Important Steps To Avoid Idiocy When Selling Your Car

"J. Drew Silvers" (drewcoustic) 02/24/2014 at 10:30 • Filed to: Car Sales, craigslist, ebay

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Many automotive enthusiasts are fairly well-versed in the art of online "For Sale" listings posted on anything from Craigslist, to eBay, or even the perpetual dinosaur that has become AutoTrader. As someone who has been driving for about twelve years, is a deeply-rooted enthusiast, and has owned a greater volume of vehicles than years spent behind the wheel, I have become somewhat of a classifieds junkie.

Even when I don't have the cash to spend on a car, I still find myself perusing ads online or stopping to look at cars and trucks with "For Sale" signs on their windshields as they sit in open parking lots, waiting for their new owner to show up. With all of this exposure and my fairly competent working knowledge of cars, I have put together my own personal guide to what should and should not be represented when a person is selling their car independently.

Results and opinions may vary.

-The Cheap Emblem/Sticker Situation-

That is a plastic Browning Arms Company logo adhered underneath the factory F-150 logo on this otherwise clean Ford example. Half of the teenage and young adult male population in Metro Atlanta believe themselves to be rednecks, so they go to Wal-Mart and buy these cheap, plastic emblems to stick on their trucks. Why? I have no idea, but for me those are right up there with the stick-on fender vents sold at Auto Zone next to the Betty Boop floor mats. This isn't just applicable to lick-and-stick redneck chrome bits, but pretty much any aftermarket sticker or emblem you currently have on your vehicle. The next potential endorser to said vehicle's title probably doesn't share your same religious affiliation, taste in music, love of cats, or hillbilly tendencies, so removing those little sticky relics could help you gain a sale because anything "cheap" which is stuck to your paintwork may make them wonder what other cheap practices you follow with you car.

-Return Minor Modifications Back To Stock-

When I am looking at a car, I prefer they not be extensively modified, and speaking for most people I know who have shopped for a daily driver in the past, I am not alone. If the car you are selling fits into the category of being lightly modified, returning it to its stock form can actually net you a quicker sale than if someone were to see random and unrelated modifications all over the place. Chances are if you changed your stock intake plumbing to some shiny, polished ducting bound by brightly-colored silicone elbows, with that being the extent of work done under the hood, putting the factory setup back in place may instill more confidence from the buyer. The same idea goes for loud blow off valves, cosmetic lighting, "custom" tail lights and headlights, or aftermarket head units. When I buy a car, the first thing I do is change the head unit and when I make a listing to sell that car, the first thing I do is put the factory unit back in (even if it is outdated) because it was designed to look correct in the dashboard. Even when I put a factory cassette tape deck back in, it has never had an effect on the sale.

-Night Pictures/Wet Pictures-

Everyone knows that a wet appearance makes things more visually appealing in most cases. This is why most of our cars have glossy paint, phones have shiny screens, and why there is an entire industry developed around making a vehicle's tires look wet. If you are trying to sell your car, taking a picture of it as soon as you drop the hose on the ground after a wash isn't doing you any favors if the goal is trying to make the worn out paint look more glossy. I see this all the time on Craigslist ads. When the potential buyer shows up and sees patches of oxidized clear coat all over the car which had been shown as glossy, wet paint in the pictures, you have immediately lost their trust in you. This same effect can be mimicked by going to a parking lot in the pitch black dark and parking under a streetlight at the right shadow angle. Just take your pictures in the sun, following a wash, but only after being given proper drying time.

-Janky Interior Pictures-

At some point or another, we all have a mess in any car we drive daily, some more so than others. When it comes time to sell that car and you take the interior pictures, make sure you clean out the junk and trash. If nothing else, open the doors, sit your junky items outside of the car, take your pictures, and then put it all back inside. You'll have to clean it out later when someone wants to look at the car, so why not give it a nice clean out, vacuum, and maybe a shampoo before taking the pictures? If I see anything related to Ronald McDonald in bag form when looking at cars, I immediately get in the frame of mind that the owner slacks in tidyness, which means they may also slack in maintenance.

