But if you don’t want to trade in for a new car, a car dealer might just give you cash on the spot. This article will review this topic completely and we’ll do our best to give you the best advice.

Understand the Dealer

Before you get your hopes up about getting top dollar for your car from a dealer, you should understand the dealer’s situation first. Put yourself in their shoes for a minute.

Unlike you, the used car dealer has what is called “overhead.” That means they have more expenses to pay for. They have to pay for their property, which is usually in a prime location – either in the form of rent/lease or a mortgage on the buildings and land. They also have to pay employees to drive cars around the lot, clean cars, fix cars, answer phones, clean the building and sell the cars. They have to pay for advertising either on billboards, TV or radio and even the Internet (their website and online advertising). They have things like insurance (for their employees, the building, the lot, etc.) and then they probably have an electric bill that’s higher than yours since they have a bigger building and a lot of lights on their car lot. And then there are probably a number of expenses that I’ve not even listed here.

After all that, do you think that they’re going to give you the same amount of money for your car that they could sell it for? No way. They’ll probably give you about half. They have to make enough money on the car where they pay for their expenses and then also make some money extra to invest in their business.

Would you buy an item from someone and then spend a lot of your own time and money only to sell it for the same price and not make anything for your effort? Do you work for your employer for free? Of course not. They’re running a business and there’s no reason to run a business if it’s not going to end up being profitable and making money. It’s not a charity.

Probably Not a Good Idea

If you had an extra car and really needed cash quickly, then selling a car to a dealer for cash might make sense. Except for that situation, it’s really not a good idea. You can make more money on a car if you try to sell it yourself privately.

You can use tools like Craig’s List to help you sell your car. We also have a lot of article here on this website with tips on how to sell your car quickly and for the most money. Sure, doing that will take more time, but for how much more you can make, selling it yourself makes a lot more sense.

How the Process Works

If you were to sell a car to a dealer, you should know how the process works.

First, you will need to drive the car to the dealer. You can’t do it over the phone or over email or anything. they will need to physically see the vehicle, inspect it and test drive it.

Second, they will do their appraisal and then give you an offer. They usually give you something like 7 days to accept the offer but maybe less. If you don’t do it right on the spot and come back later, they might need to inspect the vehicle again to make sure nothing has changed. Some places might require you to either accept or decline their offer right there so that they don’t have to re-inspect the vehicle.

The appraisal might take 30-45 minutes of your time as they need to thoroughly go over the vehicle.

Tips on taking the car to the dealer:

• Make sure the title is clean – meaning, paid off / no loan. If it’s paid off, make sure the title is in order.
• Even if you owe money on it, you can still most likely get cash for the car. Call the bank or lien holder and get the 15-day payoff amount, which would be the amount you would pay to get it completely paid off.
• Make sure the car is clean and looking its best.
• Make sure the fluids have been topped off.
• The car should smell good.
• Shine the tires and wheels.
• Clean the windows.
• If you have any stickers or junky accessories on the car, remove them.
• Point out any recent maintenance (although, they’ll figure it out in the appraisal)

Try to get more than one appraisal before making your decision. Sure, spending 45 minutes per dealership will take time, but you could make a few hundred more, so that time is worth it. You also get peace of mind knowing that you did your homework and found the best deal.

Selling a Car at CarMax

One place that people seem to give good reviews about is CarMax. They have dealers in a lot of major cities and I think they’re the only national used car dealer there is just selling used cars. I don’t have personal experience with them but my brother bought an SUV from them. He was really happy with the salespeople and he said how it was low pressure and honest.

If you have any experience with selling a used car to CarMax or a review, please leave your comments in at the end of this article – we’d like to hear from you.

Trade in Your Car for a New One

Along with trying to get cash for your car, you can always consider trading in your vehicle. Think about what I just wrote above, though. When you trade your car in, the dealer still has to cover all their expenses and make some money. The difference with a trade is that the dealer can play with the numbers and make it seem like you’re getting a deal.

Here’s a quick example:

Let’s say you have a good Toyota Camry that you want to trade in. The Kelly Blue Book on it says it’s worth $7000 if you sold it on your own. Let’s say this is also the price that the dealer might sell the car at to one of their customers. Half of that value is $3500 and it might be what you get if you sold it to them for cash.

The car you’re looking at is a used Honda Accord. It’s worth $12,000. They’re willing to sell it as low as $11,000 and still make money on it. If you walked up with cash, you could get it for that price.

Now if they buy your car for $3500 cash, they’ll make $3500 on it, right?

