Advice on how to sell your car NoB

[El Toro Furioso]

We are becoming reconciled to the near-sure fact that we will have to drive north of the border to sell our 2006 Japan-built Honda CRV when our FM-2's become about-to-expire in September. No one has said anything about a rational strategy to avoid getting 50 cents or less on the dollar of value for one's car. Our CRV is said to be worth $14,000 USD by our insurance company (ie, it is insured for that amount in the case of it being totaled). How much should we hope to get for it in Texas or Arizona and from whom? How does one minimize the loss? Good strategies are welcomed and would probably be popular reading about now.

[valbogyo]

Have you thought of a trade? What if you traded for a NAFTA vehicle that is 2007 or older? Yes, cars sell for less in Arizona than many other states, but you can also buy a car at a very good deal. There are quite a few posts that tell you how to safely import your vehicles now. If you plan it, you can probably meet up with some other lakeside people on the way back, who are also importing vehicles. So you sell below blue book, but you buy below blue book. Just an idea.

[daisy2013]

go to www.kbb.com for a value. this will be a good guideline

[canmex87]

We are becoming reconciled to the near-sure fact that we will have to drive north of the border to sell our 2006 Japan-built Honda CRV when our FM-2's become about-to-expire in September. No one has said anything about a rational strategy to avoid getting 50 cents or less on the dollar of value for one's car. Our CRV is said to be worth $14,000 USD by our insurance company (ie, it is insured for that amount in the case of it being totaled). How much should we hope to get for it in Texas or Arizona and from whom? How does one minimize the loss? Good strategies are welcomed and would probably be popular reading about now.

http://www.carmax.com/enus/we-buy-cars/default.html

[FHBOY]

A word about Carmax. KBB.COM is useless. I recently went to Carmax in San Antonio and they don't talk KBB, they talk about the auction price for your car, which is even less than the trade-in value. If you can locate a wholesale guide online or from a trusted auto dealer (an oxymoron, I know), you'll get a better idea. For example my car had a KBB value of about $9K+ even in "GOOD" condition, Carmax offered me $5.5K and they do not budge.

Now, in Maryland, I would have gotten close to KBB, I know because when I sold my first car I actually got more than KBB from Carmax for it. But this is Texas where the dealers close to the border have you by the short hairs. Where are you going to go to sell it? Do you know where to shop it around? Of course not.

SWMBO looked at each other and said, "Oh well, what choice do we have?" and away it went. We felt our time and mental effort in finding an alternative (if we could) was not worth the the money...get it over with, buy a Mexican plated car and move on - after all isn't that why we retired?

So, do not think KBB about your car, think wholesale/auction prices. You will then end up less disappointed.

Oh, simple answer to your question of value, cut it by 40-50%, and I hope I am wrong.

[lakeside101]

a couple said they drove to colorado to sell a truck because Texas market was flooded with trucks. Look at online classifieds in area.... if a bunch of similar cars available... consider driving further north

[Bunyan]

I guess I'm just a do-it-yourself kind of guy. I just drove my pickup and cargo trailer NOB & sold 'em. KBB on the truck was $17,500. Sold it for $16,500. I have places I can stay in NM, CO and AZ. If anybody wants to buy a service, this is my kind of thing.

[JayBearII]

I will be headed to Tucson with my van, since I have relatives there. I plan to put an ad online and hope to get some people interested in seeing it by the time it gets to Tucson. If not I will continue the private ad and park the van at my son's house in Tucson--he gets some of the money when it sells. Of course not everyone has a relative conveniently located just north of the border BUT the idea of advertising online and lining up potential buyers may be possible.

[lakeside101]

and you must keep insurance on it till it sells.....

auto trader just offerred site un seen.... 2800 less than KBB value

probably when bring it in, they'll haggle down..... didn't realize offer was for 72 hours only....

not leaving for a few weeks

[El Toro Furioso]

I guess I'm just a do-it-yourself kind of guy. I just drove my pickup and cargo trailer NOB & sold 'em. KBB on the truck was $17,500. Sold it for $16,500. I have places I can stay in NM, CO and AZ. If anybody wants to buy a service, this is my kind of thing.

Could you be a bit more specific about what you are describing? or proposing? You offered no helpful advice but maybe you are offering a service? Otherwise you are just bragging about selling your truck for a good price North of the Border.

[Juan de Uruguay]

Looking on CarGurus for the San Antonio area, a 2006 CR-V EX model with 90k miles would be worth about $12,800. The SE AWD model with same mileage would be worth a bit more, about $13,600. The LX model with 100k miles would be worth about $10,500.

