Car Selling Help

"SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O)" (sammauri)
11/16/2014 at 20:38 • Filed to: Car buying, car selling, Jeep, Wrangler, HALP, Raplopnik

Dear everyone. I am struggling hard to sell my Jeep.

It's a 2010 Wrangler Sahara with 50k miles and it's in great shape. It's on Autotrader, Craiglist, and I have flyers up around town (especially at one of the police department and a couple private schools. It also used to be on eBay but that got me nowhere) and I have gotten almost no interest. People haven't even been lowballing me or sending me scam emails. Just nothing. Zero. Zilch. I don't think I have it priced too high (it's the cheapest 2010 Sahara on Autotrader) and I can't post it on the designated Jeep forum because I think my post count is too low and I can't make a new thread on the "for sale" board, so that's not an option right now.

Does anyone have any good tips for selling a relatively new car? It's been for sale since this summer. I figured someone would pick it up then because a soft-top Jeep is an awesome summer car, but winter's rolling around and my only hope is that someone with some dough needs something with 4WD, but I haven't had any luck so far. I really wish I could just keep it, but that's not an option either. I even took it to Carmax to see what they'd give me for it a few months ago, but I would like to avoid taking that kind of a hit. I'm at a complete loss, Oppo. Have some cool Jeeps as thanks.

EDIT: This is the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . The Craigslist ad is essentially the same.

And this is the flyer that I have up around town:

And a song

STRICTLY 4 MY JEEPS

DISCUSSION (30)

jkm7680 > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O)
11/16/2014 at 20:40

It's sorta strange that you aren't getting much interest for it. At that point, I wouldn't even know. Maybe have a buddy in a different part of the country sell it for you?

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > jkm7680
11/16/2014 at 20:44

I was considering that, but Fairfield County, CT is IN LOVE with Jeep Wranglers. This should be the easiest place in the world to sell it. Seriously, every high school kid wants a Jeep as their first car, and there are way more than enough rich parents to make that happen. I literally cannot figure out why I haven't gotten any interest.

I was really hoping my dad would buy it for my step brother so that I could still drive it, but he just started a custom motorcycle shop so he's a little strapped for cash.

PatBateman > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O)
11/16/2014 at 20:44

I know what DeMuro would say...

1337HPMustang > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O)
11/16/2014 at 20:45

lets see the ad, maybe we can give you some pointers

jkm7680 > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O)
11/16/2014 at 20:47

Ah, Gotcha. I"m super confused also, because it is true that every high school kid wants a Wrangler. But very few of them want a manual transmission. (Yours is right?)

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > PatBateman
11/16/2014 at 20:48

Carmax is not the answer. I tried that. They wanted to give me only slightly more than the dealership I bought it from. The summer of 2013 I got it for $25k (but traded in two cars so I had to pay significantly less than that) and the same dealership offered my $17k after driving it for one year and less than 10,000 miles. I knew not to expect much, but I was slightly insulted. Carmax's offer was better, but not much.

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > jkm7680
11/16/2014 at 20:49

Yeah. It is a manual, but everyone I talk to seems to think that Wranglers should only be had in manual, even though I don't think a lot of them could drive it...

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > 1337HPMustang
11/16/2014 at 20:49

Okay. I'll add it to the original post

GeorgeyBoy > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O)
11/16/2014 at 20:53

My guess is because manual.

jkm7680 > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O)
11/16/2014 at 20:53

Huh, even stranger. Have you tried bringing it to Jeep meets and advertising it?

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > jkm7680
11/16/2014 at 20:56

I haven't, unfortunately. And the two big one's in my area are in September so I kind of missed that boat. I'm having my mom drive it around with for sale signs in the windows while I'm at school, but that hasn't helped much either.

Steve in Manhattan > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O)
11/16/2014 at 20:57

There was a post earlier today (which I meant to comment on) that was essentially - HOLY SHIT, YOU CAN GET THIS AMG MERCEDES FOR 15K? The price turns heads. Perhaps all of the Jeeps like yours are overpriced. SmoresTM's comment about the marketplace is also apt.

The GF and I have been looking for an apartment on the Upper West Side for about a year. By the time we get to the stuff that's reasonably priced, it's usually gone. I had high hopes for an apartment in The Verdi (next door) but the apartment was cramped, even by Manhattan standards. The hallways and lobby were grimy. At 150K less, we might have made an offer.

Someone has to see the ad and not be able to resist taking a test drive.

Milky > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O)
11/16/2014 at 20:59

Damn, looks clean and good photos too. I aint even know. Err, good luck.

jkm7680 > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O)
11/16/2014 at 21:00

Ah, that sucks. IF all else fails, bring it to MOAB.

You don't DD the 2002 do you?

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > GeorgeyBoy
11/16/2014 at 21:01

But everyone I've talked to has said they think automatic Wranglers are dumb. I doubt a lot of those people can drive manual, but still. I don't know... That might be it though.

Rainbow > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O)
11/16/2014 at 21:05

Honestly, I'd prefer an automatic trail rig. I'd rather have both hands on the wheel if I'm flying over rough terrain. That said, it needs to have a separate 1, 2, and 3 instead of just an L.

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > Steve in Manhattan
11/16/2014 at 21:08

As far as I know, mine is about the same price as a lot of the Wrangler Sports with slightly more miles in my area. It really is the cheapest 2010 Sahara on Autotrader for 75 miles (second cheapest by $22 in 100) so I thought I had set a good price.Plus there really is a "Wrangler Tax" in my neck of the woods. I mentioned JKM, every high schooler wants a Wrangler as their first car and there are more than enough rich families who are happy to make that happen. I know it's not all-caps HOLY SHIT worthy, but it seems like a good price based on other Wranglers in the area.