If they give you $3500 off the price of the Accord, then they make $4500 on it because they made the $3500 plus the $1000 you could have gotten if you had cash. What they do, though, is tell you that they will give you $4500 for the Camry.

That’s just a rough numbers example to give you an idea on how playing with numbers can work. It’s actually a little more complex than that.

Pros and Cons to Selling Your Car Privately

• When you sell your car yourself, you’ll make more money than what a dealer would give you.
• Trading in or selling a car to a dealer is usually a same day transaction (quick).
• Selling a vehicle privately will take more time and effort:
  • You have to clean and prep the vehicle
  • You might need to get things fixed on the vehicle
  • You have to do advertising / place ads online and around town
  • You have to answer questions about the car from many callers or people emailing you
  • You have to be available to show the car
  • You have to do some paperwork in order to transfer ownership of the car

After writing that, it really seems like selling or trading in a car to a dealer makes the most sense but it actually doesn’t. The amount of money you get selling it yourself is worth it. If it’s $2000 more and all the work above takes 10 hours of your time, then you’ve just valued your time at $200 per hour, right? Now doesn’t that make more sense?

What do Dealers do With the Cars They Give Cash for?

Most of them will sell the car wholesale or at an auction. This means that they’ll get even less than retail price – which is the price they’d get selling it on their lot to someone. At auctions, the cars end up at other dealers – usually the smaller ones.

Some will keep the cars they buy on their lot for a while before putting the car in an auction to sell to other dealers.

This is a little off topic, but when I bought my used BMW (which you see pictures of here on this website), the car had been on the lot for almost 90 days and it was just about to go to auction. The dealer took one more chance to sell the car by knocking the price down to the same amount they thought they’d get for the car if it went to auction. By doing this, they get to avoid auction fees and the hassle of getting the car to the auction. I know this website is mostly about selling a car but there’s a bonus tip about buying a car.

Conclusion

Selling a car to a dealership is an option you have. It’ll be quick and you’ll get cash. On the other hand, selling a car privately by yourself will get you more money for your car even though it’ll take time and some work.

One thought… if you happen to have a friend or relative or someone you know that needs some money, then you might consider asking them to sell your car for you if you don’t have the time or don’t want to do it. Promise them 10-20% of the price or something like that. They’ll do all the work and you’ll just show up to do the final paperwork when there’s a buyer that has already put some money down to hold it. This might not work for a lot of people but it might be something you’d be interested in. Talk to some friends and see if they would want to do that.

If you have any other thoughts or comments, please leave them below and we can maybe get a conversation going here about this topic. Please also share this article online so that others can benefit from it.

Knowing these facts and knowing the best ways to sell your car online in a fast and efficient manner can help you to get the most for your car in the shortest amount of time. In this short but informative article, we show you how to quickly sell your used car online.

Detailed Research Information

Perhaps the most well known online resource for selling a used car is AutoTrader.com. This popular website has evolved from the old hard copy edition that we all grew up with years ago into a huge central online marketplace for buying and selling vehicles. Other comprehensive websites that offer similar services include Edmunds.com and Kelly Blue Book located online at KBB.com. These sites are steeped in detailed research information that helps buyers and sellers determine the fair value of a used as well as a new car. In addition, these sites provide well-written reviews and even videos that show a vehicle in action.

Online Video of Your Car

Video tours of a used vehicle offer an outstanding way to provide potential buyers with an up-close and personal look at your vehicle. To quickly sell your used vehicle online always consider including an online video of your car. People can view the video at home on their computer or even on their smart phone and get a really good idea of what your car is like.

If you don’t provide a video, then potential buyers may move on to the next ad that does have a video – passing you right by.

Vehicle History Reports

Another useful strategy that can bolster your chances of having a successful sale is to provide buyers with a CARFAX data sheet available through CARFAX.com. This is a great way to show your potential buyers that your car has not been in an accident and that the title and other vital vehicle information is in order.

If your car has been in an accident then still get the report. Knowing this and letting the buyer know about it shows that you’re not trying to hide anything.

While getting this report may cost the seller of a used car a few dollars, it greatly increases the trust factor that is conveyed to potential buyers.

Free Used Price Calculators

Always try to set a fair and competitive price for your used vehicle to increase the likelihood that your car will sell quickly. The best way to zero in on the most accurate and competitive price for your used car is to simply use Edmunds or Kelly Blue Book.

Both of these excellent online resources offer free used price calculators that take into account many variables regarding your car. These variables include accessories, overall condition, mileage and the year of the automobile.

