Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
You would probably get a grand just placing it on Craiglist.
People are always looking for a cheap car.
But lesson learned for future cars.
Keep them clean.
Get a shop vac.
Wash the car frequently. Paste wax it twice a year.
Fix any issues immediately before they add up to large money.
Letting things go is not the best approach.
But on Craiglist it will go quickly at that price. Or even eb*y if you are honest about condition.
We're not in a big rush...although that could change quickly. And I definitely do not want to trade it in. We live in PA and are planning a move to FL. My husband will most likely be driving his truck and I'll probably be driving a u-haul, with the car being pulled behind. I'm just not convinced the cost of a car trailer (added to the cost of a one-way truck rental) is worth the effort to pull the car down there. Once things are settled in FL, I'll start looking for something else but for now, I just want to sell the car and move.
I noticed a lot of people worried about people coming back and demanding their money back after selling it privately. Does that happen often? I certainly don't want to deal with that and, right now, am leaning toward Carmax.
We're not in a big rush...although that could change quickly. And I definitely do not want to trade it in. We live in PA and are planning a move to FL. My husband will most likely be driving his truck and I'll probably be driving a u-haul, with the car being pulled behind. I'm just not convinced the cost of a car trailer (added to the cost of a one-way truck rental) is worth the effort to pull the car down there. Once things are settled in FL, I'll start looking for something else but for now, I just want to sell the car and move.
I noticed a lot of people worried about people coming back and demanding their money back after selling it privately. Does that happen often? I certainly don't want to deal with that and, right now, am leaning toward Carmax.
I don't think you would have to worry about that. I mean, you're selling your car for about $1,000. A buyer who is in the market for a car around this price range shouldn't have any ideas that this car is going to be absolutely trouble free. Most who purchase vehicles around that price range are assuming they're going to have to put in at least another $1k or $2k in it to fix it up. They might be looking to drive it for awhile themselves or flip it and sell it for three times what they bought it for. I would say the chances of you having someone showing up at your doorstep demanding their money back is very slim.
There's plenty of people on here who have sold many cars privately, I would say very few, if any, have had the experience of someone wanting to return the car. That's kind of the trade-off with private sale. You cut through all the fees and junk you have to deal with at the dealership, usually get a better deal with a private sale, and all sales are final.
I've sold two cars to Carmax, and received estimates for a few others. What I've found is that they'll end up paying more for an old junker that they send to auction than a newer car that they will recondition to sell on the front lot. Sold my wife's old Pontiac that got her through high school and college, it was ROUGH. I figured I could sell it for $1000-1200 private party, Carmax paid me $1750. Also sold an early 80s 2wd Toyota truck, this thing was literally towed out of a field. I bought it for $300, Carmax paid me $750.
On the other hand, they've really lowballed me for newer or nicer cars. Had a WRX, got a Carmax bid before selling it. They offered $7,000, I sold it the next day private party for $10,000. Offered $11k for our Mazda 3, traded it in for $13k at the Mazda dealer. Offered $500 for an older Miata that was in great shape with just over 100k miles, I immediately sold it to someone in their own parking lot for $2800.
Can't hurt to get an estimate, but don't get your hopes up.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lunetunelover
It's not a prize by any standards! LOL
And after reading that other thread, Carmax would probably only buy it for auction.
It's a 2002 Saturn SC-2 (three door) and it's got just under 100k (I know it was in the 90's but I don't remember exactly). I bought it in 2002 when it had 4 miles on it. I loved that car! Condition...meh. It needs some help but only two things are "bad": first is the sun roof motor burned out years ago; second, hubby dropped an air tank on the spoiler and it is damaged/broken. The headliner needs replaced and one of the door lock mechanisms need replaced. It needs new tires and probably a really good tune up.
I will clean it before I do anything, obviously. Based on some minimal research, I was hoping to get about $1k for it. If I can get more, that would be awesome, but I just don't know.
I need to see where the Carmax is in this area...
The first post gives excellent insight and advice. Great posts all the way around, I think.
Go the carmax route if you want convenience and aren't concerned about getting top dollar. We sold a van that we bought new, drove for 15 years and didn't want to fix when the tranny gave out. Carmax gave us $200.00. OTOH, we sold a sedan private party, my hubby would occasionally see the guy we sold it to, and he would always mention something about the car he didn't like. I think he was fishing to see if we would offer to buy it back, even though he never asked.
Be sure to get a bill of sale if you sell it private party. There are forms on the Internet you can print.
I noticed a lot of people worried about people coming back and demanding their money back after selling it privately. Does that happen often? I certainly don't want to deal with that and, right now, am leaning toward Carmax.
Don’t show them where you live. Meet them at a parking lot and disclose EVERYTHING. There is nothing, and no reason, to come back to.
OP: Yes.
We had a 2003 Chevy Tahoe with +250k on it.
A/C blew cold.
Transmission was good.
Burned about 1/2 quart a month.
Leather seats were torn up pretty bad.
We bought a Toyota Highlander from them (CarMax) and took the $1700 they gave us for that ol' beast.
I was in a similar position a few years ago - moving from NC to MD, and knew my car wouldn't make the trip, much less pass MD vehicle inspection. Car was a 2001 Toyota Corolla with about 110,000 miles. It needed a bit of body work, but was mechanically sound. I needed to keep the car until the absolute last minute, and wanted the sale to be as easy as possible. I went to Carmax a few days before the move to get the estimate - the KBB trade in value was $2000, and they offered $1500. It seemed like a good deal to me, especially since I could keep the car for a few more days and drop it off for sale at the last minute. So, the day before the move, I dropped off the car and title. Carmax took care of all the paper work, all I had to do was mail my license plate back to NC DMV. All told, the appraisal took about 30 minutes (definitely make an appointment ahead of time!), and the final sale took about 15 minutes.
When my dad could no longer safety drive, I sold his car for him to Carmax. His was a try "creampuff" mid-2000s Buick Lucerne, garage kept, hardly any miles.
Cleaned it up a bit and Carmax gave me close to what I expected (after research) from a private sale.
I think this was mainly due to its condition and it was a recently opened Carmax they shoehorned into an existing area. It did not have good roadside visibility.
Good luck.
Mike G
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
