• Home
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Policy
  • Guest Post
  • Archive

One Cent At A Time

A Personal finance blog to get rich

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • Beautiful Life
  • Becoming Rich
  • Beginners Guide
  • Extra Income
  • Productivity
  • Saving Money

A Quick Guide to Selling Your Car To Private Party

July 6, 2016 1 Comment

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Email

Few things can seem as frustrating as selling your car yourself. It seems like there’s a whole litany of things to consider and a bunch of paperwork to fill out. However, while it may seem daunting, it really doesn’t have to be. If you do your due diligence, then the process should go smoothly.

A Quick Guide to Selling Your Car Privately

In this article, we are going to help you navigate the pitfalls in the car selling process by showing you the steps you need to perform in order to safely and successfully sell your car.

Collect The Paperwork

Before you can even begin to think about selling your car, you have to ensure that you have all of the paperwork you are going to need to complete the transaction. Documents that are needed vary from state to state so be sure to do your research and gather what’s needed for your area. Some of the documents you’ll need include:

  • Title– states who owns the car.
  • Bill Of Sale – used to record a transaction between two individuals.
  • Liability Release– prevents you from incurring any damages or accidents that may occur before the vehicle is registered by the new owner.
  • Maintenance Records – while not necessary, if you’ve had regular maintenance performed on your vehicle, then having those documents available for the seller at the time of sale can increase the selling price of your vehicle.
  • Warranty Documents (if applicable)
  • As-Is Documentation (if applicable)– states that no warranty exists for the vehicle.

(Something interesting for you – 6 Ways to Make Extra Money From Your Car)

 

Set A Price

You want to make sure that you are not only setting a competitive price for your car, but that you are also setting a price that gets you fair market value. You can do both by doing the following:

Pre-Sale Inspection-Getting an inspection before you sell your car can ensure that you are getting fair value for your car and at the same time put potential buyers at ease.

Investigate The Market-Next, you’ll want to do a thorough investigation of your car’s worth. Do this by looking up your vehicle on sites such as Kelly Blue Book and the Auto Trader Car Calculator.

Prepare The Car For Sale

First impressions are important, so make sure you give your car some curb appeal. Make sure the car is washed and freshly waxed, that all of the garbage is removed from it and that the interior is thoroughly vacuumed. Also make sure to do any simple repairs that might be needed such as replacing worn windshield wipers and burned out lights, replacing worn out tires and fixing the brakes.

Figure Out Advertising Options

In the good old days, the only option for advertising your vehicle was the classified ad of your local paper. However, things have changed and while the newspaper’s classifieds are still a viable option, there are a host of other options available such as car auction sites, peer-to-peer sites, social media sites and websites that specialize in car sales. You can also use word of mouth or put up a “for sale” sign in one of the car’s windows.

Create Your Ad

Now it’s time to create the Ad. Make sure you take high quality pictures of your vehicle (if relevant) and accurately list the details of your vehicle. Some things to list include in the listing are the year, make and model of the car, mileage, condition, additional vehicle options and color. You will also want to briefly state the positives of the vehicle and what a buyer might find attractive about the car.

Set Up A Test Drive

The test drive can be a challenging yet important part of the whole car selling process. This is the time when many thieves make their moves, so it’s important to use caution. Make sure you screen potential buyers properly and ask for their name, address and ID.

Also make sure you use plenty of caution during the test drive. Make sure that your insurance covers another driver, that you don’t let the buyer test drive the car alone and that they don’t bring a group of people with them—potentially allowing them to outnumber and overpower you.

(See Also – Save Money While Driving, For a Better Car)

Negotiate With Potential Buyers

During negotiations, make sure that you set a buying price that is slightly higher than what you’re willing to accept to give yourself some negotiation wiggle room. However, while it’s acceptable to negotiate, you should be firm on your final asking price and not let the buyer bully you into selling at a price you don’t think is fair. If negotiations break down, then feel free to end them at anytime. (Related – Some Tips for Buying a Used Car)

Finalize The Sale

This is the part of the process when scam artists often strike, so be sure you consider the following before you hand over the title or keys. Make sure that you are aware of scams such as buyers attempting to pay with bad checks or using fraudulent escrow services; or buyers attempting to steal your identity by asking for social security numbers and bank or credit car information. Also be sure that the payment has cleared before you hand over the car keys or documents.

