Best method for selling car?

[merkinmullet]

I'm moving to Chicago. The Blue Line is 5 minutes from my new pad and I don't need a car. I can't really afford to keep making payments on it while it sits in storage or getting dinged on the street, etc. It is not a city car anyway.

The KBB on the car is $18,900. I have sold past cars for a few thousand no problem, but the asking price ($17,800) and the model narrows the field of potential buyers. Its a 2005 Mazda RX-8 with 17,500 mi and two years left on the warranty. It is in GREAT shape.

With the Mazda RX-8 victory at Daytona 24 hours, I am surprised the masses aren't breaking down my door throwing money at me.

Carmax offered me an insult and a cup of coffee, and eBay was not fruitful either. How have any of you successfully sold your cars in the past?

 

[gtadroptop]

I think you were on the right track with e-Bay. The idea is to get your car exposed to as many people as possible. Classifieds in the local paper just aren't enough, it seems. Never sold a car this way, but have you tried places like Auto Trader or any of the trader magazines? That's actually how I found my Mustang, which was sitting in a bone yard in Florida waiting to be restored.

There's an ass for every seat.

 

[Treamayne]

Auto trader is a good resource. Are you near Wright-Patt (or another military base)? They usually have lemon lots, or you can use the base paper. High volumes of people cycling in and out usually make it easier to sell - there's always new buyers coming into the area every week. For that watter, you can wait until you get to Chicago and try the same thing.

Good luck mate.

-K-

 

[LedMizer]

I think you were on the right track with e-Bay. The idea is to get your car exposed to as many people as possible. Classifieds in the local paper just aren't enough, it seems. Never sold a car this way, but have you tried places like Auto Trader or any of the trader magazines? That's actually how I found my Mustang, which was sitting in a bone yard in Florida waiting to be restored.

There's an ass for every seat.

I agree. I purchased a truck on E-bay that worked out well. I am currently shopping for a 1st car for my daughter (sorry, around the $3-4K range). I find the best sites for me are E-bay, Craig's List, and Cars.com. The idea is to get as much exposure as you can while minimizing the expense of doing so. Best of luck.

 

[junkman_56]

I'm currently looking for a used truck (either Nissan or Toyota).
I uses cars.com and Craig's List to search for what is available in my area.

Not sure how you get a car listed on cars.com, but it seems to be a good resource.

 

[gtadroptop]

I'm currently looking for a used truck (either Nissan or Toyota).
I uses cars.com and Craig's List to search for what is available in my area.

Not sure how you get a car listed on cars.com, but it seems to be a good resource.

Somewhere on their page, there has to be a 'contact us' link. They're usually at either the very top or very bottom of the page. They'll want to make it easy for you to find. That's how they make their money.

 

[sack]

Bring your car to Chicago, i've sold many cars for a good buck in Spanish newspapers here in Chicago. Better then the larger newspapers, because they are dieing a slow death.

 

[Addiction]

I have no clue how to do that, I've only sold collectible cars directly to other people and its considerably easier than selling a real car.

 

[merkinmullet]

Thanks for the ideas. It sounds like max exposure is the way to go. For some reason I was thinking there was a "best" place to do so. I just did autotrader.com as it seems to get a lot of traffic.

 

[merkinmullet]

I have no clue how to do that, I've only sold collectible cars directly to other people and its considerably easier than selling a real car.

I am looking to sell directly to another person as well. I suppose the question for you would be, how did you find the prospective buyer? Did you list the car for sale and where, put a sign in the window, etc.? Or do you mean collectible, as in miniature scale models, not real cars? I am a bit confused here. Thanks.

 

[gtadroptop]

I have no clue how to do that, I've only sold collectible cars directly to other people and its considerably easier than selling a real car.

I am looking to sell directly to another person as well. I suppose the question for you would be, how did you find the prospective buyer? Did you list the car for sale and where, put a sign in the window, etc.? Or do you mean collectible, as in miniature scale models, not real cars? I am a bit confused here. Thanks.

Contact some of the local car clubs. Don't know if you have a Mazda club in your area, but there has to be at least one or two general car clubs. Contact your local Mazda dealer and see if they know of one. How soon are you moving? Starting in the spring, cruise-ins will begin to pop up. That's the best way to make contact with the car crowd. Most car clubs have a web site. Do an on-line search for clubs in your area.

These are just a few suggestions.

 

[prometheus]

If you have a Carmax near you, they will buy anything.

 

[NullSmurf]

Be VERY careful of private deals. Make sure you have real money in hand before releasing the car or the title. Fake, seemingly real cashier's checks are easy to obtain. Only way to know is to have CLEAR funds in hand.

 

[gtadroptop]

Be VERY careful of private deals. Make sure you have real money in hand before releasing the car or the title. Fake, seemingly real cashier's checks are easy to obtain. Only way to know is to have CLEAR funds in hand.

Also try to make sure you have written agreement on the condition of the car before the sale is done. Otherwise you're leaving yourself wide open to real or faked repairs.

 

[KayakinBoy]

If you have a Carmax near you, they will buy anything.

:whistling:

Carmax offered me an insult and a cup of coffee, and eBay was not fruitful either. How have any of you successfully sold your cars in the past?

The internet is a good way to go. Try to find a local website. Chattanoogahascars.com is for people in my area and they are always talking about it on the radio.

Why not keep it? Put it in storage. Mazdas are great cars, and RX-8s are fast! :thumbs: