How do you sell your old used cars?

"Chuckles" (chucklesw37)
09/10/2018 at 09:12 • Filed to: Not selling my Miata, Maybe selling my Miata

I’m not looking to sell anything at the moment, but it’s possible that we’ll be looking to downsize the fleet in the next year or two. I’ve sold a car on Craigslist before, but are there any other good options for trying to sell a car that’s 10+ years old?

This is not my car, but before I bought my Miata I went and looked at this MR2.

DISCUSSION (26)

Nibby > Chuckles
09/10/2018 at 09:33

put a giant “FOR SALE” sign on it asking for tree fiddy

E90M3 > Chuckles
09/10/2018 at 09:37

Maybe bring a trailer?

TysMagic > Chuckles
09/10/2018 at 09:41

Facebook Market place has brought me a mixed bag of success on other used items - but god I hate it. It’s filled with mom’s who claim they want something might even arrange meeting but don’t show up at all at a greater percentage than no shows from craigslist. It is dreadful

Chuckles > E90M3
09/10/2018 at 09:45

I considered that, but I’m not sure that any of the vehicles that I’d sell are quite up to that level. Even my Miata has enough minor issues that I don't know if I could sell it on BaT. But I don't spend too much time over there so I'll have to look into it.

Chuckles > Nibby
09/10/2018 at 09:45

No, you have to ask for double that and then bargain down to tree fiddy.

pip bip - choose Corrour > Chuckles
09/10/2018 at 09:47

take it to the wreckers?

Chuckles > pip bip - choose Corrour
09/10/2018 at 09:49

Typically, I keep my cars until they die but in this case I might be looking to sell a car that still runs and is worth a lot more than scrap value.

GoodIdeaAtTheTime > Chuckles
09/10/2018 at 09:56

Depends on the car/type you are trying to sell. Camry/corolla ? sell it on c raigslist. Mr2/Supra ? sell it on enthusiast forums, specific facebook groups. Tacoma/Hilux, sell it anywhere. Couple examples. It works for me.

E90M3 > Chuckles
09/10/2018 at 09:56

It used to be pretty selective, but it seems that the requirements have loosened. Probably not worth it as some cars like that go for cheap. Maybe ebay? Don’t know, the only car I sold was my 128i and I sold that to a company that is now defunct.

Chuckles > E90M3
09/10/2018 at 10:06

I remember reading your story about that. It’s too bad they’re out of business.

I’m trying to buy a house when my lease is up in June, and it would be nice to have some more money to do that, plus not paying insurance/inspection/registration on multiple cars. I'm just wondering how other people go about selling cars besides CL. I always forget about ebay.

E90M3 > Chuckles
09/10/2018 at 10:08

Yeah, extra money would be nice. One reason I’ve though about ditching the 3 and getting something a lot cheaper.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > Chuckles
09/10/2018 at 10:11

Usually Craigslist is my go to, along with parking it somewhere that gets high traffic.

I’m probably going to be looking at more options shortly though as CL seems to be leaving me high and dry on the truck.

Chuckles > E90M3
09/10/2018 at 10:19

I split my driving between my 94 Miata and my 2012 Fiat 500. This summer I’ve taken three decent road trips outside of PA (one to WV, one to IN, one to NC). Due to weather/passengers/cargo requirements, all 3 of those trips were in the Fiat. And honestly, it’s a nice little car for road trips. Sure, the Miata is way more fun on a twisty road, but I don’t get enough chances to really enjoy that. I don’t love the idea of getting rid of the Miata, but I think I can get by with just the Fiat for a while, and in a few years I'll be back in the market for a fun second car.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > Chuckles
09/10/2018 at 10:21

It depends on the car. If it is something with an enthusiast following and in great shape , forums can be a great place to find people looking for a best of breed example of whatever it is . Craigslist has always worked, as did newspaper classifieds back in the day.

If an old car is presentable and cleans up real well and is cheap enough , I’ve had a lot of luck over the years putting a for sale sign on it and parking it someplace visible. Two of last three inexpensive cars I’ve sold I just detailed them, put a for sale sign in the window and parked in a more visible spot than I usually do on campus. I put my business card in the window along with the sign and I had my 91 Legend Coupe sold before lunch that day, and my 00 miata sold by the end of the day, respectively, via that method.

Chuckles > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
09/10/2018 at 10:28

I'm not sure which car it might be. It could be a 94 Miata, a 2012 Fiat 500, or an 06 Civic.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > Chuckles
09/10/2018 at 10:55

Those feel to me like cars that probably get sold either via craigslist or being parked somewhere visible with a sign.

