Best Way To Sell a Car Quick Tips
- The best way to sell a car depends on your preference for convenience and speed or getting the highest sale price.
- Be honest about the vehicle’s condition, its service history, and any potential repairs, especially if the buyer is someone you know.
- Parking the car displaying a “for sale” sign is good if you can wait for the best price, but that’s probably not the best place to sell a car fast.
When the time comes to sell a vehicle, most people will list the car in some form of classified ad and hope for the best. But there’s more than one way to sell. Gone are the days of buying an inch-long text block in the local paper’s classified section. The internet has transformed car sales into a multi-dimensional universe.
Even so, there are other ways, and the one you choose will have a lot to do with your individual circumstances. For example, if you’re selling a 12-year-old Honda Civic, you might choose a different sales venue than you would if you were trying to unload a mint condition 1956 Lincoln Continental Mark II. Either way, you’ll want to establish the car’s Kelley Blue Book value as a baseline.
Check out these best ways to sell a car:
1. Word of Mouth
This can be one of the best, easiest ways to sell a car or truck. Bring the car to work, drive your kids to school in it, and park it at your gym festooned with neatly-printed for-sale signs. Ask around at work, school, church, or whatever, to see if anyone is looking to buy a car. The plus side of this scenario is that you won’t have to deal with unknown people and flakes you could encounter by throwing a listing up in an online marketplace.
But make sure the car is in tip-top condition if you intend to sell this way, and other methods, too. Address any safety recalls and take care of needed repairs to the vehicle. You don’t want someone you work with coming back to you a couple of weeks later with complaints about how the vehicle is running. If there are mechanical problems, or the interior smells like 3-year-old corn chips and gym socks, make sure you’re upfront about all that before you complete the sale. Also, be aware that selling a car to someone you know often subjects it to “bro deal” pricing. In other words, you may not get full market value. But a familiar sale also minimizes your exposure to people you might not want to know.
2. Instant Cash Offer
Kelley Blue Book’s Instant Cash Offer is a great, hassle-free way to sell a car or truck. You include some basic details about the car — VIN, mileage, features, etc. — write a description, and add photos. Based on your submitted information, you will receive a cash offer from participating dealerships, and there’s no obligation. It pays to be straightforward, realistic, and as detailed as possible in your description of the vehicle, though. A dealer may not share your rosy assessment of it — within reason, of course — and may offer a lower price when you actually bring the vehicle in for payment and transfer of ownership papers. But you’re not locked into the sale until you sign over your car title. If the dealer offers less than what they initially offered, you can walk away from the deal at any time.
3. Trade-in
If you expect to buy another car anyway, find out what your dealer will offer for the vehicle you need to get rid of. The old adage, “it never hurts to ask,” applies here. You may not think you have much they’ll be interested in, but you never know. Also, trade-ins reduce the hassle you’re likely to face selling the car on the open market. Instead of phone calls, missed appointments, working with strangers, and dealing with paperwork in multiple locations, you’ll get one-stop shopping on a trade-in. Sell old car, get new car — it’s as simple as that. The downside, of course, is that you won’t get nearly as much on a trade-in as you would in a private sale. But if convenience is your top priority, trading it in for another car is for you. Again, Kelley Blue Book values will also give you an idea of your vehicle’s trade-in worth before you step onto the showroom floor.
4. Sell to a Dealership
Like Instant Cash Offer, you can also try your luck by taking your vehicle to an independent dealership or the used car department at a new car dealership. It might be a good idea to call in first to see if the dealership will be interested in your vehicle’s year, make, and model. Like the trade-in, you’re not likely to get as much from a dealership as you would in a private sale, but dealerships are better equipped to handle a car you’re still paying off your auto loan.
5. Sell Privately
Last but certainly not least is the private sale. You could park your car — for sale sign prominently displayed — on that service road where lots of other people park cars they’re trying to unload. But the internet is tops for private sales if you’re trying to maximize your sale price on the open market. Various websites are available for selling cars, so it depends on the age of the vehicle.
If you’re selling a well-worn but still useful commuter car, you can always ask your neighbors on Nextdoor or your local Facebook Marketplace.
