It's been a very long time since I have tried to sell a vehicle myself. From what I recall it's an endless parade of people who want to meet and lowball so they can flip or people who simply don't have the money. What are your tips as I wade into this cesspool? BTW, it's a 2013 Yukon Denali so it's probably worth mid 20's if that makes a difference. Should I preorder a carfax to give to people?

Carvana was giving very strong prices a month ago.
[www.carvana.com]

Carvana or Carmax would probably be my first option if I were selling - I have neither the time nor the inclination to dink around with @#$%& anymore.

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It is what it is.

I'll give you $3500.

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MacResource User Map: [www.zeemaps.com]#

Pick a place to meet that is convenient for you. 5 mins (or less) away from where you live. McDonalds, bank, gas station parking lot... This way, if/when the buyer doesn't show up. Or lowballs. Or gives you excuses. You can easily laugh in their face, drive away and be home in 5 mins. No biggie.

EDIT**
Oh and be realistic with the price. I don't even need to see the car and feel "mid 20s" is too high for a 2013 Yukon Denali. Realistic price of what you feel it's worth. Versus. Realistic price for it to sell.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/12/2020 03:42PM by d4.

Carfax is a nice touch, speaking as a buyer. If you want top dollar, maintenance records and a recent safety inspection, if your state has them.

We post our cars to friends and associates first before taking out an ad. If we can't find a buyer there, then we advertise more widely.

If you have your car serviced by a local shop ask them if they know of anyone, as they can vouch for the state of the vehicle.
Our local shop helped us sell our daughter's car when she moved to NYC a few years ago.

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Roswell, GA (Atlanta suburb)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/12/2020 03:46PM by rgG.

d4, I looked at Kelly Bluebook and at Auto Trader to see prices for my area. They sell for $29k at a dealership but of course I'm not a dealership. I am having it detailed and serviced prior to selling it though. Kelly Bluebook says $22-26k. I'm sure there are cheaper Yukon's than mine.

I had never heard of Carmax or Carvana and those are great suggestions for no hassle. Unfortunately no nearby location. :-(

Thanks for the good suggestions.

Unless you have exceptionally low mileage, you are priced high. I see Denalis with 120,000-130,000 miles for ~$18k.

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“No persons are more frequently wrong, than those who will not admit they are wrong.”
-- François de La Rochefoucauld

Growing older is mandatory. Growing up is optional.

I make a time that I tell people when I'll be showing the car. If they're serious, they'll come see it. Also depends on the amount of emails you get. Or you could do the "I don't reply without a phone number" thing, as I think that further winnows the losers. But, if you are not getting any bites, it may be in your interest to be lenient on the terms of viewing.

Also, take the folks out for a drive with you driving and let them judge whether or not they want to drive. Depends a lot on the car, of course and the folks it attracts.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/12/2020 04:19PM by mrbigstuff.

Car has 86k miles. Loaded. It will be what it will be. I’m not going to price it lower than any other ad in my area just because somebody found a high mileage version somewhere else.

Thanks for the good advice.

Couple of things...

1) Never sell to someone you know...everytime we have done that something odd happens and it gets awkward.

2a) When I have sold privately, I generally am willing to price it a bit lower than expected just to make happy buyers and quick sales.

2b) At your price range, people probably will not have that much cash on hand. In fact our local bank branch won't give me that much cash unless I give few days notice. Even cash can be counterfeit.

2c) Do not accept a check direct from the person. Do not accept a cashiers check from a bank that is delivered by the buyer. Insist that the transaction be done at their branch, with you present for the making of the cashiers check.

2d) Many states require that you have a smog check done before selling (within last 90 days). In this town its a PITA to get that done.

That was more than a couple. Expect spammers and lowballers of every variety to make your life miserable.

At my age, and being a bit more financially stable the days, if a vehicle is new enough to trade in or sell to a dealer or CarMax, I'll take that route. Talk to local dealers as they will often buy your car even if you are not buying. It saves many headaches.

The only cars I sell now are those that are older...most recently a 92 Miata and a 2001 Tacoma. Both of those deals had significant issues. I need to sell a 98 Tacoma of my sons this month...not looking forward to it.

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“Live your life, love your life, don’t regret…live, learn and move forward positively.” – CR Johnson
Loving life in Lake Tahoe, CA

Meet them at the local PD parking lot. That typically weeds out any troublemakers. Our PD actually set up an area in the lot for legal transactions. All monitored by cameras.

That being said, I would give up a couple hundred dollars to sell to a company and avoid all the headaches that can come from a private sale.

In these days of COVID I would avoid doing a private sale and instead take the lower price I would get from a car sales or consignment company. Too much health risk driving around with strangers.

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"In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion." (1987) -- Carl Sagan

Craigslist.

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Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.

Markintosh, I had not thought about the payment. I've never gone into a bank with someone to get a cashiers check. I'm not even sure it's possible right now.

davester, I hear you about the lower price from the consignment company. I think if I lived close enough to one I would do that. My normal dealership is going to give me a price for the car this week but I'm not going to hold my breath. We will see.

I've sold one higher value car private party, and about 30 cheap ones.