A Successful Sale in Little to No Time at All

Another excellent resource that is completely free is Craig’s List. This highly traveled website can be used to supplement your paid postings on AutoTrader.com and Edmunds for example. Taking this approach to selling your used car can have you heading to the bank with cash or a check in hand as a result of a successful sale in little to no time at all.

Selling online is a powerful and highly effective way to sell almost anything today. Taking advantage of this online medium means having a huge exposure that was previously not possible in the days prior to the Internet. The Internet is an obvious game changer in so many aspects of our life and when it comes to selling a used car this is equally true.

Take Good Photos of Your Vehicle

Knowing how to quickly sell your used car online simply means following these easy tips. It is also important to take good photos of your vehicle as a way to provide potential buyers with several outside and inside angles.

Take photos in good lighting and at the proper distance to ensure that your ad gets noticed online. Take pictures of everything – the exterior, front seats, back seats, under the hood, the tires and the trunk.

Other Ideas for You

Other less known ways to sell a used vehicle online include working with a local car consignment business. These companies normally have an online presence that is extensive and typically viewed by a large number of people searching for a used car.

Conclusion

With an accurate price in hand and a CARFAX report, selling a car quickly online should be fairly easy. To increase your chances of selling your car, consider posting to more than one website.

Selling a used car is easier today than in the past and because the used car market is so incredibly hot, right now is the best time to sell your used car online.

If you are looking to sell your car, you may face some challenges. There are many factors which determine the price of a used car. If you are planning to sell a used car yourself, you need to consider all these factors and take action where needed.

When you plan to sell your car, take some time to review the following tips. These tips will help you make the most out of your deal. You will be able to extract more value on your car. Some of these tips require a bit of money, while others require a bit of time. However, if you use these tips while selling your car, you will be assured of a great deal. You will be able to significantly increase the car’s selling price.

Mechanical Issues

If there are any mechanical issues with your car, buyers may be scared away. You need to fix all the mechanical issues if you can. Even if you don’t want to fix mechanical issues, at least talk to a mechanic so that you can tell the buyer about an estimated cost when selling your car.

Tune Up and Inspection

Before selling your car, take it to a garage for a thorough inspection. This will let you know about the condition of lights, tires and brakes. Everything should be working and in good condition if you want a high price. Ask the mechanic to change the oil and inflate tires properly.

Vehicle History Report

Usually, buyers tend to get a report from CARFAX or other similar services If your buyer gets a report and you don’t have one, any issue listed on the report may come as a surprise to you. Even if your car is in good condition, there still may be some issues that may scare away buyers. Get a report, read it and ask the reporting company to fix any errors if there are any.

Detailing the Car

Almost every buyer loves a clean interior. In fact, one of the things that a buyer hates most in a car is smelly or dirty interior. Thus, detailing your car should top your priority list.

A full detail including cleaning cup holders, they engine bay, doing stain removal, wax, tire shine and carpet cleaning is extremely important. You should ask the car detailer to remove window and bumper stickers. Also ask him to remove any sticky residue. Seat conditioning is also very important as it makes your seats look brand new.

Don’t forget to have the carpets steam cleaned and put in a light air freshener. Smelling is a strong sense and you don’t want it smelling bad. If the car smells too strong of perfumes, that might turn people off, wondering what you’re hiding.

Cleaning

In case you park the car outside, it is important to rinse it off every week before each scheduled showing. If you are still using your car, it is important to keep the interior clean. Cleaning your car regularly gives the impression it was kept in good condition.

Mention Everything

Always mention everything about the car / be honest. While posting an ad, you should mention the make, year, model, condition, features, mileage and any kind of history that a buyer may want to know. For instance, if your car was involved in an accident, you should disclose some details about the accident and repairs that were made. You should also tell the buyer about any long-term effects. Usually, mechanical issues, accidents or cosmetic issues don’t kill a deal. However, misleading facts and dishonesty may.

Extensive Listing

List your car extensively on online forums and websites. There are even some specific websites which help buyers find used cars. Extensive listings will ensure maximum exposure and you will be able to get many options to choose from.

Prompt Response

Whenever a potential buyer calls or emails, you should respond promptly. It is important to respond within minutes or within the hour if at all possible. Buyers tend to look at numerous options at the same time. Usually, the first to return a call is able to make a sale.

Take Lots of Good Photographs

You should take multiple photographs of the car. Take shots from all angles and sides. You should photograph everything including the wheels, exterior and interior. This will help you for marketing purposes. You should also photograph all the features like the sunroof, navigation screen, satellite radio and DVD player. Take pictures of each tire as well as the engine.

