just a decent description.

Awesome, thank you for sharing an example of a good description.  Now it is time to get to work cleaning up the car, taking pictures and writing up my description--which sounds like a great weekend project for me.

neo von retorch

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Re: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?
« Reply #42 on: July 08, 2016, 08:46:25 AM »
Here's my current listing: http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/cto/5665892874.html

If you have any suggestions, fire away. If you have no suggestions, this is an example of a well-written ad ;)

I'd like to take "better" photos of the interior wear - that is, ones that let the buyer know they exist without being so close they amplify their significance.

mynewchoice

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Re: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?
« Reply #43 on: July 08, 2016, 10:30:35 AM »
Here's my current listing: http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/cto/5665892874.html

If you have any suggestions, fire away. If you have no suggestions, this is an example of a well-written ad ;)

I'd like to take "better" photos of the interior wear - that is, ones that let the buyer know they exist without being so close they amplify their significance.

Thanks for sharing neogodless, and nice car!  My son bought a 2003 350z earlier this year, hence the need to sell my grandma's old car that he had been driving.  It is definitely a fun car to drive!  The car I will be posting is a sub-$1000 car but hopefully a thorough description like these two shared here and some pictures, and the car will be off my driveway in no time.

boarder42

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Re: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?
« Reply #44 on: July 08, 2016, 01:45:00 PM »
i'd take out the "i'm not the original owner, but"

this is semi negative connotation.  You could say "I am the second owner, and" or just say nothing about it they will ask you when they call or they wont car.

i personally dont like to show the rips and tears just say its got some or dont say it at all, definetly dont start with it.  and get rid of those pictures.  people sell themselves on cars in their head on their way to pick itup.

remember this is an advertisement you're trying to sell them on it.

also lots of people blur out license plates in pictures not really sure the purpose i dont do it but lots do.
« Last Edit: July 08, 2016, 01:52:02 PM by boarder42 »

Cassie

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Re: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?
« Reply #45 on: July 08, 2016, 03:04:00 PM »
List the car and get it sold. It really is not very hard at all.

neo von retorch

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Re: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?
« Reply #46 on: July 13, 2016, 07:36:57 AM »
An update!

So thank you, everyone, for your help. I think it helped a lot.

The car was initially just under $13,200 on kbb.com for Excellent condition. (It could be argued it was lower, considering the lien on the title, the multiple owners over the years, and the minimal service records, as well as mismatched tires with less than half their tread life.) I say initially, because a day or so before I sold it, I got an email saying the value had gone up, and it came up a little over $13,500.

A dealer offered $9750 initially, but quickly jumped to $10,500 as we hurried out the door.

I listed it for $13,999, but dropped that to $13,699 a few days later. Then I decided I may be scaring people off with "Dealer-like" pricing, so I bumped it to $13,700. Several people texted/emailed offers of $11k.

One guy said he lived close and wanted to see the car. He said he's rusty, so he actually rode along while I drove. Then he asked if he could drive it, and I even let his wife ride along (2-seater.) He came back and said he just "wanted to get under blue book", which he said was right around what I was asking. He offered $13,500, and I accepted! It sold yesterday.

So the first and only person to see the car bought it for very close to my asking price. (Some could argue I may have been able to ask for more!) I'm happy with it - I got a year of fun out of it. (I had paid $13,900 a year ago.)

acroy

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Re: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?
« Reply #47 on: July 13, 2016, 08:40:28 AM »
Congratulations! Nicely done. Glad it went well.

Laserjet3051

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Re: How do you sell a car private party safely and effectively?
« Reply #48 on: July 13, 2016, 10:20:00 AM »
  • What online site(s) do you recommend?

In the past 15 years Ive bought two vehicles, both from Craigslist and both were GREAT deals and the vehicles were exactly as advertised, in great shape. No surprises.

  • What wording do you use to get interested, serious buyers?

Good pricing is the first thing that draws me in, then the specs sell the vehicle.

  • Do you allow test drives, and if so, what tips do you have?

Sellers have allowed me to test drive the vehicles.

  • How do you price your vehicle; how much room do you leave for negotiation?
  • What kind of timeline should you expect?

I purchased both my vehicles from CL very quickly after the initial ad came up, maybe a week, 2 at most. Good pricing favors a quick timeline, obviously.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!