Check out Craigslist for different border cities. If you want to sell it quickly, price accordingly. Nothing says you can't post an ad a few days before you get there to find some interested parties. If you get some calls or e-mails from your listing, make arrangements to meet up when you get there.

[El Toro Furioso]

Looking on CarGurus for the San Antonio area, a 2006 CR-V EX model with 90k miles would be worth about $12,800. The SE AWD model with same mileage would be worth a bit more, about $13,600. The LX model with 100k miles would be worth about $10,500.

Check out Craigslist for different border cities. If you want to sell it quickly, price accordingly. Nothing says you can't post an ad a few days before you get there to find some interested parties. If you get some calls or e-mails from your listing, make arrangements to meet up when you get there.

Good advice. I'm remembering now that I have cousins in Tucson and in Phoenix. Maybe I need to get them involuntarily involved. Might make a lot of sense, because driving into a car dealer cold in this environment near the border doesn't sound like a good thing to attempt.

[jkgourmet]

We live NOB, previously phoenix, now Raleigh NC since last year. My husband was in sales and finance for car dealers for many years. We NEVER sell our cars to a dealer. Craigslist ALWAYS gets a better price. We've done this in both Phoenix and Raleigh.

Tips for easy, successful selling on craigslist:

Get the car looking as great as possible. Wash the carpets, steam clean the engine, a full detail and exterior wax are good investments.

Take great pictures. Take pictures and describe any damage. Put as many photos as allowed in the ad, then link to additional photos using picassa or some other similar service.

Include a FULL description. You don't want to hear from potential buyers with questions - those people are a pain. State in the ad that the title is free and clear. Include a phone number if possible (get a Google number if you need to) and email address. RESPOND PROMPTLY TO INQUIRIES.

Price your item REASONABLY. Don't just look at KBB. Look at similar vehicles for sale on CL. Call people that are selling and pretend to be a buyer. You'll get a feel for how well the ad is working for them. Often you'll find that the car is already sod. Ask them how much they git, which will give you a REAL idea of the current, local market value.

When you get a buyer, do the deal at the bank if possible. Take cash or a certified check that the bank has verified as real. This may be problematic for sellers without USA based bank accounts.

[holdrja]

I always hesitate to sell a car myself via ads or on-line postings because of the danger of scams, meeting criminals etc. I would love to hear more success stories about selling your car yourself! As I am sure that we, and many others, will be doing.

[jkgourmet]

I always hesitate to sell a car myself via ads or on-line postings because of the danger of scams, meeting criminals etc. I would love to hear more success stories about selling your car yourself! As I am sure that we, and many others, will be doing.

We have bought and told cars, furniture and many other items on CL for years. Some of the furniture we purchased for our last home was resold on CL five years later - at a profit!

Scams are easily avoided. No shipping of items, even if pre-paid. In person, face to face, deals only. We accept cash only, or a certified check that we take at the bank where it can be confirmed as authentic on the spot.

Criminals? Yeah, they are out there. My advice is always the same: Go with your gut. If a phone conversation or email sounds 'off', drop that deal immediately. Instincts are good things to follow. I admit that I prefer to meet buyers and sellers with my husband in tow, but that's not always been possible. But I ALWAYS have a phone conversation before setting up a meeting, and I get a phone number where I can reach them (I tell them I need it in case I need to reschedule).

With cars - before a test drive, we insist on seeing the Driver's License. We write down all the information from that license. Jay goes on the test drive, while I wait for his return. Only one man did not want to let us see his license, so we said we were not interested in doing business with him.

Only one buyer ever asked us to let him get the car inspected by a mechanic before the car was purchased (we always insist on this). He made the appointment (which we required be completed within 48 hours), I showed up with the car, he paid for the inspection. The next day, we met at the bank, him with his check, me with the title for the car and a bill of sale (which the bank notarized).

In all cases, we sold our cars in less than 5 days - but remember, we were reasonable with the price. Generally, we priced our cars about 3-6% above the lowest amount we would accept, and expected to negotiate that % away (or at least, part of it). We price furniture similarly, with a lower percentage above what we are willing to accept. Everybody on CL negotiates so plan for it upfront.

Also remember, you're not just selling the item. You're selling yourself as a trustworthy individual also.

[Bunyan]

Could you be a bit more specific about what you are describing? or proposing? You offered no helpful advice but maybe you are offering a service? Otherwise you are just bragging about selling your truck for a good price North of the Border.