Although selling you car can seem like a gargantuan task, it doesn’t have to be if you take your time, do your research and follow the steps above. If you do that, then you can rest assured that your car will be sold in no time flat.

About the Author: David Moss is a Detroit based freelance writer on a mission to turn his passion for cars into a career. When he is not writing about anything automotive, he spends his free time hiking. You can reach him at @davidcmoss 

LIKE THIS POST?
I agree to have my personal information transfered to MailChimp ( more information )
Join our community of 8000+ subscribers to increase your net worth and build wealth
We hate spam. Your email address will not be sold or shared with anyone else.

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Email
The tool that changed the way I manage my personal finance - Personal Capital, The Best Free Personal Finance Tool

Want to start a WordPress blog now? The onecentatatime.com blog is hosted by Siteground Web Hosting. For only $3.95 a month, Siteground can help you set up and host your website/blog quickly and easily.

About the Blogger Hi I am SB, a personal finance enthusiast with a career in software development. I am an immigrant to the USA since 2005, after being born and brought up in India. This 40 something technocrat lives and breathes personal finance whenever he gets time from the day job, job as a husband and a dad

Some links on this page may be affiliate links, if you make a purchase following the links, I may earn a commission. Read affiliate disclosure here
« 5 Stoic Principles for Financial Success
6 Stock Trading Books You Should Read »

Comments

  1. Xyz from Financial Path. says

    July 7, 2016 at 4:22 PM

    great advice, thanks

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.



Create your own blog in 20 minutes and $20

Personal Capital, a free tool to change your financial health today

I use and suggest Upstart, for your personal loan need

CreditKarma, a free tool to check your credit scorey

I use Coinbase, for my crypto investments

101 Cents at a Time

101 Ways to Earn Extra Money on the Side
201 Frugal and Perfect Birthday Gifts
101 Ways to Save Money Everyday
101 Ways to be Better and Successful at Work
101 Ways to Save Environment and Energy
101 Frugal and Romantic Anniversary Ideas
101 Low-Cost Men's Fashion Ideas
101 Personal Finance Tips
101 Ways to Reuse Household Stuff
101 Things to Do, When Nothing to Do
101 College Graduation Gift Ideas
100 Tips for Ecommerce Startup
101 Ways to Enjoy Indoor During Winter
101 Ways to Beat Procrastination

Popular Posts

Quick Cash - How to make $100 legally, in a day
Living well on less than $15,000 a Year
Top survey sites for side income
What to do when auto repair goes wrong
Where should I invest my money now?
20 Ways to be productive and happy at work
51 Ways to get out of debt
Be a better person in 15 days, 15 ways
Income ideas for retirees and senior citizens
51 side jobs for college students
Urgently need a large amount of money?
Should I buy or should I rent?
Best Personal loan providers
25 Ways to save environment
25 DIY car repairs to save money
How to decorate office cubicle
How to show your wife you care
50 Financial Rules for Success
51 Frugal weekend family activity ideas
Become Rich By Saving 1 Hour Of Daily Wage
How much do I need to save for retirement?
How to negotiate your salary

Follow us on FaceBook

About Author

SB

Blogger by choice and IT manager by profession. Finance is my passion and gardening is my greatest satisfaction. Born in India, settled in US, Husband and a father. I created this blog in 2011 with a vision to help others. Thanks for your patronage. More info on my "about" page.

View all posts


Subscribe

Join our community of 5000+ subscribers to increase net worth and build wealth

Advertisements

Personal Stories

How I got a new HP computer replaced
Was COVID circulating in USA in fall of 2019?
How my credit score went up 800+
Why I didn’t invest in Bitcoins
How I controlled impulses to buy things
Why this blog is named One Cent at a Time

Subscribe via Email

Site Disclaimer

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in this web site are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Read full Affiliate disclosure


One Cent at a Time is published by SB. The opinions expressed herein by him are his own and not those of his employer or anyone else. All content on One Cent at a Time is for entertainment purposes only. By reading this blog, you agree that SB and/or One Cent at a Time is not responsible for any actions taken after reading this blog. For the full disclaimer, click here .

Major Media Mention

One Cent at a Time Media Appearances

Copyright © 2023 One Cent At A Time · Designed by Nuts and Bolts Media