Selling a car, while not a difficult process, can certainly be a time consuming one. There are many things that the seller needs to take into consideration before deciding if they even want to try to sell their car themselves.
Preparing the paperwork
The first thing, and one often overlooked by the seller, should be to have all the correct paperwork in hand. This will include a title transfer form and the title in most states, though it is worth a call to your state’s registration office to get details on exactly how the title transfer is done. Not only do these rules vary from state to state, but they often change as well. Although you could require the buyer to take care of all the paperwork, they will be far more likely to make a split second decision to buy the car if you have the paperwork already there, in hand and ready to sign. Some sellers even pre-fill out their own information so as to make it easier for the buyer to see where they need to input theirs. Also, for your own safety, see if there is some sort of paperwork that you can obtain which will allow you to put on record when you signed the title over to the buyer. Although there is often a small fee for this service, it will protect the seller from being liable to anything that happens with the car once it leaves their possession, before the buyer has the title put in his or her name. If you have any receipts or maintenance logs for the vehicle, put them together and in the car so that you don’t have to go hunting for them to show each prospective buyer.
A Clean Car Sells for More
Next, clean the car, inside and out. If nothing else, unless the car is worth less than a thousand dollars, pay someone to clean it for you. A dirty car will net you far less than a clean one, and a good detail, which generally costs no more than a hundred dollars, will pay for itself in the sale price of the car — or convince you to keep it, one.
Advertise!
For whatever reason, many people seem to think that simply putting a for sale sign on the car as it sits in their cul-de-sac will be enough to sell the vehicle. This is very rarely the case. While paying for an ad in the paper or a used car by owner magazine can be a very effective way to sell your car, there are also free alternatives such as Craigslist. Other free advertising venues may exist in your community as well.
Is it Worth It?
It is important to mention that, nowadays, if you want to get more than trade-in value for your vehicle, it is not necessary to go through all the rigmarole of dealing with individual prospective buyers. Many dealerships, large and small, will buy cars from owners even if the owners are not buying a car from them. However, though the offers are typically higher than the normal trade-in value, they are still generally much lower than what one could get by selling the car themselves.
- How Can I Sell My Car?
- What Paperwork do I Need to Sell my Car?
- How to Sell a Used Car?
- How Much Should I Sell My Car For?
- How Do I Sell A Car?