I haven't even gotten anyone who asked for a test drive. Color me confused.

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > Milky
11/16/2014 at 21:12

Thanks! It really is in great shape. I worked my ass off to save for it and traded in two cars to get it (my first car, a 2001 Nissan xTerra + a 2003 Denali XL that a family friend generously gave to me) and didn't have much left over, so I was really careful with it.

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > jkm7680
11/16/2014 at 21:14

Ahaha. I think if I brought it to MOAB I would never want to get rid of it.

And I did DD the 2002 for a while. I'm at school in a city now though, so I DD the subway. The idea in selling the Jeep is to save $$$$ on insurance and dump whatever I get into the 2002 so I can dive the hell out of it this spring/next summer/for the rest of my life.

Milky > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O)
11/16/2014 at 21:15

Well it shows. I had a friend just one of these too, I would of said something to him if this was in august.

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > Rainbow
11/16/2014 at 21:16

I can definitely see where you're coming from. I only took it on a few light trails, so nothing scary where I would have felt safer with both hands on the wheel. And, honestly, most people who would buy it in my area would do even less than that. Which, again, might make an automatic ideal for them.

Crap.

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > Milky
11/16/2014 at 21:17

Ahahaha. Shit. It was for sale in August, too. I just didn't want to spam Oppo with for sale ads so I only posted it on here once or twice.

BrownMiataDieselWagon > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O)
11/16/2014 at 21:18

That's a nice looking Jeep! Do you know if it comes with 3.73 gears or the Track-Lok limited slip diff? I know those are options people look for, or at least I did when I was shopping for a Wrangler.

quite98 > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O)
11/16/2014 at 21:34

I had a 2010 Wrangler Islander that I bought new and ended up trading in for $18K in March 2013 with 37K on the clock (all power options plus navigation, backup camera, both tops, etc). It was an automatic. My experience was that the prices that these vehicles are advertised at are not necessarily the price that you will attain: at the time I was selling mine, similar vehicles were advertised for $22K-$23K, I had no interest whatsoever in mine at $21K.

In my opinion, you have a very nice Jeep but a problem with your sale is that the vehicle has perhaps the wrong transmission for that variant: hardcore Jeep fans interested in a manual trans are probably going to want a base Sport (perceived cheaper cost) or a Rubicon. Also, as someone that is looking to get back into Wrangler ownership, $22K would be problematic to me for two reasons. First, it looks to me fairly close to the discounted cost of a brand new 2015 Sport (yes, I know that will be a stripper - but it's a new vehicle and in a Jeep I don't really care about options). Secondly, 2010 is the year before the considerable interior improvements of 2011 and more importantly, it's not a 2012 or later with the (much) more powerful Pentastar engine.

If you really want to sell, I personally would try advertising at $20K and being prepared to take $19K. But at that price, you might be better off taking the carmax offer.

Tinfoil Hat in a thunderstorm, now with added diecast > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O)
11/16/2014 at 22:14

Is it to cheap? Raise the price and see if they come to beat you down so they get a bargin?

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > Tinfoil Hat in a thunderstorm, now with added diecast
11/16/2014 at 22:24

I don't think so. It's in the lower-end of Autotrader but mid-upper end of Craigslist. I might bring it down a little bit and see if that helps. If not, I'm going back to CarMax to see what they'd give me for it.

Unfortunately I'm not even driving it right now, but I'm still paying insurance and everything (and my insurance rate is higher than normal) so holding out for a few months to try to get an extra thousand bucks or so is only hardly worth it. Plus the sooner I can get it sold, the sooner I can start dumping money into the 2002.

Tinfoil Hat in a thunderstorm, now with added diecast > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O)
11/16/2014 at 22:29

Good luck with it. I know how you feel, I've had a vehicle for sale most of this year and had the same response as you. It's a pain.

Steve in Manhattan > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O)
11/16/2014 at 22:44

Would CarMax make you a decent offer?

My GF doesn't like the apartment we live in - too small, she says. So I say, would you buy it at perceived value - 50K?. No. Perceived value - 100K? Then she starts to think about it. To put some numbers on it, people regularly try and get $625-650 in my building for run-of-the-mill 1 bedrooms. And before you say: zOMG, that's a lot of money, remember that we have no car payment, no insurance payment, no garage fees, no yard maintenance - all the maintenance is take care of in the monthly fee. And we have learned how to live cheaply in this city. 525 in this building, we look. 625 - nope.

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > Steve in Manhattan
11/16/2014 at 23:02

Last time I went in they offered me $19,000. That was a few months ago, and really that's the lowest I would take so I'm worried that my CarMax window might have closed. I'll check it out next weekend though. I may be somewhat pleasantly surprised. If they offer me $19k, and I can be worry free about the transaction with payment happening much more quickly than it probably would with a private buyer, that might be worth it. Then I could start dumping money into the 2002 this month, which would be amazing.

And $625-650/month? That's not too bad for a place in the city. We used to live in Bridgeport, CT and our rent was a little under $800. Apartment was absolutely beautiful and a decent size, but neighborhood was bordering on not good. We were in a safe enough spot, but we heard the occasional gunshot and came to find out that our landlord was a drug/arms dealer, which we only found out when a SWAT team showed up at our front door... Yay (good news is we got free rent for the first 4 months he was in prison). I have a good friend who's paying $3,000/month for her apartment in Boston right now. Prime location and absolutely beautiful with a rooftop deck... Oh, that must be so nice.

Steve in Manhattan > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O)
11/16/2014 at 23:36

Sorry if I was unclear - to buy the apartment is about $625,000. $525K would be great, but we won't get much. It's difficult to find the right one.