Getting rid of an extra car

[harley]

We are a three car family with only two drivers. In the past we've lent our spare car to DD for use in the winter, but now that we're going to start snowbirding and moving our primary residence to FL we've decided to get rid of one. We also are people who drive a car until it's ready to be compacted, so we haven't sold or traded in a car with any value in quite a while. And we don't want another car right now, so trading it in is off the table.

My question is, what is the best way to deal with the car? We took it into CarMax today and got a price on it that is pretty close to the KBB trade in value ($15K). I suspect if we sold it ourselves we would be looking at an extra $2-3K. But the last time I sold a car was in the '70s, and I listed it in the Washington Post. I guess now you list it on Craigslist?

Is it worth it? I don't particularly like wheeling and dealing. Since we're FIREd we're available to show it and such. I'm just not sure the additional money is worth the hassle of worrying about fraud or hustlers.

Any suggestions or descriptions of the process y'all have done or would prefer? Thanks.

 

[bbbamI]

We are a three car family with only two drivers. In the past we've lent our spare car to DD for use in the winter, but now that we're going to start snowbirding and moving our primary residence to FL we've decided to get rid of one. We also are people who drive a car until it's ready to be compacted, so we haven't sold or traded in a car with any value in quite a while. And we don't want another car right now, so trading it in is off the table.

My question is, what is the best way to deal with the car? We took it into CarMax today and got a price on it that is pretty close to the KBB trade in value ($15K). I suspect if we sold it ourselves we would be looking at an extra $2-3K. But the last time I sold a car was in the '70s, and I listed it in the Washington Post. I guess now you list it on Craigslist?

Is it worth it? I don't particularly like wheeling and dealing. Since we're FIREd we're available to show it and such. I'm just not sure the additional money is worth the hassle of worrying about fraud or hustlers.

Any suggestions or descriptions of the process y'all have done or would prefer? Thanks.

IMO...no.

I sold my Acura a few years ago to an Acura dealership at a fair price.

There's no way I'd let a stranger drive my car alone. ..and I certainly would not get in the car with a stranger.

 

[Sue J]

The advantage to Craigslist is that it's FREE. You can post pictures and a detailed description and later go back and make changes if needed. It's very local and you can keep all your communications through the Craigslist email until you need to meet in person. Prospective buyers can search by location, make, model, year, price, etc.

I sold an old car on Craigslist in 2009. I had a few inquiries and then had a couple of people who wanted to come and look at it and test drive. I only did this when DH was also going to be at home. Cash only.

The car sold to the 2nd visitor, for $250 and I was thrilled to get that much, so it was a much different car than you are selling!

In your situation a little extra hassle to sell it yourself could be worth the money. Just be very cautious and extra aware of anybody's sob story. I had an email from a guy who said he had a wife and kid and another on the way within a month and was just waiting for his Friday paycheck and then he'd buy it. Never showed up to look at it. Another guy offered to trade me his undeveloped property next to a trailer park 2 hours away. All these sob stories for a 19 year old car!

If you are not in a rush you could try a Craigslist ad for a week or two and if it doesn't sell for more than the CarMax price you can delete the ad and take it to CarMax.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

IMO...no.

I sold my Acura a few years ago to an Acura dealership at a fair price.

There's no way I'd let a stranger drive my car alone. ..and I certainly would not get in the car with a stranger.

We sold a car recently to a dealership for the same reason. DH looked up the price to expect from a dealership online, one offered that and we accepted.

Then they tried all sorts of shenanigans to pay a lower price or take the car and not pay us until some later date (I assume that would end up being never) so we just had to keep saying give us the check now for the full amount we agreed on or we leave with the car. They kept trying to negotiate down after we already had made a deal, saying things like what do you want for the car? I want the price we agreed on 10 minutes ago. Oh I didn't realize it had a ding or that it was as old as it was? I'll have to knock off $200 for that. Knock away, we will leave with the car and sell it somewhere else. There must be a used car dealers' manifesto out there somewhere that they have to at least try annoying stuff like that at least five times before they actually give you the check.

So that was weird and annoying but personally I would still do that rather than let a stranger from CL drive our car with or without us in it.

 

[aja8888]

We sold our last three used cars on Craigslist(2) and one on our local community classifieds. Simple and safe procedure if you are careful:

Place a good ad, explain all faults and good points of the car.

Post pictures.

Accept only cash and put this in the ad.

Insist on phone communication only (no texts, e-mails).

Meet at a bank parking lot.

Bring a friend to have two of you on the test drive.

Request to see the potential buyer's driver's license.

Have the title transfer paperwork with you and if you make a deal, make sure the buyer signs all required forms/title. Make a copy for you. (or just meet at the DMV together to handle transfer).

