You have a vehicle to sell and you need information on how to sell a car. We can help with some great tips, details and advice!
We even offer suggestions on the best sites to sell your car, as well as what needs to be done, to make a sale during hard times!
So, continue reading on and learn how to sell a car and sell it successfully!
What is the best way to sell a used car?
With technology, online market places and more, selling a vehicle is both easy, as well as time-consuming. How can it be both?
Well, how to sell an SUV, sedan, pickup truck or another kind of car, means so much more than it once did.
Forget the methods your grandpa, uncle or grandma used.
Selling a car involves lots of work and patience.
Having a positive attitude helps too!
OK- What Do I Do First?
Whether you’re planning on selling your vehicle to a dealership, a private party or a vehicle buyer, you need to be an informed car seller.
This means you need to know all about your car and do research in an effort not to get scammed or swindled.
Once you become a “used car expert” about your own car, you are better able optimize any car listing you create. You can also maximize how much cash you get during the sale.
1. First, get a value for you car on either the Edmunds website or the Kelley Blue Book websites.
Both are “tried and true” websites that will offer you a value for your car you can work with.
After getting the value, you an price your car accordingly, given your car's damage (if any).
2. Next, gather all of the paperwork you need for your car's sale. The vehicle title is the most important document you need.
Many places will not even make you an offer, unless you have the title to your car.
3. Get a thorough assessment of your car. You need a professional to to examine your vehicle, so that you know how you will sell your vehicle.
Are you going to sell your car as a car or sell it by its parts? This mechanical assessment will help you decide.
How do you sign over a car title?
Each state has different requirements for signing over the title to your car.
When you want to sell your car, it’s important that you take your time in properly filling out the title with all precise, pertinent and accurate information. Failure to properly fill out all you need to fill out, can result in your sale being delayed.
Be sure to check out your particular state regarding what is needed to transfer your car title.
What is the best site to sell a car?
Selling a vehicle online can be fun, but requires sellers to adhere to rules. It also requires some work.
There are lots of sites that will welcome your sedan, truck, van, SUV or crossover. So, let's look at some of the best sites to sell a car!
Craigslist
Craigslist has been around since 1995 and was founded by Craig Newmark. With a payment of the $5.00 fee, you can post your ad to your local Craigslist website and sell your car!
Photos are at the heart of any car sale and on Craigslist, you can post up to 10 of them.
The site also offers a great interface where you can enter some great details about your car. For example, if your car has four-wheeled drive and new tires, you can add that.
Your job as the seller is to indicate as much information as you can, about your car, so that you will attract the perfect buyer!
eBay Motors
eBay is the place where you can buy a computer, beauty supplies, home goods and car!
So, as a seller, you have a well-known platform already working for you!
Just like Craigslist, we recommend taking advantage of the opportunity to post as many pics as you can. Another aspect of eBay and eBay motors is the ability to accept bids on your car or you can just set a fixed price. Don’t forget to craft a great and detailed ad about your car. The more information you provide to buyers, the quicker your sale!
Autotrader
Are you more of an Autotrader person? Well, awesome! As a reputable online car selling hub, you can sell a car on this platform with lots of ease.
You'll attract serious buyers with pictures and specs of your car, that are front and center to buyers!
Autotrader also offers levels of selling you can take advantage of.
Car Gurus
Also known as a great online car marketplace, you may see some luck on CarGurus.com!
The site launched in 2006 by Langley Steinert, who is also co-founder of TripAdvisor.
The site sees a reported 30 million unique monthly visitors and is a seemingly trusted online marketplace.
The site also offers vehicle sellers an Instant Market Value too.
You also have to pay to sell your car on CarGurus.com.
Although listing your car is free, you will have to pay money once you sell it.
Looking to sell your car with a lien? Continue reading! Credit: Pixabay
How to Sell A Car with a Lien
For that lien you have on your car you want to sell, check out the following:
- The first thing you will need to do is call the company that financed your purchase of the vehicle you want to sell.
- Ask for the complete pay-off amount.
- With this information, you will be able to begin selling the car. The simplest way to sell your car is thorough a car dealership. They generally will take care of all of the documents on your behalf. If you sell your car to a dealership, they may give you the difference between the money still owed and the selling price. Selling a car to a private party with a lien will NOT happen. The car has to be paid off. And even if you are able to sell a car to a person with a lien on it, no one will buy it!
- So, selling to a private party will not happen, if the car has a lien on it. You have to pay that lien off.
How to sell a car – What Mistakes Do I Need to Avoid?
