I haven't sold a car before, I'm about to sell my 2018, looking for advice.

[Q6543]

They give you a check and it deposits and then is rejected days later.
You sign over your title and your car is gone and you have nothing.

scams like that.

Sponsored

 

[The Ghost]

I sold my 2006 S197 on Auto Trader. Got more for it than I would have at the dealer. In fact, they told me straight up it would be like $500 because it was so old and they couldn't do anything with it other than send it to auction. People can be flakey on there and there are some spammers or scammers to be wary of, but in the end, it worked out. Had a buyer come see the car, inspect it, and he liked it and bought it.

One other thing you might see that I did is small-time resellers trying to buy your car. They'll send someone to do an inspection then send you an offer. I had a couple of them do this with me. They were legit but their offers were lower than I was going for, so I rejected them. Just be careful with them because sometimes they have hidden fees if you decide to move forward with them.

 

[Zengineer]

I guess I'm naive. I don't understand what you guys mean by 'scammer'.
Are you talking about lowballers?
What kind of scam could be run on someone selling a used car?

Most are just nuisance level scams they can run without getting off the couch. They send a message that they are very interested but want a vehicle history report and they want you to pay for it and it needs to be from the company they send you a link for. They own the report website. The report is either phoney or just a search of free public information . Its just a way to drive traffic to their bogus site.

It's easy enough to see them coming, most are too lazy to read an ad and ask questions that are covered clearly in your ad. My ad on autotrader for my BMW 440 started out "Special ordered by me and purchased new in May 2017.....". In the first day I had 5 messages asking if I was the original owner....delete, delete, delete, delete, delete.

Craigslist flakes however will murder you and steal your car so be careful.

 

[IoguDiiiaa]

One thing that might be helpful is looking at other car sales guides to get a sense of what buyers might be looking for. For example, this guide on what to consider when selling a car like the Nissan Silvia has some useful tips on preparing and presenting your vehicle: https://www.jdmbuysell.com/buying-guide/nissan-silvia/. While it's focused on a different model, the general advice applies to any car sale.

 

[MCS]

lol I just went through this. Here are my recommendations.

Use auto trader as your primary ad platform. Pay for the 3 month term for $80.00 or whatever it is.

get a carfax for yourself and attach it to the ad. Ignore anyone else’s request for bumper reports or whatever other scam sites are out there. If auto trader uses car fax it’s good enough.

Get a safety of your car done. New buyer can’t plate it without. Many don’t realize that they need one.

Anyone who asks questions like “what’s the lowest you will take” and “can I finance” just delete. I had so many young guys from Brampton asking these questions.

No test pilots or tire kickers. You are willing to take someone for a drive in the car but only one person and you drive in an area you know.

No cash deals. Sooooo many people where I live have access to vast amounts of fake money it’s scary. I had at least 3 offers of cash deal.

When it comes time to sell you only accept bank drafts. And before you hand over the keys you meet the buyer at your bank and have the bank manager review their draft to make sure it’s legit. You also get a pic of their drivers license in case it’s not.

You really have to watch your ass trying to sell anything these days. Don’t jump at the first offer. Don’t compromise on your requirements.

Sponsored