Info on Selling a Used Car

[GTL]

Parents want me to sell their used 1999 VW Jetta for them. Has about 130k miles on it. Runs well. From the little research I have done they seem to be going for 4k-6k.

parents are going to give me half of anything over 4k. so i could make a quick grand if everything goes well.

I have never sold a used car before. Whats the best way to go about this?

Should I just put a sign in the window and an add up on cars.com or a similar site?

any information would be appreciated.

[black_russian]

craigs list

[Skoob]

I used craigslist to sell my last car. Sold it in less that 24 hours after I posted the ad. Got the asking price.

And craigslist is free.

[GTL]

interesting. i was thinking about craigs list but thought cars.com might be faster. guess i'll go with craigs list first.

did you guys sell locally?

any details on how the sale went down would be helpful. did they drive to you and then take it on a test drive? did they want to bring it to their own mechanic? did you have a carfax report? how did they pay? bank check? cash? personal check?

any info on the best way to list the car on craigs list? lots of pictures?

[cbloom]

I've been thinking about this, mainly Re : how to maximize value.

Everyone knows when selling a home, you do a lot of cheesy [censored] to pump up the value - clean it up, put in new carpet/drapes, do some landscaping, bake cookies, put cut flowers all over - all that stuff shouldn't really affect the home price at all, but buyers are morons and it does.

So, what kind of stuff can you do for a car?

Obviously get it detailed, maybe spray some new car smell inside.

But are there other things?

Like if I get a $300 paint job so the car looks all new and unscratched is that going to give me like +$1000 in sale value?

Another one would be small repairs that are obvious, like if the wind shield has a small scratch, is it +EV to replace the windshield before selling?

Also a lot of people like to pop the hood and look at the engine even though they have no idea what's going on. I think that cleaning the engine would really impress these people, but I'm not sure how easy that is. (eg. getting caked oil off the engine block)

[GTL]

i agree with you cbloom. but in the range i'm selling (about 5k) i'm not going to get a big enough return on anything that has major costs. i will most likely get it washed and detailed. probably wash it myself and get the interior looking nice and smelling good. i think taking good pictures for the add will be a good selling point.

[IggyWH]

[ QUOTE ]
Also a lot of people like to pop the hood and look at the engine even though they have no idea what's going on. I think that cleaning the engine would really impress these people, but I'm not sure how easy that is. (eg. getting caked oil off the engine block)

[/ QUOTE ]

I think this is a smart move and also quite easy and cheap to do on your own. You just buy some engine grease remover in a spray can, spray down your engine and then use a high pressure hose (such as one at a car wash) and it really does a good job.

=============

A key for those who are buying used cars, check the inside of the door where the door hinge is at. This is a common place where water sits and is a good indicator how well the car was taken care of. Someone who cares about their car (such as myself) will wipe this area and areas like it after any rain.

[Alobar]

I just sold my vehicle. Put ads on craigs list cars.com and autotrader.com

didnt get a single response from craigs list, and cars.com got TONS more responses than autotrader

[Skoob]

When I sold my car on CL, I just washed it and cleaned it out well. Didn't get it detailed or anything.

It was a 1993 Mitsu Eclipse that was overheating (needed new radiator and thermostat), which I included in the ad. I was only asking $800 at the time. I think they limit you to four pics. I included all the details about the car in the ad. Also was honest about the condition of the exterior (average, some minor dents, scratches, surface rust) and the interior (excellent - no tears or stains on the upholstery).

I made sure I got a copy of everyone's drivers license who test drove it (there was only 1 anyway) and she paid cash.

The one mistake I made was not going to transfer the title with her, should have insisted on it.

Not long after the sale I was getting 2nd notice parking tickets in the mail and I got an impound notice also.

I got all that [censored] cleared up, but it was a pain in the ass. Phone calls, trips to the DMV, paperwork...

If I had to do it again I would insist the transaction take place when the DMV is open and accompany the buyer to the DMV to transfer the title.

[BradleyT]

Do people really pay $5K for a car with 130K miles on it?