Selling a car is much different now than ever before. There are many options available to market and sell your used vehicle.
In the not so distant past, there were two ways to sell your used vehicle. You could trade it in on a new vehicle, or you put a classified ad in the local newspaper. These options were restrictive, in that the buyer was likely to be found in a smaller geographical area. The amount of money that you were likely to get for your vehicle was directly related to the overall economic conditions of your local area.
Things have changed for the average person who wants to cash in on their used car.
With the advance of technology, compared to even ten years ago, you can now list your vehicle for sale world-wide.
There are a few things that you need to take into consideration once you have decided to sell your car.
You will need to get the paperwork related to your vehicle together. The new owner will need a clear title, a bill of sale, and any warranty books or service records. The worth of your vehicle increases when you can present maintenance records.
If your state requires the license plate to go with the car, you will need the license plate and registration; otherwise, the new owner will provide their own license plate.
You then need to decide how you want to sell your car.
There are trade magazines, such as Auto Trader, that cater to specific car types. If your vehicle falls into that category, the magazine has both an online and a print version.
Your local newspaper is still an option, although the circulation area will be limited when you compare it to an online listing with places like craigslist, or eBay Motors. Both of those give you thousands of opportunities for people to see your ad. Both online sources have a history of successful transactions.
Craigslist is cost effective, as there is no charge for listing, however, you are limited to your metropolitan area, as opposed to global with eBay Motors. Craigslist does generate outside views for your listing as the listings are picked up by the search engines, so it is possible to have a buyer from outside your area. eBay Motors on the other hand, is a much easier venue for someone in the market to shop for a vehicle.
It is also possible to take advantage of websites that purchase cars outright such as cash for cars . If you are looking to get cash for used cars, they make it very easy for you to fill out an online form with your information, or call their 1-800 number.
No matter which way you choose to go, the options for selling your vehicle have never been greater.
In the last few years I have bought and sold a fair number of cars. I would say Craigslist is the easiest to deal with, as it is local, but harder to find what you’re looking for obviously.
Ebay motors can be interesting, and I have made one purchase. Often you have to know you want to buy the vehicle in advance because you have to travel.
I have had the worst luck with Autotrader because it seems most of the privately sold cars are not very good and the dealers are generally overpriced.
And never forget, you can almost always junk a car for about $300!