Pricing my used vehicle for private sale

johnn7

Miles: 34000 Doors: 2
Transmission: Automatic
Interior: Black
Engine: 8 - Cyl.
Year: 2004

Get the Vehicle History Report
Title: Clear Exterior: Black
Condition: Like New

Options
Leather Seats CD Player Convertible Anti-Lock Brakes
Driver Airbag Passenger Airbag Air Conditioning Cruise Control
Power Locks Power Windows Power Seats...and others

jeffinnj

I've listed my car to sell on Autotrader with very few leads so far (after 3 weeks). I've gotten a call from national auto shopper (nationalautoshopper.com). I was wondering if anyone has experience with them or has even heard of them.

They say they'll advertise and try to sell my car for a relatively large fee ($500) on various auction sites as well as their own. They claim they make most of their money by reselling financing of the vehicles, and will expose and push the car to a nationwide audience through these sites and direct telephone calls.

While these seems like a reasonable business model (help people advertise and sell cars and take your profit from the financing), I'm very skeptical, especially since I can't find anything about them online through Google or forums that I've seen. If they are honest about their business, they probably will work hard to sell my car for more money than I can sell it locally, but for all I know they are just out to list as many cars as possible, collect their advertising fee, and stop there. Has anyone heard of them before?

rroyce10

..... Maybe your Ad is structured wrong .... what is it, whats the miles, color, model, condition, location and what are you asking .......?

Terry.

jaserb

"They claim they make most of their money by reselling financing of the vehicles"

If that were true, why would they charge a $500 listing fee?

-Jason

bolivar

I'm reading this as an up-front fee.

If so, RUN AWAY, RUN AWAY.

If the car still doesn't sell, you still have the unsold car, and out $500.

I just paid a 10% selling commission to a dealer that consigned two cars for me. Paid after the sale.

boomchek

Yeah write your ad here exactlyu as it appears in the autotrader and maybe we can help.

Kirstie_H

That's an extremely helpful/generous offer. Hopefully Jeff will post his ad here and get some good advice.

isellhondas

Those "autoshopper.com" companies are a dime a dozen and most of them are worthless.

Auto Trader tends to attract a lot of "non serious" shoppers.

You were given a good suggestion to post your ad here as it is written.

And, of course, you may have a car that appeals to few people or it may be overpriced?

In any event, I think your local newspaper may bring you better results.

detroit71

My 2000 Pontiac Grand Am was hit from behind, and with significant damage to the Rear frame rails it was declared totaled.I did not have full coverage at the time it was hit.Does anyone have an idea where I should try and sale the car for someone to part out or possibly fix for themselves.I would hate to take a total loss considering the Engine and Transmission are sound.

isellhondas

The person who hit you? Didn't they have insurance?

Your car is worth what a salvage yard will pay you for it...sorry. I suppose you could try to part it out yourself but this would be a difficult thing to do.

hull22

I have 2002 Toyota Camry LE, only 28K miles. Looking around a various used car pricing guides, the trade-in value ranges anywhere from 9K-12K for the car in good to excellent condition, retail between 10K-15K. I recently tried to see what I could get for it at a Lexus dealer(looking at the new IS250). They offered 7K, I was shocked.
Inside the car is in excellent condition. On the outside, there are scratches(look like black marks now) on the front right and left rear bumpers. There is a small dent(2cm) in the driver side door(thanks to a small strategically placed tree while I opened my door on a hill) and a barely noticeable bend in the right rear quarter panel(result of left rear bumper incident). I've had an autobody shop estimate the repair cost to be~$1000.
Should I repair it? or would the buyer rather buy the car slightly damaged than get a clean looking exterior that has been fixed, unsure of how severe the original damage was.
Thanks

rroyce10

.... Hull, this is how this posting stuff works ....

You write a question and someone will answer it in a day, maybe in 5, it's hard to say and it depends on Holidays and golf ... but you don't know if someone answers your post unless you *READ* the following posts and follow the conversation and the notes --- it's kinda like catching a bus .. if you don't look for one, you probably won't catch one .... got it.?

It's still the Holidays, so here's the post from the 30th ............ gheeeez, kids today.

