I need tips on how to sell used car safely!

[Deleted]

Looking for tips & experiences on selling a used car privately. Craigslist? AutoTrader? Facebook Community Groups?

What do I need to do to protect myself and have a safe sale? 

Its a minivan, so probably limits the kind of people that would be interested in it. DD tried putting on Craigslist in her area but really only got weirdo responses, so I told her I would try to sell it where I live. I don't want to be axe-murdered or kidnapped in the process so looking for tips on how to do this safely   

Also any tips on how you control who can test drive. I don't want a lousy driver to take it out and crash it. In this state insurance goes to the vehicle owner first, so I or she would be responsible.

I am having moments where I think I will just keep the car, pay her for it; and then sell it back to her when she's done with her grand adventure!

We have about $6K into the vehicle for maintenance and cost (tires, timing belt, water pump, brake cylinder over the past year) so I want to sell it for close to that to make it worth it. It looks good but does have a couple scrapes/scratches on the body that were there when we bought it.

[tskeeter]

Jun 23, 2015 11:46:43 GMT -5 @rockit said:

Looking for tips & experiences on selling a used car privately. Craigslist? AutoTrader? Facebook Community Groups?

What do I need to do to protect myself and have a safe sale? 

Its a minivan, so probably limits the kind of people that would be interested in it. DD tried putting on Craigslist in her area but really only got weirdo responses, so I told her I would try to sell it where I live. I don't want to be axe-murdered or kidnapped in the process so looking for tips on how to do this safely   

Also any tips on how you control who can test drive. I don't want a lousy driver to take it out and crash it. In this state insurance goes to the vehicle owner first, so I or she would be responsible.

I am having moments where I think I will just keep the car, pay her for it; and then sell it back to her when she's done with her grand adventure!

We have about $6K into the vehicle for maintenance and cost (tires, timing belt, water pump, brake cylinder over the past year) so I want to sell it for close to that to make it worth it. It looks good but does have a couple scrapes/scratches on the body that were there when we bought it.

The first suggestion would be to schedule viewing appointments so that you aren't alone.  Having another adult present increases your safety significantly.

Some sellers arrange to show cars in public locations.  Like shopping center parking lots.  This keeps potential buyers away from your home.

The parking lot of your local DMV office would be a great place to show and sell a car.  Then you can make sure that the title is transferred to the new owner as part of the sale transaction.  (That way you won't have the police at your door six months later, when the car that is still titled to you has been involved in a hit and run accident.)

Get the name and current address of the buyer.  So you can mail them the owner's manual or tire warranty when you "find" it.  (See comment above.)

If you ride along on the test drive, the test driver is less likley to steal the car or to drive it irresponsibly.  That's why car salespeople ride along on your test drive.  Also, you can select a route for the test drive to avoid intersections and streets that are troublesome for drivers who are not familiar with the area.

The value of the car isn't determined by how much you invested in repairs.  It's determined by what similar cars have sold for.  Both Edmunds.com and KBB.com will let you do an on-line estimate of what the car is worth.  Or you could ask someone like CarMax to give you an appraisal on the car.  Then you can compare value to the cost of the repairs to decide if you even want to sell the car.

Don't agree to do anything that is an inconvenience to you.  Serious buyers with the money to make the purchase will not ask you to take the car across town to their location so they can see it.  (That could also be dangerous for you.)  Nor will serious buyers ask you to show them the car at times of the day when most people aren't car shopping.  (I know from personal experience that the more inconvenient the buyer makes it for the seller, the less serious the buyer is.)

Insist on payment in cash.  Cash don't bounce and cash isn't normally forged, as cashiers checks or money orders might be.   

[dannylion]

CarMax.

[Peace Of Mind]

We decided to sell our GT because I didn't like it sitting outside and we just didn't have the room in our garage after purchasing our RAV4.  I felt exactly like you do, Rockit and kept saying to DH "Can't we just keep it?  I really don't want to have to deal with the crazies and no shows especially on our weekends!"

But here is what happened to us so this is my recommendation.  We aren't allowed to have "For Sale" signs on our vehicles (which is ok with us) but because the car was parked in the driveway instead of the garage people knew something was up.  A neighbor stopped by to inquire about the car and offered cash as is and he paid what we wanted for it.  So that is my suggestion if you live in a large neighborhood/area.  If you can - put a For Sale sign in the back or side window and drive it around wherever you go. 

If you do list it I would ask for copies of their DL and Ins. Card and then ride with the person when they test drive it.  That's what DH did with the neighbor.  DH just rode with him and he pointed out where his house was.  Plus he was with his wife and kids so DH didn't even ask for his DL. 

