2008 Woodie Awards
Tips and tricks: How to sell a used car
Ceren Akinci
Issue date: 2/15/06 Section: Features
There are plenty of car dealerships that would be willing to buy your used car, but selling it yourself might mean more money for your previously loved vehicle.
Selling your car on your own is more work than going to a dealership and trading it in, but the results could end up with a significant amount of difference in the money gained.
One of the easiest ways to let the public know about the sale is by placing an ad in the classifieds section of your local paper. Describe the car as well as you can, emphasizing its strengths and the amount of work you had put into the car, if that's the case.
Letting the readers know about the additional amount of work that needs to be put into the car is very important as well. You want to let the buyer know exactly what they are getting themselves into in order to avoid having any problems with the buyer after the car has been sold.
Placing a "For Sale" sign is always helpful and one of the cheapest ways to advertise your vehicle. Just make sure you provide a telephone number where you can be reached at all times so that you do not miss out on a good offer.
Once you start receiving phone calls and arrange for the potential buyer to look at the car, make sure you pick a public place away from your home to avoid any strangers from knowing where you live. Let the buyer test drive the car as long as they provide you with a driver's license and insurance. Ask for the buyer to bring a parent or a legal guardian with them if they are younger than the age of 18.
If the test drive results in the sale, then you are halfway there to your successful closing. Before singing the car over, make sure you take your old plates, and any other information that belongs to you out of the car. Do not give the buyer the title until you have received your payment. If they write you a personal check make sure it clears and the money is given to you before you turn in the keys. You can ask for the payment to be in cash or in the form of a money order, to avoid the wait for a personal check to clear.
Selling your car on your own is more work than going to a dealership and trading it in, but the results could end up with a significant amount of difference in the money gained.
One of the easiest ways to let the public know about the sale is by placing an ad in the classifieds section of your local paper. Describe the car as well as you can, emphasizing its strengths and the amount of work you had put into the car, if that's the case.
Letting the readers know about the additional amount of work that needs to be put into the car is very important as well. You want to let the buyer know exactly what they are getting themselves into in order to avoid having any problems with the buyer after the car has been sold.
Placing a "For Sale" sign is always helpful and one of the cheapest ways to advertise your vehicle. Just make sure you provide a telephone number where you can be reached at all times so that you do not miss out on a good offer.
Once you start receiving phone calls and arrange for the potential buyer to look at the car, make sure you pick a public place away from your home to avoid any strangers from knowing where you live. Let the buyer test drive the car as long as they provide you with a driver's license and insurance. Ask for the buyer to bring a parent or a legal guardian with them if they are younger than the age of 18.
If the test drive results in the sale, then you are halfway there to your successful closing. Before singing the car over, make sure you take your old plates, and any other information that belongs to you out of the car. Do not give the buyer the title until you have received your payment. If they write you a personal check make sure it clears and the money is given to you before you turn in the keys. You can ask for the payment to be in cash or in the form of a money order, to avoid the wait for a personal check to clear.