Not bragging. An old boy once told me "It ain't braggin' if ya done it." But really. Yeah, I would be interested in providing the service of taking cars NOB and selling them for people. Don't really know what that would look like - terms negotiable, I guess. However, sounds from another thread that there is already somebody, HWCBMOTB, already providing this service. Don't know if there's enough need for two of us.

In my case, AutoTrader and ebay did nothing for me. On-line offer from AT was $4k below KBB & the dealer actually offered me $7k below KBB. Sold it for $1k below KBB. Got one hit off CL in two weeks. Ad in local newspaper finally sold it.

Jeanette has some good points. Dealing with people on CL, ebay or local newspaper is really pretty easy. If something about somebody sounds or feels iffy - it probably is. Insist on the things Jeanette suggests & if somebody won't or 'can't ???' comply just move on.

An honest buyer will meet your security requirements without question - they're as concerned with safety as you are.

[black swan]

I sent you a PM regarding your vehicle.

[holdrja]

Thanks, Jeannette - great advice!

OK, I gotta tell a story about the one vehicle we sold through ads. Yes, it's a horse story :-) and, it's a positive story. Feel free to stop reading right now. We were buying a new horse trailer so put up an ad for the old one. Sold to a nice lady named Peggy. But, the delivery was delayed on our new trailer - told Peggy we had a lame horse we might have to haul to the vet, she insisted we keep the trailer (which she had already paid for) until we got the new one. She also noticed that one of our other horses was cold, he had just been shipped north to us, so she brought us a horse blanket to put on him.

We got a chance to re-pay her help when there she had a hassle getting her title to the trailer from the Motor Vehicles Department ("Peggy" on some things, "Margaret" on others), we had to request a new copy of our title and do some running around. Years later, Peggy and her husband are still our good friends.

[RickS]

.

Tips for easy, successful selling on craigslist:

Here are a few more tips to add to Jeanette's great post.....

I too am a 'heavy' user of craigslist, selling everything from a $20 item I no longer need/use, to a $22,000 car. While it is a wonderful 'vehicle' for buying and selling, over the years it has attracted more and more scam artists. Jeanette acknowledges this. While some are pretty obvious (I am shipping out to Iraq tomorrow, I will pay your price and I can arrange for the car to be shipped to my son after I send you a cashier's check, etc etc) some of them are pretty cleaver. So, in addition to Jeanette's tips on the use of this site, I would add:

+ I NEVER post my name, my telephone number nor my email address on the original advertisement. NEVER!!!

+ I assume that every reply, until I have judged otherwise, is a scam.***

+ Some scammers are hard core, others just want you to sell them your article for 50% off. Don't spend time with these folks IMO.

+ If their response to your ad seems 'unreasonable', it probably is.

+ Establish a couple of emails (within craigslist, not with your own email address!) with the potential buyer so as to get a better feeling for the sincerity of the respondent.

+ Only exchange telephone numbers or email addresses AFTER you are pretty confident that you have a legitimate respondent.

+ Accept only cash or a cashier's check. Don't assume that all cashier's checks are good.... today's technology with laser printers can produce a fraudulent cashier's check that even bank employees cannot detect. I ALWAYS take Jeanette's advice with a cashier's check... take it ONLY at the bank where it is drawn, not some cafe 'down the street'. I RUN when someone says they cannot meet me at their bank. I may miss a sale (I don't think I have) but at least I will not be out thousands of $'s because I trusted someone too far.

Anyway, the idea is to use craigslist but be a savvy seller. Don't assume that everyone is as honest as you are.

Good Luck!

[jkgourmet]

All good points, Rick. I'd only disagree with you on one point - leaving a phone number out of the ad.

I can tell you that when I am a buyer, if an ad doesn't list a phone number, I usually continue looking for another seller. Why? Because I want instant gratification. I want to know NOW that the item has not been sold. I want to scope out the seller NOW to see if he/she is a potential scammer. hen

When I am a seller, I have tried to use a Google number in the ad. I get the messages in my gmail. Then I have to call them back on my phone and remember to block the caller ID on the outgoing call. Usually, I forget so they have my real phone number anyway. And eventually, if the deal is going well, I'm going to need to give them my REAL phone number anyway in case they have to contact me quickly (like to reschedule an appointment).

Frankly, I never have a real problem giving out my phone number. The worst thing that's ever happened is somebody calling me repeatedly when I told him I didn't want to do business with him (that gut instinct thing kicked in). He called back several times, sometimes pretending to be someone else, then getting verbally abusive. I hung up. He got bored and went away. If I really needed to, I could have called the phone company and had his number blocked.

I am also convinced that leaving out the phone number slows down then entire process. I'd rather get it done and over with, especially when I'm selling.