If all else fails I'd have put ours in the Auto Trader, put up a notice where my SIL works (AAA - HUGE building with tons of people) and last but not least - CarMax!

Wishing you an easy sale and soon!

[Deleted]

tskeeter Thank you for suggestion on meeting at a public place! I will ride along, but I don't have a second adult to go with me. 

Peace Of Mind Yes, will get DL and insurance card picture before we drive! I will go get a for sale sign and do that too.

dannylion is CarMax a consignment seller, or do they buy it from you and re-sell? Oh, the only one in this state is about 5 hours away. That seems weird that there isn't one in the metro area. 


Edmunds says $3K $4K (oops had mileage wrong) but available used cars (car lots, not dealer) range from $4K to $12K with same mileage, less features (this one has leather seats & entertainment system).  This is the same problem that we had when she was looking for a van 2 years ago. On the lots they were around $12K+. We finally found one that was a private sale for a reasonable price and then had the work done on it. She really like the van & having 3 rows vastly improved her driving life and we thought she'd be driving it about 5-6 years. That was before she decided to go on an RVing adventure for a year or two & needed a big engine to tow it. I guess one thing with this kid is that you can't predict her and there will never be a "plan" for more than a day out!!

I guess it can't hurt to put it out there at the price I want since it is in the range of the car lot prices & see what gets offered. It has a clean history with no accidents, so that is a plus for it. 

[midjd]

We've bought and sold probably 5-6 cars through Craigslist with no problems. Just meet in a public place (we usually choose a gas station near our house so it's not too inconvenient). IME there's generally quite a bit of communication via text or email before meeting, so you can usually get an idea of whether someone is creepy or flaky. 

I have yet to have anyone want to test drive one of the vehicles we were selling. Is that odd? They will start it, pop the hood, and poke around to make sure there aren't any dire engine or transmission issues, but have never seemed too interested in even driving around the block (I guess when you've driven one 15yo Civic, you've driven them all. )

[dannylion]

CarMax buys from you and resells it.   The price you get depends on the condition. I've sold two cars to CarMax and while I realize I could have made probably a few hundred more selling it myself, it was worth it to me to have them do all the heavy lifting.  Also, I didn't have to deal with sketchy or scary people or worry about test-drive insurance issues or anything.  They take care of all of the paperwork and everything and when you leave with your check, you're done.   All I had to do was turn in the plates to the MVA.   

Since the closest CarMax to you is so far away, this might not be the most convenient option for you, though, but it is something to consider if all the other options turn out to be undesirable.  

[alabamagal]

I've never had any issues with ads in the paper ( pre Craig's list). But I did have a lot of people call ask directions and then not show up. It is annoying but at least if it is your house you are not out any time.

Our old house was on a street where you were looking at my yard when you were at a stop sign so it was pretty easy to sell with a sign did that a couple of times.

One time I had a 30 year old Isuzu trooper with a blown engine. I put an ad in the paper for sale for $250 because you got a free ad of the item was $250 or less. I must have had 10 people call and sold it to the first one to show up with cash which was 9 am on the first day.

[GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl]

Okay, clearly I have watched far too many Law & Order:SVU episodes.

I would never ride along on a test drive with a stranger.

Maybe I would follow along in my own car/their car and pay close attention to the route they were taking if I had reason to question the authenticity of their identification.

But, climb into a car with a stranger(s)?

Hell no.

[Deleted]

Jun 25, 2015 14:22:02 GMT -5 GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl said:

Okay, clearly I have watched far too many Law & Order:SVU episodes.

I would never ride along on a test drive with a stranger.

Maybe I would follow along in my own car/their car and pay close attention to the route they were taking if I had reason to question the authenticity of their identification.

But, climb into a car with a stranger(s)?

Hell no.

So I can't sell this van if someone wants a test drive? 

[kittensaver]

Jun 25, 2015 14:25:30 GMT -5 @rockit said:

Jun 25, 2015 14:22:02 GMT -5 GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl said:

Okay, clearly I have watched far too many Law & Order:SVU episodes.

I would never ride along on a test drive with a stranger.

Maybe I would follow along in my own car/their car and pay close attention to the route they were taking if I had reason to question the authenticity of their identification.

But, climb into a car with a stranger(s)?

Hell no.

So I can't sell this van if someone wants a test drive? 

Yes you can. You and your companion (who has gone with you to the public place) let the potential buyer give it a spin. But you hold something of value of theirs while they are out testing (their car keys, their car, their car registration). If they don't have any of those things or don't want to give it to you, then no test drive.