Chuckles > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
09/10/2018 at 11:00

Probably. In all likelihood, I'll end up keeping everything for now. I might have a better chance selling the Miata in the spring anyway, and I've got a garage to keep it from getting snowed on this winter.

ArmadaExpress drives a turbo outback > Chuckles
09/10/2018 at 11:51

Ive recently had a good experience with Facebook Marketplace selling my ‘06 Outback XT. Also recently sold a mobility scooter on there also.

arl > Chuckles
09/10/2018 at 12:29

I drive to Carmax, they make me an offer, I hand them the keys.

I was born without the negotiation gene. I hate to barter, negotiate, swap, etc. J ust give me a price that won’t put me upside down on my loan and have at it. Less stress for me.

Chuckles > arl
09/10/2018 at 12:56

I am definitely not a fan of price negotiation. The closest carmax is about an hour from me, so I may go that route just to see what they'd offer. If I'm selling the Miata, it's already paid off. I'd need to get enough to feel ok with the decision. It's not costing me a lot to keep it, but it's something. I bought it for about $5,000 but that was maybe 4 years ago. I've put some mileage on it, and the soft top is functional but not very pretty thanks to me using silicone to deal with some leaks. Also the air bag light is on. It still passes inspection but I wouldn't be surprised if carmax wouldn't want it.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > Chuckles
09/10/2018 at 13:15

I’m in the middle of selling my ’89 E30 and I’ve mainly worked through Craigslist. My current market is pretty small (Portland, OR) – and it’s an old car. So there aren’t that many people interested, and some are like “well I can buy a newer BMW for the same money”…bro if you want a newer BMW you should totally buy one! So you’ll have some of that. Like you, my car while clean and reliable I’m not quite sure is quite up to the BaT level – high miles, replaced engine etc. Same goes for forums – those people can be a massive pain in the butt and super sticklers about ridiculous details (“you used WHAT kind of washer fluid?!?”). I simply don’t have the time for that.

So I’ve listed locally on CL, as well as in the SF Bay Area CL as well (of course with a big disclaimer that the car is located in Portland, not SF). Being a bigger market I’ve actually had a lot more interest from down there. Also helps that prices there tend to be a bit higher, so it’s worthwhile for people to buy a car out of state I guess in certain cases. I have someone flying up to buy the car and drive it back down tomorrow. Fingers crossed all goes smoothly!

It’s taken a little time because I simply don’t have the time to deal with selling a car and negotiating, showing, and explaining details to multiple buyers. I take things one person at a time – maybe 2 if they seem serious – and see where things go. If it doesn’t sell then I relist/check in with someone else who might have shown interest.

I recommend doing something similar – CL, maybe list on a larger relatively close by CL market as well, and the forums if you wish – you can always decide to ignore people who are too much of a pain in the ass and want a million things online before ever even committing to a phone call or live showing.

Captain of the Enterprise > Chuckles
09/10/2018 at 13:19

I’ve always used craigslist but it’s a huge pain in the ass and I’ve never sold anything worth more than $4,000

Chuckles > Captain of the Enterprise
09/10/2018 at 13:35

I sold a Civic with a horrendous knock to a mechanic on Craigslist. It was relatively painless. But I'm not really interested in dealing with lots of people wanting to test drive my car and try to negotiate a low price.

Chuckles > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
09/10/2018 at 14:03

That’s a good strategy. If I go the CL route it’ll definitely be with a throwaway email address. From what I remember selling a car on there years ago, it’s a bout 90% spam emails anyway.

Captain of the Enterprise > Chuckles
09/10/2018 at 17:33

Or negotiate before even seeing it or never showing up

Jayvincent > Chuckles
09/11/2018 at 00:41

Within the last year, I’ve sold an ‘05 cobalt, an ‘01 Odyssey and an ‘07 Ranger, so nothing collectible or sought after, just basic cheap runs and drives vehicles after my family was done with them.

I went the Facebook route a couple of times, but even with just local community listings, I ended up with someone who recommended it to someone who forwarded it to someone else... from the other side of the state. Who wanted me to hold it for them to come see in a week...

I next tried CarGurus with mixed success . They are 90% used car dealers, but you can create private owner listings pretty easily. The bonus is you get to see your competition, so you know if you are the lowest priced X within XX miles. I’d probably try that again , because it weeds out most of the Craigslist Crazies and straight scamm ers.