I also have sold (and bought) a car on eBay with no problems.

I'm not afraid of meeting strangers....the world is chock full of them!

 

[Meadbh]

In May of this year a young father in Ontario advertised his truck for sale online. He accompanied potential buyers on a test drive. He was targeted and brutally murdered and his body was incinerated.

Killers targeted Tim Bosma: Cops | Chatham Daily News

This is the advice sellers are getting from police.

The Star

 

[aja8888]

Your The Star link is not working for me (Firefox)?

 

[meierlde]

Depending on the rules in the state, if one privately sells a car one does not know if the new owner registers the car. With a dealer that is taken care of. In a private sale do you take the license plates? Dealers in Tx at least now remove the plates when you trade a vehicle in, since they have their own plates. If you sell the car and it is driven with your plates you could get at least possibly charged with toll gate jumping or worse.

 

[Meadbh]

I am sorry the link does not work for you. This might be due to one of three factors.

1. Incompatibility with Firefox or
2. Lack of access outside Canada or
3. The fact that I sent it from the iPad app.

Let's try the email link:

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/201...hould_exercise_caution_with_online_sales.html

If this does not work you might try googling "Tim Bosma" and "Toronto Star". In any case the advice is broadly similar to what you posted.

 

[easysurfer]

CarMax is an easy place to get rid of a used car.

I think you may have answered your own questions in that the price quoted is closes to KBB's value, plus you don't like to wheel and deal.

 

[Al in Ohio]

I sold my last car on Craigslist and its pretty easy. I let the lady take it to her mechanic and check it out. Don't ever drive with the person, just make a copy of their ID and let em take it just like a dealer would. Best thing that might happen is that they steal it! I heard some posters worry that they might steal it or wreck it. Well if you have it properly insured you just got yourself an instant clean sale at full KBB resale value with no hassle if that we're to occur so you win even if that rare event would occur. You can get at least $1000 or more over dealer trade in for a few hours work.

Once they agree to a sale you take a minimum $500 deposit ( cashier check only or cash) and when the sale is made simply drive amd meet at your bank or credit union, take the balance in another cashiers check, deposit while there into your bank account and then sign over the title to them in front of the person at your bank who is a notary and get them to notarize the title sign over. They will gladly do this for free since you just made a big deposit. Then remove your plates and let them install their old plates or bring a temp tag and drive off. Your done. They can use another cars plates that they own for three days until they get a transfer at the local bmv.

 

[aja8888]

Meadbh, thanks, that link worked. Sad story, precaution is the name of the game.

Not to change the subject, but this had me thinking. Where I live (Houston area) we are experiencing a rash of residential home break ins during daylight hours. Scary stuff, and these are in middle class neighborhoods.

 

[Al in Ohio]

Depending on the rules in the state, if one privately sells a car one does not know if the new owner registers the car. With a dealer that is taken care of. In a private sale do you take the license plates? Dealers in Tx at least now remove the plates when you trade a vehicle in, since they have their own plates. If you sell the car and it is driven with your plates you could get at least possibly charged with toll gate jumping or worse.

You always would remove your plates at the time of sale in any state. Why would you even consider leaving your plates on? Doing so is illegal. When your sign a title over the vehicle is no longer yours and the plates are instantly un assigned to the car. The new owner needs to bring their own plates off another one of their cars or prepay and bring along a temp tag. This is why they pay a deposit first and the balance later at time of sale. Selling a car is a two step process and requires an initial agreement of sale with deposit and then the final sale a day or few days later.

 

[aja8888]

You always would remove your plates at the time of sale in any state. Why would you even consider leaving your plates on? Doing so is illegal. When your sign a title over the vehicle is no longer yours and the plates are instantly un assigned to the car. The new owner needs to bring their own plates off another one of their cars or prepay and bring along a temp tag. This is why they pay a deposit first and the balance later at time of sale. Selling a car is a two step process and requires an initial agreement of sale with deposit and then the final sale a day or few days later.

In Texas, the plates go with the sale of the car.

 

[Telly]

You always would remove your plates at the time of sale in any state. Why would you even consider leaving your plates on? Doing so is illegal. When your sign a title over the vehicle is no longer yours and the plates are instantly un assigned to the car. The new owner needs to bring their own plates off another one of their cars or prepay and bring along a temp tag. This is why they pay a deposit first and the balance later at time of sale. Selling a car is a two step process and requires an initial agreement of sale with deposit and then the final sale a day or few days later.

Well, that depends. Here's an odd story:

Back in the 90's we went to pick up a new car we had ordered, it had just come in. We took over the car that the new one would replace, but I had planned on selling the old one myself. But while we were doing the pickup, they asked about the car we drove in with. They wanted to look at it and maybe make us an offer. OK. They made a too low offer - NO. then another, then another, the last one was up to my well...ok level. I didn't take the plates off of it, nor inspection sticker off of the windshield. It was on their used car lot for a few days, then gone.