Go to a place near by that looks good. If you can get the car on some nice grass or else an expensive looking place, then the car will look better. Of course, be careful and ask permission if necessary. Sometimes a local park will work or by a river, lake or ocean might be nice, too.

Make sure the lighting is good and that you don’t have a glare in the lens. Partly cloudy days work good for car photographs because if you catch the sun the right way, you can have blue skies in the background and no glare from the sun on the car.

Look through all the pictures you’ve taken and then decide on the best ones to put in your advertisements.

Pricing Your Car

Again, do your research and know what the car should sell for. See what other cars of your make, model, year and mileage have sold for. Have a price in mind of how low you will go and then stick to it. Go up about $500 or so from your bottom price so that you have some room to negotiate with buyers.

Conclusion

All the tips mentioned in this article don’t require too much money or time. However, they will significantly increase the value of your car. Always use these tips to make the most out of your car sale and get the most cash for your car.

If you have more great car selling tips, please leave them in the comments. Feel free to share this article with your friends.

Below are helpful tips on how to sell your car yourself for the most cash.

Selling Your Vehicle

You shouldn’t make your car look like something you’ve gotten tired of, something you are just too eager to let go. Even if that is the case, the impression you should give when selling your car is that of someone who is so much attached to it, and who values it very much. This kind of attitude will make potential buyers think that you’ve always taken great care of your car, even if it has suffered some few accidents, poor maintenance and numerous dents.

1. Make Your Car Look Great

Think about your car like a bride being led away to her bridal home. She must be well coiffed, embroidered with pearls, and made to reveal the best of her beauty. You should not bring your car to the market in bad shape, looking dirty and with noticeable scratches and dents. This should not surprise you; people will want to buy clean and attractive cars. You’ll not get much for your car if it looks like something picked from the junkyard.

Always remember how you felt the very moment you made up your mind to buy the car you are about to sell and work hard to create that feeling in your prospective buyers by cleaning your car, replacing old parts, and improving the paint. In short, make it shiny.

2. Think like a Car Dealer: Detail and Service Your Car

Car dealers can make the most of old cars that look useless and completely worn out. The secret to their success is common knowledge today: they have cars detailed. Spending $100 bucks to service your car will bring great rewards when you finally sell it.

Car detailers improve the paint, remove scratches, shampoo carpets, remove grease from the engine and replace floor mats. With the proper detailing, you can make your car look brand new and attractive.

Some repairs you’ll need to do to improve the overall rating of your car will include changing tires, fixing the locks that do not work well and fixing dents.

3. Prepare the Necessary Paperwork for Your Car

This may not seem very necessary, but it can be one of the major elements to think about when selling a car. By presenting maintenance papers, you’ll put the buyer’s mind at ease.

After polishing up your car, and getting it ready for the market, you should, like a valiant soldier showing off his brass buttons on an army uniform, prepare to present good papers.

Buyers will also trust you more when they see your CARFAX Vehicle History Report and service records.

4. Be Smart About the Entire Transaction

Where you sell your car can determine how much you get for it. Before deciding where to sell the car, it is important to work out its real value.

You may have done a lot of research on car sales and have greatly improved the condition of your car, but buyers will have done their research,too. Buyers have an idea of the market price of cars like yours. By being realistic, you’ll come off more convincing, whether you’re selling to a dealer or to an individual. Make sure you give a reasonable price for your car.

Consider the advantages and disadvantages of selling your car in a dealer trade-in and decide accordingly; the price will certainly be lower than what you can get if you sell the car to an individual.

5. Advertise Your Car

After improving the condition and general appearance of your car, you should get the best advertising for it. The Internet offers free avenues for advertising and you can reach out to a good number of interested buyers. Get the best photos of your car and create free ads on sites like Craig’s List. Post photos on your Facebook profile and announce on social media platforms that you’re selling your car. This way, you’ll reach out to many potential buyers.

If you use a good advertising strategy, you’ll definitely receive many calls, which gives you the opportunity to take the highest bid for the car.

Conclusion

Some people may feel rushed to sell their car and lose out on hundreds of dollars that they could have received if they would have taken some time to get the car ready to sell. Spending a couple weeknights improving your car will fetch you more for it when you post it on Craig’s List Saturday morning.

We hope this article provided you with some good tips to get you the most cash for your car. If we missed something, please leave a comment for us. Please also share this article and pass it on to others.