Posted on 06/02/2016 8:46:20 AM PDT by Jagermonster
Hey Fellow Freepers –
I’m getting ready to sell my car, and planning to sell private party. I’ve never done this before (First car traded in, second car totaled . . . ) so I’m hoping to tap the wisdom of the Freeperverse on how best to go about doing it.
I have a few questions, in no particular order:
(1) Is it better to go with a craigslist ad, or to use one of the paid auto listing services like Autotrader or Cars.com?
(2) Where do you look, and what do you look for when you shop for used cars?
(3) Is it better to spend some money for minor repairs, or just sell it in its current condition? (It’s about due for new brake pads, and has some small dents.)
(4) How important is having the vehicle maintenance history available? (I hadn’t ever planned to sell it, so I didn’t keep good records, even though I have had regular oil changes and recommended maintenance done).
(5) How do you all handle meetups with potential buyers and test drives?
(6) I know it is important to have the car clean, but how clean is clean enough? Do I need to go whole hog with stuff like a wipe down of the engine compartment and armor-all on the door seals, etc., or is a good wash and wax, with a vacuum and scrub of the interior sufficient?
I’d appreciate anything you all would care to share about these questions, or other general advice, comments, or stories about about selling a car to a private party.
Thanks!
Why anyone would sell a 6 y/o Honda is beyond me. Wish my car was only 6 years old and a Honda.
Make sure all the fluids are clean and topped off. If something doesn't work, don't lie about it.
Finally CL is probably fine (unless it is very valuable or classic car). But beware of scammers. Usual scam is the out of town check for more than the asking price (for shipping don't you know). If you want to play with them, deposit the check anyway then wait 30 days for it to clear all banks. That usually puts their panties in a wad.
Heck, they’re just getting broken-in by then, aren’t they?
“Avoid craigslist like an Obama, dangerous squared”
I’m with Ad guy here. This is nothing but a seething den of villainy and fraud.
Facebook is a good place (There are tons of car-for-sale forums out there) but the people who will answer are STUPID. I mean, I don’t know how these mouth breathers did whatever they did to make money.
I can talk on the subject for hours, but overall I recommend setting up a throw-away email account and not letting anyone have your phone number. EVER.
But with this tactics, your sale will go much, much slower. I still get texts for craigslist scams on my phone.
I can sell a car or motorcycle parked on the street in 2 days, done it over 30 times
good point on the tax angle
My son and I flip cars on Craigslist. When we get one, we don’t do any repairs that aren’t absolutely required and we don’t do that often, we just don’t buy the cars that need expensive parts. What we do invest time in is a good detailing inside, clean the engine and replace fluids. If the paint is good, clay bar and polish the finish and then encourage buyers to feel how good the paint is. Buyers will like a clean car with clean fluids. We use Simple Green to degrease and clean under the hood.
Hondas and Toyotas are both easy sales.
I have fixed and sold numerous cars and Jeeps that once had salvage titles over the last 30 years. The key to getting a salvage title changed to a “Clear” title was, it had to be inspected by a county sheriff’s deputy. I lived in Charlevoix, Mi. for over 30 years, and the sheriff had a deputy who inspected all of my restored Jeeps prior to issuing a document to the State of Michigan attesting to the the VIN being correct for the vehicle, the vehicle having the proper equipment,(turn signals, brake lights, etc.), and being safe for road use. After all said paperwork was completed, a “Clear” title was issued by the state, and I could proceed with the sale of said vehicle. I hope this helps any of you “Salvage Guys” out there in Freeperland.
Just be honest. People know when you’re exaggerating or BSing.
I just did AutoTrader and their $289 premium service. It was worth the price even though I didn’t sell and traded the car in this past weekend. (Dealer gave nearly the same asking so why not.)
I found AutoTrader did a good job of creating the ad and the wording and also prominently displayed the vehicle’s ad all over the place. The car didn’t sell quickly because it was a specialty type of car so demand would have been weak, and I ran the ad only for two weeks before I traded the car into the dealer.
Yes, Dad’s use of bondo for house repairs as well as cars always amazed me.
This was in Ohio in the early 90s. At first he had a heck of a time with the ladies at the title bureau, but once they got to know him, it wasn’t a problem at all.
Yeah, I didn’t even consider that because I live in the deep rural.
Have the buyer sign and date a statement where he acknowledges that he is buying the vehicle in `As Is’ condition, that he has been given an opportunity to have it inspected by his own mechanic and that you as seller have made no representations to him about the condition of the car.
I sold my Mercedes on Autotrader. I had it detailed professionally and then put in the ad. I had no trouble selling it for a good price. But Craigslist is like a good place also.
Pretend you’ve never seen your car before, but it meets your needs and price range. Look it over carefully and note anything about it that would put you off. Correct those deficiencies. IOW, would YOU buy it?
Advice needed re: Shopalease website. I read your post and checked out the Sopalease website and I have some questions:
Upon looking at numerous listing I was unable to determine
1) How much the leasee originally put down on the car at the inception of the lease.
2) How much the “buy out” would be to purchase the car outright at the end of the lease.
3) Also, can one buy the car outright without waiting until the end of the lease? It appears you have done so however I have no idea as to how you were able to do this.
We are in need of another vehicle, however I am in the ministry so buying a new car is financially impossible. I am looking for options and after reading your post, I discovered a new “option” that I didn’t even know existed. Most off lease vehicles that are “a steal” end up being gobbled up by dealerships where they turn around and sell them for retail, premium prices... we can’t afford to pay that.
I have also been looking at “rebuilt” salvage vehicles on ebay but that is a crap shoot because in reality you rarely have any clue as to the original extent of the damage, or how reliable the car is or would be: “Sold ‘as is’, no warranty, no returns”. We also can’t afford to buy a lemon, which will cause us ongoing problems and bills.
I obviously don’t do this for a living, so any advice you can render would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
I meet at my credit union parking lot. I take license while they test drive, I cc. We then fill in paper work in Credit union lobby and usually my credit union rep helps. Then I deposit the cash they have brought with them. All on camera, done in a nice neighborhood with lots of cameras. And a dry place inside.
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