===============================



>>>Re: Repair prior to trading in 2002 Camry? ... Hull22 ....... by rroyce10 Dec 30, 2005 (2:42 am)
Bookmark | Reply | E-mail Msg
Replying to: hull22 (Dec 26, 2005 10:51 am)

.... ** have a 2002 Toyota Camry LE auto, with power windows/locks, ABS as extras, low mileage ~30K. The only problem with selling at a good price are a a few dings from fender benders.
The front right bumper and rear left bumper have cosmetic scratches(no damage to the plastic underneath). The driver door has a very small dent that I will try to have fixed with Paintless Dent Removal. However, the main issue is when the left rear bumper incident occurred, the right rear quarter panel has a slight vertical crease in it.
My question is how much that, if unfixed, should reduce the trade in value of my car? Not sure how much it would cost to fix. Should I fix it?
I think in excellent condition, it should fetch somewhere around 10-11K as a trade-in and 12-13K in a private sale. Any help would be appreciated..**
===================================

>>>>>>>You didn't leave me a location or a color .. so today you live in Philly and it's a shiny black one .......

It's hard to say what the damage would cost without lookin' at it, it always -depends- on what it is ... that said, a dealer "might" see $500 or he "might" see $1,500 ...

Body work is always a funny thing .... just had a guy with a low mileage Titan with a "baby ding" on the drivers side rear bumper and a scratch about the size of a small Xmas ornament above it from some last minute shopping at Wal-mart .. his insurance company will pay him $1,950 to have the bumper replaced and have the rear quarter tail painted and blended ..... he doesn't understand why I will only give him $15,000 "fixed" and $18,0 "as it sits" --- it's easy to explain away a thumbnail dent and scratch, having the whole rear quarter shot and blended and then having to "Splain" it away all day makes for a tuff tuff sale .... got it.?

In your case .. the vehicle is probably worth in and around the low/mid $10's, maybe get real lucky and see the low low low low low $11's if you didn't miss the Christmas service at midnight .... me personally, I would send this one down Retail Rd .. a super detail, a Fat daddy Ad in the Big paper and: $13,495 *asking* and let someone insult me with $12,5ish .... but take it .... the small miles, the LE and the ABS should send it packing (properly done) ...

... don't forget to let me know ...........

Terry.

boomchek

So a month ago he was on the verge of bankruptcy, but now because he sold his car he was able to invest in real estate, and within a month became an investment banker and bought a 2006 SLR Maclaren and a 2006 7 Series.

If it's too good to be true.........

mirth

...of the mortgage commercials I hear on the radio where some guy is crowing about how ABC Mortgage was able to refinance him despite his bankruptcy and he was able to buy a new boat! Makes me shudder.

rroyce10

.... Boomcheck, why are you always exaggerating....? .. he never said that.

What he said was:

He was on the verge of bankruptcy ...

He hooked up with Blah Blah nation something ...

They sold his 1993 182,000 mile Cavalier for $28,000 ...

He just bought Donald Trumps 100 Million dollar West Palm home (with the lifetime free golf membership) ...

He just bought a Fountain 48ft offshore cruiser with the Arneson surface piercing drives for $750,000 ..

And he just got engaged to Angela Jolie ........



Hmmm, I need to find me some hi-mileage Cavaliers -- pronto.



Terry.

PS: Gooooooo Texas.!

rroyce10

**Vehicle #1: 2006 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren
Vehicle
#2: 2006 BMW 7 Series
Bio: i am an investment banker** ....l...o...l.....



Yep, and I'm the Pope ........



Anyway .. can you get me a date with her.? ~Yowza.!~



Terry.

guss

Read between the lines. Nicky, from NY NY, Investment banker.

Youse guys better watch who you get mad or you will be sleeping wid da fishes.

isellhondas

The hosts haven't seen it yet, I'm sure.

sebring95

I have a friend with crap-piles of money and some exotic cars. I'm pretty sure he doesn't hang-out on these types of forums. Maybe a vintage racing forum or bmw enthusiast site....but not a "how to sell my car" forum :P Hey, if you're going to lie, lie BIG!

Kirstie_H

Bingo! We're here a lot, but no matter how I try, I can't be omnipresent, nor can I sit in a topic and hit "refresh" every few minutes to see if there are new inappropriate posts

Please don't hesitate to e-mail me if you see a problem, though - I *am* actually on that most of the day/night.

black_tulip

though - I *am* actually on that most of the day/night.

Are you sure? I see the offending post was there before Jan 04 12PM (when boomcheck's response appears to that message) and your response comes around Jan 05 7:46PM. Almost a day +7 hours before you took it out. I think somebody is slacking off!