Fast forward at least 13 years later... I get a letter from a town saying that my inoperable car was a nuisance and violated ordinance such and such, and I had 10 days to respond or it would be towed away never to return. Said the letter was sent out to the address that it was at, and to the last registered owner. Even had my old license plate # on it!

I drove to the address, sure enough, in the driveway off the alley in back, there it was with the same license plates on it. It was like entering a time warp! Looked pretty good except for a dent that it didn't have before. The front end was up on jackstands and the CV axle shafts were out of it, and one rear tire was flat. I knocked at the front door, nobody home, but it was mid-morning on a work day.

I called the town office that issued the citation, they said that state records showed that I owned it. I went over there and they called in a cop to talk with me, he said there was a form I could send in to the state to have my name removed from it, after I told him the trade-in story.

I also went back to my city's PD and had them look it up. They said I am the owner of record. They agreed it was pretty strange.

I called up the state DMV, after getting shunted here and there, ended up talking with a DMV field office. They looked it up, yup, I own it. I told them the story, and when she was about to hang up, she suddenly said "let's try this..." and then told me she had found another screen that showed that the dealership had sold it to a trust, and that the trust owned it, not me anymore. I asked why no one else had found that out, she said most people (herself included I guess) never make another search for additional record screens. Sounded like a failure-prone system display idea to me!

I drove by about two or three weeks later, and the car was gone. Could have been moved into the garage, I don't know. It's like it surfaced for a few weeks and then disappeared. Cue the Outer Limits music!

 

[Sarah in SC]

We buy and sell our vehicles solely through craigslist. You've gotten some good advice here, and I think it is worth it for the hassle factor to try to sell it yourself first. Craigslist is pretty user friendly, and you just have to be smart.

Sadly, our community just lost a very promising, yet too-trusting young man who was senselessly murdered by two thugs who wanted to steal his car. Alex Apps made the mistake of getting in the car with his would-be purchasers.

Holler if you want some specifics from DH on the selling we've done, or just want to hear a really good story about the small time drug dealer we once sold a car to, who paid us all in $5s and $10s.

 

[youbet]

Depending on the rules in the state, if one privately sells a car one does not know if the new owner registers the car. With a dealer that is taken care of. In a private sale do you take the license plates? Dealers in Tx at least now remove the plates when you trade a vehicle in, since they have their own plates. If you sell the car and it is driven with your plates you could get at least possibly charged with toll gate jumping or worse.

NEVER leave your plates on your car when you sell it, no matter who you sell it too. I can't imagine even considering leaving your plates on the car as a remote possibility.

 

[youbet]

Is it worth it?.

I recently sold a 1996 Mercury Sable with 140k miles. I inherited the car from my dad in 1997 with 4k miles on it and it turned out to be an amazingly comfortable and reliable car that lasted a long time.

The Sable developed some minor issues I didn't want to deal with and DW's mom stopped driving so, once again, we got a low mileage creampuff from a parent when we purchased her car. The Sable became surplus.

I advertised the Sable on Craig's List and got quite a few calls and offers. But in our area, older inexpensive cars that are running well enough to drive away tend to attract "unusual" buyers. I had to listen to stories from single moms who wanted a guarantee they wouldn't have any mechanical issues with the car, folks asking to give me a few bux down and the rest later, folks who had to bring a translator and had no DL, folks who actually surprised me when they returned from the test drive, folks I was really glad to see leave my driveway, etc.

I took the car to Car Max and their offer was within $200 of the best offer I got from the Craig's List crowd. I didn't hesitate. They handled the paperwork on the spot and I walked away (literally) with a check in hand. No regrets.

Harley, your car is worth much more than my Sable and the difference between a Car Max offer and what you might get from a private party could be significant. Your pool of potential buyers might be less "challenging" than mine was here in an urban environment. Or not..........

Why don't you do a bit of research to determine a price you think you'd accept from a private buyer. Then get a Car max quote. If the difference is significant, try selling it yourself. If that turns into a hassle, and it might, just take it back to Car Max.

 

[NW-Bound]

Thank you youbet for telling your story.

Holler if you want some specifics from DH on the selling we've done, or just want to hear a really good story about the small time drug dealer we once sold a car to, who paid us all in $5s and $10s.

Pray tell. This is something that many readers would like to know, as it is a common interest.

I have a couple of old cars that I have been thinking about getting rid off. I often thought perhaps I should just give them to charities. I did in the past give a car to a needy friend of my daughter.

 

[Ronstar]

I sold my 150,000 mile grand Cherokee a couple of years ago through autotrader for $3600. Carmax offered me $2000.