The one I sold was a 2016 Subaru Forester 2 or 3 years ago. Was only a few years old and had around 60k miles I think. Sold it on Craigslist, surprisingly. I screened the crap out of people. Didn't reply back to 90% of the messages, google searched people's names and phone numbers. If anything didn't look perfect I just skipped it. Went with Harold and Ava who left their cell number and address in the very well written email and used an old school AOL address.

Ended up being an older lady and her husband, we did the transaction at MY bank, in person. They paid with a IRA or some sort of retirement account check. My bank called their bank verified the funds, their bank called the lady directly to verify her identity, then they did some kind of a transaction that moved the cash immediately. I had a loan on the car for the full purchase amount that they paid, so really, it was my bank that needed to cover their own butt as they would be the one losing their money if it went south. In WI the banks hold the titles electronically, all I get is a registration card. My bank transferred/sent the title electronically to the DMV in the new owners name and as far as I know they drove right over there and got it registered. I never heard anything after that.

I wouldn't worry too much about COVID for the transaction part anyway. Most banks are still doing business in person, you might have to make an appointment, but you can definitely get it done.

I'd also like to be the first to personally low ball you to flip it, and I don't have the money. So if you'd take $10k I'd be eternally grateful. Thanks!

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C(-)ris
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/12/2020 09:24PM by C(-)ris.

A friend found it so stressful to sell used cars that he would just give them to friends.

It was an easy decision—when I immigrated to Canada—to donate my old (IIRC, over 200k miles) pick-up to the local food bank. The import duty was not worth it.

Todd’s freeboard

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Todd's keyboard
A friend found it so stressful to sell used cars that he would just give them to friends.

It was an easy decision—when I immigrated to Canada—to donate my old (IIRC, over 200k miles) pick-up to the local food bank. The import duty was not worth it.

Todd’s freeboard

I'd be cautious even giving them away to friends. Kind of like giving them a computer and they call you for tech support forever.

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C(-)ris
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Zelle sends money that is generally irreversible, but won't do that much money. The money should be done at a bank. Cashiers checks are not reliable.

Craigslist - 60% of asking price is a good starting point in general.


Friend of a friend bought a Yukon with 90K miles for $31,000 dollars at a dealer - unbelievable by me, but looking around not out of line.


Around here you take the plates off when sold.

Make sure you get a copy of their ID and a copy of the title or bill of sale (not a big deal at this price, but helps if they get a ticket or tow bill - not unusual at the cheap end of the used car spectrum).

Ask the local Chevy dealership what they would give you for it. Used cars in some areas are selling at a 15% premium.

I agree with ADent, don't forget to record all their info to transfer title. Some states are lax on this. You want data to give to the police when it gets caught on camera in a hit-and-run accident a month after you sell it (that happened to my brother when he sold mom's car).

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In tha 360. MRF User Map

Dave,

Lots of good advice. Two key things:

1. If the person wants to leave a deposit for the vehicle, make sure you confirm in writing that deposits are not refundable.

2. If a private sale, , then definitely put together a bill of sale which includes the following:

Name and address of both the buyer and the seller

Year, make, model and color of vehicle

Miles on the odometer

Pictures of the front, back, sides and top of the vehicle.

The statement "This vehicle is sold "as-is", the seller provides no warranty" (or something along those lines and that the vehicle cannot be returned.

A place with the buyers name and the sellers name where both can sign and date the document.

Once the Bill of Sale is signed, scan it with your cell phone and, if feasible, make photocopy of it for your records.

Robert



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/13/2020 09:51AM by Robert M.

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Robert M

1. If the person wants to leave a deposit for the vehicle, make sure you confirm in writing that deposits are not refundable.

Robert

Even that is not a guarantee. We sold an older Tacoma a couple of years ago to a fella that needed to leave a deposit and get cash from the bank for the rest. We did a similar bill of sale, as described, noting the non-refundable deposit.

Then we turned away the next 10 buyers in line.

The next day the buyer showed up again, with some extra muscle, insisting on getting his deposit back because he couldn't get his loan. He threatened violence. We mentioned police. He responded with "I know where you live". We gave his money back because life is too short.

We relisted on Craigslist and the next buyer got a fantastic deal because I was over it. What a pain in the patootie!

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“Live your life, love your life, don’t regret…live, learn and move forward positively.” – CR Johnson
Loving life in Lake Tahoe, CA

Mark,

You and I are very different. I don't take kindly to threats. In that situation, I'd've not even mentioned you'd call the police. I'd've excused myself and dialed 911 the moment the individual threatened me and made damn sure it was on on video. Having a paper trail helps, too. That's just me. 'course, this is one of the reasons you don't do transactions like this at home. You do it in a highly visible location. The parking lot of the local police station definitely comes to mind.

Robert

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Robert M
Mark,

You do it in a highly visible location. The parking lot of the local police station definitely comes to mind.

Robert

We were in front of the Sheriff's substation. The buyer had a copy of the reg card, as he needed that to obtain a loan. So he had our home info, had my phone number. It was just easier to just bail. I'm pretty much a pacifist. How many muscle friends did this guy have? Keeping a $1k deposit is not worth mine or my family's life.

Like I said, sold the truck less than 36 hours later for $500 less than originally listed.

Selling cars privately is a $#&% hassle.

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“Live your life, love your life, don’t regret…live, learn and move forward positively.” – CR Johnson
Loving life in Lake Tahoe, CA