Kirstie_H

On e-mail, hombre.

rroyce10

.... Now don't pick on Kirstie .. she's got the Holiday thing, the kid thing, the work thing and she works her butt off ..... plus, she's got a little side action going on and wants to have a life ...



How about those Longhorns ........??



Terry.

fred3

I have a 1997 Toyota Camry LE with 108,000 miles on it. Three months ago, the transmission had to be completely rebuilt. If I now try to sell the car, is the new transmission a plus (won't need to be replaced soon?) or a minus (once it's given trouble, it's likely to give trouble again?) or just neutral?

Thanks.

rroyce10

..... This is a "time" thing not a repair thing ... it's a 10 year old Yota with 100k+ .. now if it was 5 years old, then most folks would be walkin' the other way ..

If you have all the records, it's clean, the interior doesn't look like Bonnie and Clydes last 5 minutes on Earth and the tranny was done by someone reputable - not Billy Bob's Tranny and Bait shop .. then you could *ask* $5,900 and probably see the strong $4's ....

I'm sure you'll get a few folks that will "gasp" at the thought that Toyota's can break, but they do .. it's a piece of machinery, not the Holy Grail ..


Terry.

julief

Hey all -
I am trying to sell my 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer ES, and am having trouble. It's posted on the major Atlanta newspaper website as well as Auto Trader, but we haven't gotten a single call or email in 2 months!!! Here are the stats:

2004, 43K, great condition, white, automatic, power locks, windows, CD player...

Any suggestions on how long I should wait before we just give up and sell it to a dealer? We owe on it, and are just trying to break even at 10K. Thanks for any advice!

jproc

If it hasn't sold in 2 months without even getting an inquiry -its a pretty safe bet you are asking way too much.Go the the trade in values discussion and post the details-

julief

Thanks for the advice!

isellhondas

For whatever reason, used Mitsubishi's just aren't good sellers at all. Kind of like Saturns. Not bad cars, but people just walk by them.

nhedgecock

I know this is an old post but I'm wondering how you resolved this issue. I was going to complete a bill of sale but the verbiage led me to believe it wouldn't be legit. The versions I've seen state that the seller is the "lawful owner" and that the "vehicle is free of liens" which isn't really the case until the title is paid off.

nhedgecock

If anyone has advice for how to handle the private sale of a used car with an existing lien, I'd really appreciate some insight. My loan is held by Audi Financial Services and it will take 3-5 days to receive the title once I send a cashier's check which I will be unable to do until I receive the funds from the buyer. As would be expected, the buyer wants something in return for his check but a typical Bill of Sale won't work because it uses language such as "seller is lawful owner" and "vehicle is free of liens". To complete a bill of sale prior to paying off the title wouldn't be legit, would it? Are there any other legal/binding documents that can be used in this situation?

sebring95

Change the document. Remove the "vehicle is free of liens" part and insert appropriate language to reflect what you're doing. There's a certain level of trust in these situations, but if you're an established individual (not a drifter passing through or something) the buyer will have ample legal recourse if you don't fullfil your part of the deal.

cccompson

To help assure a potential buyer, you might also have her/him pay you with a check made out to both yourself and the lienholder.

A bill of sale is fine just so long as it includes language acknowledging the lien and that you will remove it.

ral2167

hi... am selling my car and a potential purchaser read my ad in paper and called asking for the VIN number (for car fax purposes); anyway, is it OK to give out the VIN number of a car over the phone? i assume it's ok.

jipster

The caller wants a VIN # without even looking at or test driving your car? That's odd. I assume he/she is calling potential prospects then weeding out those that don't pass the Carfax report.I believe you can buy individual reports or all the way up to a months worth of Carfax reports for specific amount of $. The dude is probably trying to get his moneys worth.

In looking at an old Carfax report of mine. It gives the original owners city and state...no other personal information, if that is what you are worried about.

bolivar

One thing you could do is run, and pay for, the Carfax yourself. You can then tell people on the phone, or in person you have this and will let them look at it.

There is the 'urban legend' about people using a VIN to cut a new key and stealing your car. But since you can get any cars VIN by looking thru the windshield..... And, dealers SHOULD be obtaining some kind of ID and documentation about car ownership (registration, etc) before they cut a key for anyone.

zachattack1

I have been fruitlessly searching online for a company I once saw an advertisement for who will come to your home appraise your vehicle and take it on the spot. Does anyone know the name of this company? thanks for any help.

mstoner

It only takes one bad experience to decide never to sell yourself again.

