How To Sell A Used Car
Are you about ready to buy that first new car, truck, SUV, or whatever suits your fancy? Up till now you've only always had the proverbial "clunker." So now before you make that all important purchase you must get rid of your latest clunker, and you've been advised against trading it in, the reason given, you will get more if you sell it outright. "I've never sold a car before," you say. So what do you do?
I should be an expert at this, because at one time I had to maintain 8 used vehicles. The reason for that is, I owned a business that depended on good running vehicles.The business was a same day courier service, and I provided the vehicles for the first eight employees, while others used their own. During the time I was in business, (Freta's Fast Delivery and Errand Service, 17 years), I bought, and sold numerous vehicles, (cars, vans, trucks), most times negotiating the deal personally, or with my ex-husband as my wing man. That being said, no I'm not an expert, however, I did learn a few things during the process, and what I didn't learn I researched. So herein is the benefit of my "expertise," and a bit from the Internet on selling a used vehicle.
Rules For Selling Used Cars
First, and foremost check your local laws. Laws vary from state to state, and country to country. For instance, some states allow you to drive the car with the "For Sale" sign prominently displayed, others don't.
A few basic legal rules for selling a used vehicle in California, USA:
- Within five days of transfer of title, the form, Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability must be submitted to the DMV. Before filling the form out, read, read, read, and take it slow, because if the form is not filled out correctly, the DMV will kick it back to you, and it's still yours until the vehicle's records are updated. You could be held liable if the buyer has an accident, or heaven forbid it's used in a crime.
- California has strict emissions laws, so a Smog Check is mandatory, if the vehicle is over four years old. You, the seller must provide proof of such, or risk having to repair it even after it's no longer in your possession.
Before we leave this section, I'd like to add, if you've lost your title, i.e pink slip, then you must apply for a duplicate title through the DMV. You cannot legally sell a car unless you can prove it belongs to you, so don't try to get past that technicality.
The Morality of Selling a used vehicle
Now that we've gotten past the legal issues, let's get to the moral issues. While you could get in legal hot water if you don't follow the laws of the land, not following the moral laws of selling a car could result in something far worse.
Let me paint you a picture. What if you desperately needed a car to get you back, and forth to your means of making a living, or back and forth to visit a cherished loved one in the hospital, (spouse, child, parent, etc). Now, you only had enough money to buy a used car.Your first thought is to purchase one from, say, a friend, neighbor, or a private owner. So you buy this car with your last "dime," with the owner declaring it's in good running condition, and you won't have to do repairs anytime soon. Ah, now you can get to work on time, and afterwards visit that family member, in the hospital. The first week everything goes just fine, with a few minor warning lights, smells, sounds. Here comes a new work week, you've been warned if you're late one more time, you'll be fired. You can't afford to be fired, so you start out earlier than usual for work, and what happens, all those little warning signs add up to one big problem, the engine's blown. Before you get wrapped up in the story, it's only a figment of my very vivid imagination. Anyway, you know what I'm trying to say here, if this happens to you, how would you feel. Now, put yourself in the other person's place. So the moral to the story is disclose any, and all mechanical problems that you know of before selling a used car "as is." This way you give the buyer a chance to make a choice as to whether he wants to take a chance on this particular vehicle, or not. Thereby saving headache, and heartache, down the road, from both sides.
Getting the Vehicle ready for sale
It's always advisable to make the vehicle as clean as possible, by washing, vacuuming, in some cases, polishing. This is so you can get the best price for it. Buying a set of cheap floor mats wouldn't be a bad idea. If you've used your automobile for the dog, or cats home for a while, or maybe you tend to leave your "stinky" sneakers behind on a regular basis, because they were not allowed in the house, then a little extra effort needs to be put forth. After washing spraying, and doing all the necessary things to clean it, sprinkle a little baking soda around, and let it sit for awhile. Even put a little in the ash trays. I also read or heard, I don't know which, that charcoal is really good for extinguishing foul odors. As a matter of fact I did use it once to get rid of a bad freezer odor.
I remember once I was interested, I mean really interested in this one vehicle, the price was right, mileage was suitable for my needs, I even told my wing man, ah, I mean my ex-husband, that this was the car for me, but when the salesman opened the door, to say I was taken aback was an understatement. The odor emanating from that thing was just too overwhelming. Now, mind you I know how to clean, even get rid of odors, but that was beyond even my capabilities. Imagine if you will, "dead fish, old sneakers, moldy food, maybe even a rotting carcass of a small animal, all closed up in one place, and you haven't even begun to imagine the odor. Even the used car salesman couldn't stand it, and you know the reputation of a used car salesman, "they'll do anything to sell a car." Okay, all you used car salespeople don't send me hate mail, LOL. Notice I said the, "reputation," not my opinion. At any rate, we all surmised that someone had died in the car, and it sat for a long period of time without being cleaned. Suffice it to say, clean the car well.
Don't forget to remove all of your personal items, from the glove box, under the seats, and the trunk. I can't tell you how much personal information I've found by searching under, and through places in the vehicle the previous owners had forgotten to check.
Where and How to Advertise
Begin with friends, relative, co workers, and the people they might know who would be interested in buying a used vehicle, your used vehicle. I can't stress it enough, BE HONEST, especially with acquaintances, about the condition of the vehicle. Relationships have deteriorated for lack of information concerning the selling of a used car, to an acquaintance. So disclose, disclose, disclose.
There's your local paper. In some localities, there are special publications for selling used vehicles, beware sometimes there's a heavier fee to sell this way, so check that out before you advertise there. In some cases it could be a time saver to use this avenue, regardless of the cost, it could be a matter of how much is your time worth.
The Internet has emerged as a new, suitable way to sell any, and everything. However, here seller beware, actually anyway you intend to sell the vehicle, beware, but there's special warning where the Internet is concerned.
Caution
Not to make you feel like there's danger lurking around every corner. But actually there is, spoken like a true politician, which I'm not. Anyway, there are unscrupulous individuals always out to take advantage of any situation. At times this presents an opportunity to an otherwise honest person to take advantage of a vulnerable situation.
So a few things to keep in mind in this regard:
- Never take a potential buyer for a test ride alone.
- Never meet in a secluded area for the transaction.
- For women, never, ever get into a car alone with a potential buyer, male or female.
- Only take cash, or cashiers check, even then you're taking a risk, unless you know how to spot counterfeit money or checks.
- Always fill out title transfer on the spot, don't let them leave with the car without doing so.
- There's even the suggestion that you meet your potential buyer at the police station, or close proximity there of, or at the very least a very public place.
Conclusion
Armed with this information, you should be able to successfully sell your used vehicle.