The following step-by-step process helps answer the question of how to sell my car after an accident:
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- Understand whether you can sell your car or not
- Determine whether you should fix your car first
- Understand your options
- Get multiple offers
- Understand whether you should disclose an accident
- Determine the car's value
Car accidents are very common and have been reported increasingly over the years. Some of these accidents might lead to minor issues impacting defenders and the bombers, while others caused significant damages that might diminish the vehicle's value. As a result, many people in these accidents wonder, “how do I sell my car after an accident?”
Understanding the details about selling a car after an accident is a must. Otherwise, I could easily deal with lots of hassle and issues that you might not be able to handle. That's why we'll provide you with an ultimate guide to help you answer the question of how still make ours after an accident.
How to sell my car after an accident?
The good news is that even if the car accident caused severe damage to your vehicle, you could still sell it. So, therefore, if you're asking yourself, can I sell a car after an accident? The short answer is yes.
The question you should focus on is how exactly you should sell the car after the accident and what you need to consider during the process. But first, let's take a look at what automotive experts recommend:
1. Understand whether you can sell your car or not
The first and most critical thing is understanding whether you can sell your car. As we indicated earlier, you should be able to sell your vehicle after the accident regardless of your vehicle type or condition.
However, there are some instances where you might not be able to sell your car after the accident. For example, if you own a loan or the vehicle has some lien, you should take care of that before moving the car-selling process.
I suppose you have to pay certain payments for the vehicle. In that case, things get a little bit complicated, and that's where you have to involve the lender and the insurance company to determine what they can offer you for your vehicle.
2. Determine whether you should fix your car first
Once you confirm that you can sell your cars separately without any issues related to payments or liens, the next step is to determine whether you should fix your car or sell it immediately as is.
In many instances, most reported car accidents lead to minor issues that might not be significant and should be repairable. In other words, how you judge whether you should fix your car or sell it depends on how much you have to pay for the repair costs.
Typically, automotive experts recommend a threshold of 75%. If your repair costs are getting close to 75% or more of the value of your vehicle, that's when repair costs are not worth it, and that's when you should move forward with selling the vehicle as is.
For example, if your vehicle is worth $10,000 and you got involved in a car accident resulting in a need for repair costs of about $8000, in that case, you shouldn't fix this vehicle because it's not worth it. Instead, you should find a potential buyer willing to buy your car and sell it.
3. Understand your options
Since you're trying to solve a vehicle involved in a major car accident, you must understand that you do not have the typical options anyone has. In other words, if most buyers rely on classified websites like Craigslist or eBay motor for selling their cars, you must be careful about your options and where the best audience can be found.
Typically, people think that if they're trying to sell vehicles after a car accident, no one is expected to buy them. However, you'll be surprised to see the number of people willing to buy your car, considering the major problems. Let's take a look at what options you have when asking yourself how to sell your car after an accident:
Sell your car to private buyers
While we indicated that most of your audience shouldn't be on classified websites, there is still a chance for selling your vehicle after the accident to private buyers. For example, you can post your car and stick a sign “for sale” on the vehicle or put it on websites like Craigslist or eBay motor.
If you plan to post your vehicle on these classified websites, you must be upfront with the potential buyers. You don't want to hide that the vehicle was involved in an accident because the goal here is not to scam people, and you want to ensure that you're getting the right money from the right buyer who fully understands the vehicle's condition.
One thing to consider is adding a project car in the vehicle description, especially if the vehicle is in total damage. This might trigger enthusiastic mechanics looking for similar vehicles as projects to train their internal staff.
Trade your car to the dealership.
Interestingly, there might be some dealerships that might be interested in trading in your crushed vehicle. Did you know that? Therefore, if fewer people are planning to buy a brand new car, consider mentioning to the dealership that you have a vehicle involved in an accident that you want to sell.
If the vehicle fits the dealership inventory, they might accept it and use its value for your new car. However, most automotive experts recommend staying away from dealerships, especially if you would like a high offer for your car because they don't pay well.
Consider junk for a car company.
If you were not very lucky in finding a potential private buyer and you're not happy with the offer provided by the dealership, you might want to reach out to junk for cars companies. These companies guarantee to buy your vehicle regardless of its cyber condition.
For example, if you reach out to Cash Cars Buyer, we will provide you with an instant offer generated within less than 30 seconds, and we're willing to remove your car for free within one to three days. Are you looking for more details? Call our team at 773-791-4363.
4. Get multiple offers
Since you're trying to sell a vehicle after an accident, you must get multiple offers because, typically, the vehicle value will not be that high. By getting these offers, you should be able to choose which makes the most sense for you.
As you're getting these offers, you must evaluate them and compare them thoroughly. For example, you might often get an offer from a junkyard that doesn't include the towing service, and you might get surprised by these fees at the time of pickup.
5. Understand whether you should disclose an accident
If your vehicle was involved in a major car accident, you must be upfront and disclose that the vehicle had an accident. However, there might be a situation where the issue was minor and didn't impact much of the components in your car, so you might have the choice of not disclosing that accident.
It's important to note that private buyers must do their homework and understand all the details about their vehicles. However, it's important for you as well to be upfront with them and not try to hide anything about the vehicle's condition.
6. Determine the car's value
The other thing you want to do when looking for how to sell a car after an accident is to determine the vehicle's value after the accident. You might often have a sense of the vehicle value in your head based on the vehicle's condition before the accident, but determining how much exactly it's worth now can be a little bit challenging.
One way you can determine that is by discussing the topic with your mechanic and getting his opinion about how much the vehicle is worth now. You can also see what the insurance company offers you for the vehicle value if the vehicle was claimed for this total loss. Finally, you can check some tools like Kelley Blue Book or edmunds.com, but you have to do the math and subtract any potential repair costs from the KBB value.
Final thoughts
Dealing with car accidents can be very stressful, especially if the vehicle gets into major damage. However, not everybody has to deal with severe damage in their vehicles. If you are not one of those people whose vehicles were damaged by an accident, you might wonder how to sell your car after an accident.
This article provided an ultimate guide to help you deal with this situation and understand exactly where and how to sell your vehicle. It also provided recommendations about how to disclose information about the accident and when it's not required.
If you want somebody to pick up your car immediately and don't want to deal with any of the hassle associated with the classified websites, you can always consult cash cars at 773-791-4363.