 

[kramer]

I sold a 12 year old car via craigslist in 2008. I was able to explain in detail the significant problem with the air conditioning that I just didn't want to fix -- I had gotten a couple of estimates and the cost was going to be over a third of the blue book value of the car. I explained other problems -- it was pretty obvious I was an honest seller.

The very first day I posted on craigslist, a military guy who was very experienced fixing air conditioners came by and bought it. He was going to be able to fix it himself for significantly less, it was a win-win for both of us. All cash sale was easy due to lower price than OP is talking about (about $2900).

I found the right buyer because I left the ad up for a few more days and didn't get any other inquiries.

So craigslist really helped me due to the detailed description I was able to provide.

In California you sell the car with the plates -- the license plate stays the same after the sale. You, the seller, file a simple piece of paperwork with the Department of Motor Vehicles to notify them (in addition to your copy of the bill of sale and signed-over title which represents your release of liability). I had that DMV document in the mail the same day.

 

[Lakedog]

I have used Craigslist for a couple of autos and several boats. A couple of years ago, Carmax offered $11k for my Dad's Nissan van but it sold for $14.5k when I listed on Craigslist (for my step-mother after Dad passed away). I have never had any issues with buyers on Craigslist when selling autos or boats up to $20k. Most states where I have lived require removal of plates when you sell. To me, the additional $$ is well worth the slight hassle of showing/selling.

 

[Huston55]

We sold our last three used cars on Craigslist(2) and one on our local community classifieds. Simple and safe procedure if you are careful:

Place a good ad, explain all faults and good points of the car.

Post pictures.

Accept only cash and put this in the ad.

Insist on phone communication only (no texts, e-mails).

Meet at a bank parking lot.

Bring a friend to have two of you on the test drive.

Request to see the potential buyer's driver's license.

Have the title transfer paperwork with you and if you make a deal, make sure the buyer signs all required forms/title. Make a copy for you. (or just meet at the DMV together to handle transfer).

I also have sold (and bought) a car on eBay with no problems.

I'm not afraid of meeting strangers....the world is chock full of them!

Good advice here. I'd also accept a cashiers check in lieu of cash.

We recently sold a 10 yr old used car on Craigslist with no problems, following most of this advice. I've also purchased two cars from CarMax and was pleased both times; the no haggling policy is a benefit. I expect that works well in reverse.

You noted that you drive your cars until they're ready to be compacted. I didn't know that CarMax purchased older used autos; more than 10-12 yrs. S o, that may be an obstacle.

 

[rbmrtn]

You noted that you drive your cars until they're ready to be compacted. I didn't know that CarMax purchased older used autos; more than 10-12 yrs. S o, that may be an obstacle.

I have used Carmax also and been happy with them. Unloaded a 15yr clunker with 220k+ miles. Their sites says they make an offer for any age, mileage, condition.

 

[Sarah in SC]

So, here's my great story: as most of you know, we buy old cars and run them into the ground. The POS fleet varies, and none cost over $3k or so to begin with, so we sell to a bottom feeder market when we do sell. In fact, a few were sold by the pound instead.

This was our 1987 Cutlass Ciera. We'd put up a little flyer in the auto parts store in addition to Craigslist (which, if you know the local NAPA like we do, isn't a bad idea and they usually don't mind). This fellow named Pierre from the next island over called up DH to see the car. Don took it to him, and I was to meet them there. By the time I got there, Pierre's test driving had been to get in, turn up the stereo pretty loud, and sit in the driveway for a few minutes. I guess he reasoned it drove pretty well if it made it to his house.

When I pulled up, they'd settled on a price, $800, and Pierre started going through his pockets (a huge duster-type coat with a big fur collar, in Charleston, in May). He pulled out a wad of cash from each one, laying them on the hood as he went. Finally, he decided he'd exhausted Bank of Pierre, and told us he was heading into his Grandmamma's house to get some more. When he came back out, he and DH both counted the money, and gave it to me to count again as they finished the title signing business.

I hadn't finished counting by the time DH came and got in the car, it was that many bills. But he just said to drive the hell out of there and we'd not worry about any shortage at this point, just go!

It turns out, he'd given us about $80 more than we'd asked for, which was pretty funny. The next time we saw the car, it had super dark tint but still had our "My Border Collie is smarter than your honor student" bumper sticker. A perfect undercover drug transporter is what we sold him, as it turns out.

I was worried the cops would come investigate me when I deposited the money; as I was sure it was COATED in whatever he was selling. Yikes.

Here's some photos of the car and the cash. Still, we were in no danger at any time, and it was definitely an entertaining exchange. FWIW, I've sold cars to single moms before and none hassled me for a better deal, however I wound up giving them one anyway.