Author Topic: How to Sell a Car  (Read 4713 times)

Acastus

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How to Sell a Car
« on: June 11, 2018, 09:14:31 AM »
I have never sold a car before, and due to a modest inheritance, we now have 2 to sell. Is Craigslist or similar the best way to go? Can I sell them on commission somehow so I get a better price? I assume a dealership will give me a wicked lowball offer if I don't buy something from them. Any other options?

1. 2016 Ford F150 4x4, Crewcab, 3000 miles (not a typo)
2. 2009 Saturn Aura XE, 80k miles (my current car)

I plan to keep a 2013 Ford Escape even though the Aura is still in pretty good shape.

RWD

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Re: How to Sell a Car
« Reply #1 on: June 11, 2018, 09:56:27 AM »
Craigslist (or other methods of advertising a private party sale, like Autotrader) will typically get you the most value.
Easiest option is to sell directly to CarMax, if available in your area. If you have a CarMax in your area I would recommend using them to get an offer to at least set a lower bound for negotiation in private party sales. Dealers will always lowball you even if you're trading in to buy something from them.

It looks like there are a few Saturn enthusiast forums. For more unique vehicles advertising on those can be a good option. Check the rules though first, forums often require a minimum post count or specific formatting for advertising in their for sale sections.

radram

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Re: How to Sell a Car
« Reply #2 on: June 12, 2018, 11:21:41 PM »
I have had good luck with craigslist. Not a bad idea to meet in a public place, finishing the sale at a bank.

Set your price and wait for your customer to find you. F150 will take a while due to your asking price(unless you want to sell it to me for $10,000).


Acastus

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Re: How to Sell a Car
« Reply #3 on: June 13, 2018, 10:52:04 AM »
I have had good luck with craigslist. Not a bad idea to meet in a public place, finishing the sale at a bank.

Set your price and wait for your customer to find you. F150 will take a while due to your asking price(unless you want to sell it to me for $10,000).

Sorry, you have to do better than that. I already got a cash quote from a dealer for $29.5.
« Last Edit: June 13, 2018, 10:58:12 AM by Acastus »

radram

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Re: How to Sell a Car
« Reply #4 on: June 13, 2018, 11:25:41 AM »
I have had good luck with craigslist. Not a bad idea to meet in a public place, finishing the sale at a bank.

Set your price and wait for your customer to find you. F150 will take a while due to your asking price(unless you want to sell it to me for $10,000).

Sorry, you have to do better than that. I already got a cash quote from a dealer for $29.5.

Good for you...... you followed my rule 1. You will do just fine :)

englishteacheralex

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Re: How to Sell a Car
« Reply #5 on: June 13, 2018, 11:43:00 AM »
I've bought and sold ten cars via Craigslist over the years. Here's what I've noticed:

It's very easy to sell a car on CL as long as it's around $6k or lower. Even easier if the car is lower than $3k. Anything more expensive than that is tricky and often takes a while and multiple price reductions. My theory is that for higher price points, people a. don't really trust CL and b. probably need to line up financing, which makes a private sale more unlikely.

We tried to sell my husband's Explorer on CL several years ago. I knew he had priced it unrealistically, even though he kept pointing out the bluebook value. He had to drop the price by several thousand dollars, and it took two months to sell the car.

My three used, old-ass Corollas all sold within a Sunday afternoon (one at a time! Not all at once. I was a revolving door for old Corollas) for ~$2k.

I think if you want to sell a more expensive car on CL, you probably have to market the crap out of it. Take awesome pictures. Try facebook marketplace in addition to CL. Really have your shit together. And you might have to just accept the wholesale price to a dealer.

CantGrowABeard

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Re: How to Sell a Car
« Reply #6 on: June 13, 2018, 03:55:56 PM »
Not to hijack this thread but as a buyer, I'm sure this question will also be relevant to sellers.

When buying on Craigslist, is it normal to ask for a prepurchase inspection? Especially if the buyer is going to pay for it? I've been shopping around for a Honda Fit / Subaru (early to mid 2000s models) on Craigslist and asking people if they would be willing to take it to a mechanic. Most of them don't seem to want to even though I plan on paying for the inspection.

englishteacheralex

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Re: How to Sell a Car
« Reply #7 on: June 13, 2018, 05:55:20 PM »
I've always left my own car behind and taken the car in question to a mechanic to be inspected myself. I've also brought friends along who knew about cars to check things out. Never heard of asking the seller to take the car to the mechanic beforehand.

CareCPA

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Re: How to Sell a Car
« Reply #8 on: June 14, 2018, 07:21:14 AM »
I just sold a car on Craigslist ($7k range).
I told anyone who asked that I had no problem with them bringing a mechanic along or for them to take the car to a mechanic of their choice.
If they had asked me to do it, I'm not sure I would have agreed. The logistics are a pain, and it's a lot of time out of my day if 5 different people are going to ask me to take it to 5 different mechanics.
Mine had also just had an inspection, so I felt like I did my part.

Acastus

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Re: How to Sell a Car
« Reply #9 on: June 15, 2018, 08:54:33 AM »
Update:  The missus decided to sell the truck to a cousin for a sweet low price. I am happy to spread the inheritance wealth around this way.

Good advice on selling lower priced cars. I can do that with the Saturn.

One other option. How Mustachian is this? My kid goes to college in 15 months. Does it make sense to garage a vehicle for a year or 2, then give it to the kid for school? Three cars for 3 people seems like such an extravagance, even if one is mothballed. I figure it might make sense to not sell now, then buy later.

radram

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Re: How to Sell a Car
« Reply #10 on: June 15, 2018, 09:10:03 AM »
Update:  The missus decided to sell the truck to a cousin for a sweet low price. I am happy to spread the inheritance wealth around this way.

Good advice on selling lower priced cars. I can do that with the Saturn.

One other option. How Mustachian is this? My kid goes to college in 15 months. Does it make sense to garage a vehicle for a year or 2, then give it to the kid for school? Three cars for 3 people seems like such an extravagance, even if one is mothballed. I figure it might make sense to not sell now, then buy later.

It does make some sense. Just remember to factor 1 year of depreciation when making your calculations. You can even insure 2 of the 3 cars in rotation to keep them in running condition.

agoraphone

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Re: How to Sell a Car
« Reply #11 on: June 16, 2018, 08:03:35 AM »
Any other tips on selling a used car? How does the transaction take place? I suppose it's either a big wad of cash or a bank check. Do you draw up a bill of sale that specifically states there's no warranty?

Acastus

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Re: How to Sell a Car
« Reply #12 on: June 18, 2018, 11:14:03 AM »
There is a sale transaction on the back of the Title. Both parties sign it. The buyer pays sales tax when they retitle it, I think. States have gone a long way to make this easy, since it happens a lot.

peeps_be_peeping

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Re: How to Sell a Car
« Reply #13 on: June 18, 2018, 11:32:49 AM »
I sold a ~$6k car on Facebook Marketplace last winter and it went well. I liked that on FB you can look at the potential buyer's profile (and vice versa) and see that it's a real person. I was more comfortable meeting up with strangers in dark parking lots to look at my car and then go for test rides together when I knew their full names. The buyer and I ended up finalizing the sale at a credit union where we both had accounts. It was super easy. We went to the teller window together and asked for a transfer from her account to mine. I signed over the title, gave her the keys, then took a Lyft home.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!