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I recently moved to New Jersey and I've decided I don't need a car anymore. I want to Sell it but don't know the best process to go about it. I looked up carmax, but there are no locations near me. I've also thought about craigslist, but it seems a little sketchy. Any advice?
If something seems sketchy for you, you do not do it. Chances of getting burnt are high.
Historically, craigslist, now local e-bay listings, which is straight craigslist knock off, are the best places to sell car cash, for those who have gut for it and at least some brains. It is a daunting, exhausting process, when one needs to know how to deal with idiots, crooks, and tire kickers.
It is your call. No matter what forum tells you, you WILL make mistakes as the first sale is learning experience and almost always goes with some issues.
Put your vehicle on consignment at a small dealership. Looking at several months of it sitting there, but at least you do not have to hassle with the process.
I have sold cars on CL but just need to be careful and price it right. Yes, lots of tire kickers but got the cash and one guy banked at the same credit union as me so we did a direct deposit into my account from his. If you are a woman, I would NOT advise CL though unless a man is able to help you meet prospects. JMHO
If you are worried about selling it yourself (CL, window sign, etc), and are not in a big hurry to sell, then like Ukrkoz mentioned, look for a local used car lot that takes consignments. You set a price with them, anything they get over that is their profit. Best part is they handle everything, even trade-ins and loans.
Craigslist is fine as long as you are savvy and willing to put up with some BS. It's free, so you get what pay for plus people going to CL are usually looking for deals so depending on the auto you may attract a lot of low-ballers. I've bought and sold many things on CL, including a couple of vehicles.
Autotrader is also a very good option.
So is parking it with a sign in the window.
And eBay (although tougher if you're not a regular seller there plus you have to pay their fees.)
If it's a higher end/enthusiast type car, put an ad on a relevant forum (but same deal as eBay minus the fees.)
Craigslist and eBay can help you sell the car, but you'll also get a lot of tire kickers and no-shows that waste your time because both have more flakes than a box of cold cereal. If you do go this route, make sure to emphasize you will NOT hold the vehicle and the first person who shows up with the money gets the car.
Go the dealer/consignment route and save yourself a lot of headaches.
If you need to sell the car right away, you can also sell it to a dealer or car lot directly, though you'll get less money than other methods because they'll want to resell it for a profit.
You didn't mention the car. I've sold two cars and two motorcycles on Craigslist. Three were between 5-10k. The other bike was 3k.
For cheaper vehicles (under 10k) it is easier to find a cash buyer. Every deal I made was cash and I had the title. If you have a lien or the car is higher priced (where the buyer would probably need to finance) Craigslist may not be the right place to sell, but for something cheaper it's worked great for me.
I'm a big Craigslist user and I recommend it since it's free and easy to use. First you will want to see what other folks in your area are selling their same vehicles for and use that as your price guide. Bluebook and NADA pricing means nothing although there are some folks that will price their beat up cars according to KBB prices and won't go a penny less even though other folks are selling them for less and as a result they end up listing the same overpriced car for weeks and weeks.
When it comes to tire kickers just grin and bare it. You will always get those types of folks and quite frankly you would probably do the same if buying from a private party too. As long as you have nothing to hide about the condition of the car then you have nothing to worry about. I get VERY suspicious when people don't want you to take too close of a look at their cars. Usually means they are hiding something.
So Craigslist is the way to go. Also throw a FOR SALE sign up on your window. Never know when someone will see it and make you an offer right then and there.
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plus people going to CL are usually looking for deals so depending on the auto you may attract a lot of low-ballers. I've bought and sold many things on CL, including a couple of vehicles.