We sold one of those Mythical Unicorn Hondas several years back. The guy said he worked in a body shop and wanted the car because it was reliable and he could clearly get parts easily and fix it himself. He offered to let us call the body shop to verify his story (we did, and it checked out). He left the car he came in on the street in front of our house (and handed us the keys and the registration to boot) while he was out test driving. He ended up buying the car on the spot, in cash, after the test drive.

You have to use common sense and your initial/intuitive sense in the immediate situation. If the situation is reasonable and your Gut Check is clear - proceed. If you Gut Check is wavering - pay attention.

[Deleted]

Ha! I missed it on this one. I just have to list it at $5K so it is the mythical unicorn honda!

My trouble is I only have a mythical companion to go with me. Very difficult to schedule either of my kids on weekend time & adds complexity to scheduling with someone.  I will have to think about it.  

Maybe I will run the car by one of the used lots just to check their offer. CarMax is too far away to run it by for a quote since it is about 5 hour drive 

[tskeeter]

Jun 25, 2015 15:38:35 GMT -5 @rockit said:

Ha! I missed it on this one. I just have to list it at $5K so it is the mythical unicorn honda!

My trouble is I only have a mythical companion to go with me. Very difficult to schedule either of my kids on weekend time & adds complexity to scheduling with someone.  I will have to think about it.  

Maybe I will run the car by one of the used lots just to check their offer. CarMax is too far away to run it by for a quote since it is about 5 hour drive 

Certainly, selling the car to a used car lot is a viable option.  You've checked what it's trade in value is on Edmund's, so you have a good idea what it is worth.  That only leaves the question of whether the car lot will offer you enough to make it worth avoiding the hassles of selling it yourself.



Here's an off the wall thought.  Do you know any young gearhead types?  They are often buying and selling cars, so they are pretty savvy about the process.  Would they sell the car for you for a commission?

[Deleted]

Jun 25, 2015 15:54:28 GMT -5 tskeeter said:

Jun 25, 2015 15:38:35 GMT -5 @rockit said:

Ha! I missed it on this one. I just have to list it at $5K so it is the mythical unicorn honda!

My trouble is I only have a mythical companion to go with me. Very difficult to schedule either of my kids on weekend time & adds complexity to scheduling with someone.  I will have to think about it.  

Maybe I will run the car by one of the used lots just to check their offer. CarMax is too far away to run it by for a quote since it is about 5 hour drive 

Certainly, selling the car to a used car lot is a viable option.  You've checked what it's trade in value is on Edmund's, so you have a good idea what it is worth.  That only leaves the question of whether the car lot will offer you enough to make it worth avoiding the hassles of selling it yourself.



Here's an off the wall thought.  Do you know any young gearhead types?  They are often buying and selling cars, so they are pretty savvy about the process.  Would they sell the car for you for a commission?

Thanks tskeeter that is a really good idea. I do know a group of gearheads that are always looking for opportunity to sell cars    Not sure how much appeal a minivan has for their market, but I will reach out to them! Definitely worth a commission to avoid hassle of sale!

[joemilitary]

If the van's a rockin'.........

[Deleted]

We sold DH's 1998 5-series BMW a few years ago through Craigslist. You can weed out a lot of the worst responses; they sound a lot like the Nigerian prince.  You'll also get some that ask the price when it is clearly in the ad.  You'll filter it down to the ones who are really interested.  They will know if it is priced right.  They will want a Carfax report or ask to run one themselves.  That sort of thing will tip you off.

We had only two people come to see it.  We did not ride along with either of them.  DH talked to both of them.  They were knowledgeable about cars, etc. and asked to see the engine and all that stuff.  The first guy took it to the BMW dealer that we use and said the guy said these were prone to leaking seals.  That was the first DH had heard of it in 10 years but whatever.  The second guy was a young fire fighter who actually rented a car and drove down here with his girlfriend to buy the car. 

We were not the least worried in letting them test drive without us.  In both cases, they left a car.  If they wanted to steal it, it was insured.  If they wrecked it, it was insured.  Neither were scenarios that we wanted to happen, but getting into a car with a stranger was not something we wanted either.  It is just not worth it.

We were selling the BMW because DH bought a later model BMW from a private seller.  She had the same attitude.  We test drove it without her.  She didn't ask for our license or proof of insurance.  But she did have DH's car (the BMW that we hadn't sold yet) at her house.

I think you'll do ok.  But don't get in the car with them, please?