Despite the best intentions you an have, lots of sellers make some mistakes that cost money, time and energy. Read on about some common pitfalls sellers make and learn how to avoid them.
I don’t know the value of my car, but that’s not important.
Whoa there! Who told you that? If you don’t know the value of your car, then you need to get that first before selling it. Check that value at the Kelley Blue Book site or Edmunds. You can almost guarantee that your potential car buyer will know the value of your car. You must have an idea of what your car si worth, and price it accordingly, based on its condition.
My car is going to sell because it’s better than the rest.
We want to keep it real with you. Your car is great. You have kept it in great condition. Or you have some great parts on your car, but we want you to be a confident seller, not a cocky one. We all have attachments to our car, especially ones we have kept up. But you have to move those emotions to the side because the buyer of your car will not care. Selling a car is a business transaction. So, leave the emotions out of the selling.
I better get busy fixing all that is wrong with my car, or it won't sell.
Hold up there! This is not true! Just because you have some hood damage to your car, doesn't mean it won't sell. Lots of folks like to fix up cars and will buy “fixer-upers”. So, forget sinking money into fixing that fender. Go on ahead and sell it!
I'll just put a price on my car and sell it. That's good enough.
Here's a tip. Whether you're selling a doll, a blanket or a cup, you need a pricing strategy. The same is true for a car. Let's say that your car does not sell in the time frame you want it to sell. Do you get angry and curse all car buyers? No. You wait a set number of days, evaluate the condition of your car and price, and you lower it. Selling a car takes a strategy. It's just like Benjamin Franklin said: “When you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.”
I'll just take the first offer a buyer makes me and be done with it!
Whoa there! No! You are a car seller and you have to negotiate the price of your car. You NEVER want to take the first offer made to you. Now, if you find that you are in some sort of a bind and need to sell your car fast, then perhaps this can be done. But you are a car seller. You are not desperate!
These buyers are pushy! I'll just give in and call it a day.
Car buyers are pushy… we'll agree with that. But that doesn't mean that you give into them. This goes with our tip above. You never want to rush in selling your car, or giving into pushy buyers. If they threaten to move on if you don't accept their offer, then say, “see ya!”
I don't need to clean my car; it's old anyways!
If you have no pride in what you are selling, who do expect to sell it? So grab that bucket and bust some suds on that car! You and your car need to present the “best foot forward” you have. Sell a clean used car.
Too many people are contacting me. I am tired of these messages!
Well, no offense here, ma'am or sir, but you don't need to be selling your car. You have a car to sell! And the message you ignore from that potential buyer, could be the buyer of your car!
How to sell a car – What is the fastest way to sell your car?
OK- if you find that your car isn't selling, there are a few things you can do.
- Did you price that car too high? You may have to come down on the value of the car. You may not want to, but you may have to.
- Just sell it to a dealership. Get that paperwork ready and head into sell it.
- Call a junkyard. Junkyards offer quick cash and most offer free towing. You're not going to get rich, but at least you'll have some money in hand. Call and get a reputable one too!
- Sell it to your buddy. If you have a friend or know of someone who has an eye for your car, make that buddy an offer and sell it.
- Lots of car buying services today, will buy your car. For that quick sale, you can sell it to lots of car buying companies that offer lots of perks for selling to them.
How to Sell a Car – Sell it to Cash Cars Buyer!
OK- we're almost ready to say goodbye here, but we don't want to leave without offering you the best way to sell a car: Cash Cars Buyer!
- Unlike CarMax (no disrespect to CarMax), we offer cash on the spot! Forget a bank draft, you can get an instant offer on your car in seconds, and get cash in your hands, in a matter of days!
- And speaking of that instant offer, you can enter all of your car's specs, and get that instant offer… well instantly! You can also access our site 24/7 to get it too!
- Instead of you coming to us, we come to you! You don't have to tow, drag or haul your car into us. We will come to your location! Some times we can come in a matter of days or hours!
- We offer FREE towing! You never have to pay for your car to be towed. We pay for all towing of your vehicle!
- When you sell your car to us, we give you cash. You never have to give any of it back to pay for paperwork or processing fees!
- Can't find the title? In many cases, not having the title to your car is no problem. We DO ask that you have your car's registration as well as a picture ID.
- We've been buying cars for over ten years and we buy all makes and models. Even if your car is ugly with a capital “U”, we'll buy it!
So, get an instant offer on your car, and then call us at 844-663-7286! We want to be the quick, easy and convenient solution to how to sell a car!