Advice on selling a car

[JohnGalt]

My wife is going to need a new car shortly due to our family size increasing

That being said, we have a little bit of time and are thinking to try and sell her car privately rather than trade it in, due to the obvious economic incentive. Of course, neither of us has ever sold a car...

Does anyone here have experience or advice? We've just had it fully detailed and I've gone and taken pictures for a web posting already. Was thinking to post it on autotrader.com only because they are the first one that comes to mind - any others that are worth checking out? I don't even know which sales package to choose - enhanced, deluxe or vip.

Thanks in advance for your help gentlemen.

 

[Suave]

my advice to you is craigslist

 

[Johnny_5]

definitely rollback the odometer.

 

[epb]

I recommend researching what they're going for, deciding what you'd like to get for it, then swinging by your nearest Carmax and see what they'll give you. My last 2 BMWs - a 2003 325i and 2003 Z4 2.5i - went to them and it was by far the least hassle I've had selling a car. I was quite happy with what I got. I later saw the crazy asking prices they put on them, but if they got that it was a miracle.

The last car I sold via Craigslist was a nightmare - dozens of e-mails from semi-illiterates with low-ball offers who all asked questions relating to information clearly stated in the frickin' ad, test drives by people who clearly didn't intend to buy the car. I did better with eBay, where the top bidders simply showed up, paid, and left.

 

[JohnGalt]

Thanks for the advice. For the time being, I think I'll stay off of autotrader. I took the pics in a "walk around" format, so hopefully that will be helpful. My only concern with ebay is how do you ensure that any little dings or nicks are covered? Is it up to the buyer to ask/inspect? There is no major damage to the vehicle (I'd rate it at average/above average for age and miles), but would hate to end up in a battle with an ebay buyer over a dent. It's an 04 beetle gls convertible, leather, auto, 73k miles.

 

[KPO89]

Subscribing.

I will be selling my '06 Mustang GT in the near future upon moving to NYC.

 

[edmorel]

I sold a LR and an old Mercedes on ebay. Both times were trouble free. The Mercedes went to a local mechanic, he showed up, paid cash and left. The LR went to a doctor in NC, I offered to pick him up at the airport, drove him to the car, he paid and drove off.

 

[JohnGalt]

For those that have sold on ebay, was it a national or local listing?

 

[Michigan Planner]

Something semi-unique like a New Beetle has a pretty decent-sized fan base out there so you may want to consider finding some VW-centric internet forums and posting it up on there.

I have sold vehicles through a sign in the window, posting on message boards (Jeeps usually), Craigslist, and eBay as well as traded in vehicles when buying something new. By far you will generally get the best price if you sell it yourself but depending on the price you are being offered at a dealer, the ease of just trading it in can sometimes make up the difference for you (e.g. no need to worry about possible buyers who never show up on time, want to complain about every single aspect of a 6-year-old vehicle, have to wait for some schmuck to come up with financing, no eBay fees...).

 

[Jarandas]

Clean it like someone who´s going to have a visit from the CSI, and if the car has a dent, state it in the ad, so nobody can ask you to lower the price a few hundred dollars for a thing that only costs 50$ to fix.

Actually, if the car has a dent, you should fix it before selling.

 

[epb]

Originally Posted by JohnGalt

For those that have sold on ebay, was it a national or local listing?

National - one came from downstate IL, one came from Iowa. I've also bought a half-dozen cars via eBay, and speaking from a buyer's perspective I wouldn't worry about naming every little nick and ding on a used car. If you have trouble capturing the problem in photos, it's not that serious.

The benefit of eBay, as a buyer, is specificity - I go there when I know the make, model, color, and options I want, because the more specific your choice the harder the car will be to find. As such, I was always predisposed to buy the cars I won. If the car is as advertised, they'll leave with it.

While fixing dents and dings is nice for the buyer, I disagree with fixing them as you don't usually get that money back in the selling price unless the car is some sort of collectible or high-end model.