+- MacResource (https://forums.macresource.com)
+-- Forum: My Category (https://forums.macresource.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=1)
+--- Forum: Tips and Deals (https://forums.macresource.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=3)
+--- Thread: Please help me sell my car! (/showthread.php?tid=31574)
Re: Please help me sell my car! - spearmint - 04-15-2007
$4500 sounds fair if it were decent but bodywork is a price killer. Bodywork is so outrageous. What I have ever had done I had done was in "interesting" neighborhoods. You got it on Craigslist ? Acuras are nice cars and long runners but 114,000 miles is somewhat a deterrent even though the cars will run twice that. Also Chicago is tough used car market for the seller. Out here in the Bay Area used cars are real expensive unless they are unattractive models and makes or high mileage. Good Luck! Selling a used car is a no funner.
Re: Please help me sell my car! - blusubaru - 04-15-2007
Start it high and negotiate to what you would like to get for it. For instance, if you would take 4500, start it at 4900. I've had a recent fantastic experience with CL and will use that for all my automobile sales in the future.
Re: Please help me sell my car! - sunfalcon - 04-15-2007
I would totally list it in craigslist - what have you got to lose? I just sold a CR-V a few months ago. Had it on craigs for a couple months and really didn't get a lot of action. I put it on autotrader.com and within a couple weeks, it was gone. Granted, it had no body or engine issues and was really in great shape. The only deterrant was the 85,000 miles on a 2002. However, after some patience I sold it.
I have purchased two cars recently off craigslist and I will vouch that body work is expensive. I needed to have a door and two rear quarter panels repainted due to peeling clearcoat and it cost me $900.
why don't you just drive the integra until it falls apart? That's a lot cheaper than getting a new car and the Acura is nice.
good luck!
Re: Please help me sell my car! - mrbigstuff - 04-15-2007
CL is good, but be aware that 99% of the shoppers there are looking for a bargain. I bought a car myself two weeks ago from CL and got a great bargain, literally half price (although I only paid around $2000, so it's relative). CL is good but be willing to come down in price when pushed (i.e., ask more to start).
Take some very flattering photos of the car (twilight with sun shimmering in background; no other cars or dirty flotsam in the background; no harsh flash if you can avoid it).
Re: Please help me sell my car! - dmann - 04-15-2007
sunfalcon- that was my original plan but I just can't do it based on the job I took last year. I cover 4 states and drive extensively (20,000 miles last year alone). Little things here and there are starting to go wrong and I just can't risk being in the middle of nowhere with a broken down car. Obviously, I know nothing about cars and as a single female I feel a bit vulnerable. I am lucky to have a great mechanic, but he is here in Chicago and won't be much help if I have a problem in Akron, OH.
The other thing is that the car is really too small for my job. I am regularly carrying hundreds of pounds of trade show freight and samples and while I am a REALLY good packer and can get an INCREDIBLE amount of stuff into the Integra, it is difficult lifting heavy things in and out of the hatch.
If I had a regular office job it would be a different story-I wouldn't dream of getting rid of it!
DM
Re: Please help me sell my car! - SteveO - 04-15-2007
That is a tough one. In your favor you have the new components and the fact it's an Acura. (Sweet ride, btw, that is one of my favorite Integras.) Against you is that it's a used car plus the body dings. I have found that kbb is an "okay" yardstick of value, if not a bit optimistic. Also, and this gonna be tough to hear, but due to the body dings you mentioned, I'd evaluate the vehicle's condition as fair (at least in my own mind) vs. fair to good. What you might not consider MAJOR damage is up to interpretation.
I have found it helpful to look apples-to-apples at cars.com and see how private parties are pricing the same (incl equipment) car, then price yours at the LOWER end of that. Kinda' like selling a book or CD on Amazon...if there are a lot of the same thing to choose from, most people will choose the cheapest. And in this price point, you're looking at buyers who cannot afford to spend much on a vehicle but do need dependable transportation. (That's where you can highlight the fact that you've already fixed the major components to the tune of xxx dollars the buyer WON'T have to spend, so this is a huuuge selling point in your favor; and it helps also that you have all the maintenance records.)
Secondarily you might be able to sell it to a parent buying it for their h.s. or college kid. You should try to post ads that reach these kids, you might have a better chance of getting more for it. These old Integras make great tuner cars for some kids. I call them "Hot Wheels."
All that said, if cars like yours (including the body dings) are listed by private parties at $4500, then I'd price it at, say, $4200 obo. That obo being very important. Used cars are a buyer's market b/c it's so easy to get into a new car these days...so that hurts you plus the fact that the used car market is flooded from same.
If you decide to sell it at a dealer or trade it, you might also consider going to CarMax and getting an appraisal. I have personally found (and read of others) that their offers beat the dealers. And you don't have to buy a car there for them to buy yours.