Luckily bad things only happen to the other guy.

juicymoose

I recently put my Chevy S10 on the market in Washinton state. There is currently no sales tax, and I have had a few out of state "potential" buyers ask about the vehicle online. Has anyone had any experience selling vehicles to out of state buyers? I am asking for a cashiers check or cash. I am wondering if this is the case will the buyer as to have the title mailed to them if they agree to buy. That doesn't really agree with me. That would be a bizarre situation though. I mean, who would want to buy a car half way across the country? Could it be a scam? I got 3 emails from different people but all within a span of 1 hour. That was two days ago. None from anyone else since. Maybe I am a little bit too defensive, but I don't want to get ripped off. Anyway, let me know. Thanks.

sebring95

Just watch out for folks claiming they'll send you a cashiers check for MORE than your selling price and ask you to send them a refund for the balance. That's a scam. You'll also want to hold any check, (cashiers/mo, etc.) for at least 10 days, maybe more. There's a lot of bogus cashiers checks floating around these days and it takes the banks awhile to figure it out. When they do, they'll want their money back and you're out a title. I've done a few deals acrossed state lines, and it's not a big deal at all. You just sign your title however your state requires and give it to the buyer. It's their responsibility to transfer the title to their state.

tsgeisel

It's probably a scam. Unless your car is truck is significantly underpriced, or the people are within easy driving distance (or from a sufficiently rural area), there's not going to be any deal that's worth a long drive, or shipping a car. Not for an S10 anyway...

Ask your bank how long it takes a cashiers check to clear. If you do decide to go with one of these folks, hold the car until the check *actually* clears - because if it's a fraudulant check, you'll have to pay the money back.

juicymoose

Good advice. Thanks

juicymoose

That is exactly what happened. One guy said he was sending a check for $500 more and the other guy was sending me a check for $3000 more! I feel sorry for the people that fall for these jokers. Thanks

bobst

1) The guy sends you a cachiers check for $10000 (for example)

2) You cash the cashiers check

3) You get ready to ship the car to him

4) He calls and says his plans changed. If you refund him $8000, you can keep your car.

5) You keep the car and send him a check for $8000.

6) In a few days, your bank says the $10000 cashiers check has bounced. You need to pay back the $10000 to the bank.

7) In the meantime, the guy has cashed your check for $8000.

In summary, you still have the car but you are out $8000.

Too bad the creative guys who think of these scams don't use their superior intelligence to something more productive. Oops- sorry! That last comment made me sound like a Democrat.

backy

I have a slightly different situation. I am selling a car to my sister, who lives out of state. She will fly in today and pick the car up, and drive it home in a few days.

My question is regarding ownership. She wants to have both of our names on the title because the car has a 10-year, 100,000 mile powertrain warranty (Hyundai) that still has 4.5 years and 58,000 miles left. Are there any risks involved with having my name on the title of this car (she is my sister and is generally trustworthy), and would there be any problems in getting the warranty honored, with my name on the title with hers but she lives 1500 miles away?

jlawrence01

Are there any risks involved with having my name on the title of this car (she is my sister and is generally trustworthy), and would there be any problems in getting the warranty honored, with my name on the title with hers but she lives 1500 miles away?

She is coming home from work. She had a rough day and is distracted in her driving. She takes a right turn and strikes two pedestrian and leaves a child on life support.

Who will be sued?

Your sister as driver and as co-owner.
You as co-owner.

I guess you could carry insurance on the vehicle and cover it. But why?

backy

This is exactly the kind of situation I was wondering about. Can I, as the car owner, be sued if my sister is involved in an accident, when she is the driver? I am wondering how I could be held at fault in a situation like that. But if you are certain about this, I definitely don't want to have my name on the title.

jipster

You may want to check with your insurance agent about the pros and cons of such an "arrangement".

ral2167

how does a bank check or cashier's check bounce? i thought the point was not to get a personal check, but to insist on a bank check, to ensure payment? how shouwld one then ensure payment when sellin a car privately, other than accept cash?

bobst

"how does a bank check or cashier's check bounce?"

Well, I'm no expert on things like this, but if the cashiers check was a complete fake your bank might accept it and only discover it was a fake a few days later.

"how shouwld one then ensure payment when sellin a car privately, other than accept cash?"

I have no idea. I have always been paid in cash when I sold a car.