To maxmize your dollars: if your state allows it (and I want to say you live in KS so yeah, it does), the used car selling price can offset some of the sales tax on your new car...but the transaction needs to take place at the dealer (if you're a KS resident). Easy enough if you have your new car deal worked out...just agree on a price for xyz car and tell the dealer you'll consummate the deal when you have a buyer for your used car, then bring the buyer into the dealer and do the transaction there. It's called an "in and out trade." I've done it twice and it saved me about $3000 or so in taxes, plus the extra money I got from my private buyer that a dealer would've only given me wholesale. It's a little more work, but the savings can add up. (Note: make sure you're not charged twice for a "doc fee" as some dealers will try to do this.)
Example: Your new car is $25k. You sold your old car for $4k at the dealer either via "in and out trade" or traditional trade. You now pay sales tax on $21k instead of $25k. 7.5% tax on $25k is 1875; on $21k it's 1575. You just netted yourself another $300.
Or simply trade in your car at the dealer you're getting your new car from and be done with it. Figure the offset in sales tax...and if it's the same or nearly the same as the add'l $ you'd get selling it yourself, then it's worth avoiding the hassle of selling the car yourself.
Good luck, and enjoy your new car! What are you thinking of getting?
EDIT: OOPS, sorry, thought you were in KS!
Re: Please help me sell my car! - Baby Tats - 04-15-2007
[quote BigGuynRusty]most likely well worn pedals really point to a badly maintained car. Complete BS.
One thing you should do without doubt is get a complete and thorough detailing done. Around here you can get the whole thing done including: wax and buffing, engine steaming, and interior shampoo for about $100. Of course, I live in a majority black neighborhood and we have lots of good local detailing places, lots of competition and the job gets done right the first time. You will make back your money and more. Many people won't even notice the tire tread if the sidewalls are clean and bright.
You may want to have the dents pulled. The big ones at least. The technology has gotten pretty good and there are people that specialize in pulling dents so it may not cost as much as you think. New floor mats are never a bad idea either.
Lastly, advertise in as many places as you can and mention that it is a private sale. Many people don't want to buy from a dealer. The more people that see your add, the more offers you will get.
Re: Please help me sell my car! - blusubaru - 04-15-2007
Go the extra mile to clean it up. Be up front with damage or non-working aspects of the car. Don't put too much in the listing. Say what it is, what it has, and then what's wrong with it. Don't make excuses, just say it straight. Price it a few hundred higher than what you want for it. After cleaning my old truck up and giving it a good polish, it had great curb appeal. I put it out in front of my parents' barn along a US Highway and it was gone in two weeks.
Re: Please help me sell my car! - spearmint - 04-15-2007
I am trying to help sell my apt. manager's perfect 2002 Toyota Corolla with only 19,000 miles on it for $9500 and will accept $8500. It is basically a new car and has been garage kept. People come by and love it and then offer $7000 or less sometimes with cash in hand as if that would influence anything. The dealers who offered on a trade in must be in contact or just mean, e are offering $5000. She is buying a brand new Camry with cash! I have no faith in KBB because they give people selling cars false hope.
The mgr. keeps bugging me and I put it on Craig's List a number of times. I hate some of these dealers lowballing used cars who probably will put them on the lot for at least $9500. I sell stuff, big ticket stuff, and get treated with respect. Used car buyers think they can cheat you and feel that is real good stuff for them. I sell my cars for very low prices when I do not have to junk them and when somebody lowballs me, I just turn and walk away. My self respect and I do not have the time.
Of course I am the guy that bought a Cressida with a cracked block that burned up and got scrwed with the $2500 Rivera being sold out under from me. I gotta lie down.
Re: Please help me sell my car! - AlphaDog - 04-15-2007
Don't discount trading it in. In August of 2005, I wanted to get a different car, and I picked out a certified used car from a local dealer. They gave me $3,000 in trade for a 12 year old Lexus with 150,000 miles on it. It priced out at about $4,000 in the private party market, but there's a limited demand for some of these older luxury cars. Many people who don't have much to spend on the vehicle itself also seem to shy away from cars they view as expensive to repair or maintain, so selling it could take a while.
I didn't have to worry about getting any work done on it, which I would have done had I decided to sell it myself. I saved $280 in sales tax, and a full detail (here) is $200. Plus, trading was fast and easy and well worth the $520 - assuming I'd even gotten $4,000, which was iffy.
Do a little more research on trade in options before you make any commitments about putting money into the Acura. I have nothing against doing some work when the return is expected to cover the cost, but sometimes it doesn't pencil out, especially when you're working and time is a precious commodity, too. And the longer you keep driving that car, the greater the risk of getting nailed for an expensive mechanical repair. Naturally at the most inconvenient time.
Edit: Mint, have you tried listing the Corolla on AutoTrader? We had great luck selling a car through them in 2003. It was the kind of car that had a limited market, but it was gone in less than a week, for our price. We'd been trying to sell it for months using other methods.