-Mud Stains And Dirt-

Cars are dirty, they just are because they roll on dirty roads. I know a very small amount of people who wash their cars every single week and do so under the hood in the same measure, but the truth is that most of us do not. The cheap fix to a dirty engine is to hose it down with so much tire shine that you can't tell the difference between driving dust and plastic, which throws a flag for me purchasing a car unless it were owned by one of the meticulous types I mentioned before and shows well on the rest of the vehicle. When I see an engine that is a little "too" clean, it makes me wonder if they are trying to cover up an oil leak or permanent stains from a romp through a mud pit. Within the same context, I have also looked at trucks and Jeeps with fresh coats of spray paint on the chassis to cover up mud stains. The spray paint smell lingers for days, but after driving around, the person who applied it usually becomes accustomed to the aroma and no longer notices. If someone is covering up mud stains and excess dirt, it makes me wonder about things like wheel bearings and tie rods which may not have been properly cleaned. In short - grab some engine de-greaser, maybe a scrub brush, and a pressure washer if you need to, but leave the tire shine for the rubber that touches the pavement.

-Not Taking Care Of "Simple" Fixes-

Ads pop up all the time saying things such as: "All it needs is a five dollar part and it will be good as new." or "The muffler has a hole in it, but you can get a new one for $20 and have it put on in half an hour.". The question is, if these fixes are so "simple" and take such minimal effort to correct, why has the owner not taken care of it before placing the ad? I can understand this if you have just put your black market, 2003 Fiat Barchetta up for sale and are having a logistical problem with sourcing a replacement door handle from Italy. However, if your eight year old Mustang GT has a broken ten-dollar side marker, and a snapped off ten-dollar dash vent, it makes the potential buyer wonder if you have kept up on the real maintenance required for your car.

-Not Mentioning Major Issues Immediately In Your Ad Or Not At All-

The above listing shows an example of a seller who has probably listed his truck properly. He kept the description to the point and mentioned the major problems right off the bat, which is the ideal way as far as I am concerned. If I am looking at an ad and spend a few minutes reading through details about the greatness that is this person's vehicle, and after that time investment read the last sentence which says "but the engine is blown", it has wasted my time. Yeah, more people will read your entire ad, but if they are not looking for a 240SX with a blown SR20 to buy at full retail value, you wouldn't have sold it to them anyway. As far as those who don't even disclose the issue, I actually drove over three hours to pick up a Jeep Wrangler the owner assured me was in great shape. When I arrived in South Carolina the Jeep looked great, ran great, but when I shifted to second gear *crunch*. When I came back, he said "You just have to learn how to drive it." I can drive with a bad synchro and it wasn't something I hadn't done before, but he never mentioned it in his ad, nor our conversations, so it made me question his integrity as a whole. I drove back to Atlanta without the Jeep and wasted an entire day, as well as gallons of diesel for the trip. The same can be said for emissions compliance. If your area requires SMOG compliance but you have somehow walked around the system, mention that in your ad or be sure your tell the potential buyer. I have also ventured out to look at cars, only to be told on arrival that it won't pass emissions compliance, but that he "knows a guy" who will SMOG it for $50. No thank you. A car isn't worth a felony.

-Don't Claim Your Stock Engine Is Something It Isn't-

I see this mostly with the GM crowd, and that isn't me being critical, because I have owned two F-Bodies myself. If you are a lover of General Motors small blocks, you have read an ad like this before:

Or this:

If your engine was not installed in a Corvette (insert any other car) from the factory, you do not have a Corvette engine. Is it the same block? Sometimes, yes, but they don't carry the same tuning, exhaust, or accessories. In the case of an iron block LT1, the Corvette block was made with four bolt mains, while the rest of them were made with two bolt mains. This is a case of picking the most expensive car to use the same basic engine design as the car you are selling as an attempt to make it more appealing. It isn't a good tactic.

-Using The Word "Custom" In Your Ad Title-

Unless you are selling a 1960's-1980's era pickup truck or van which uses the word "Custom" in the model name, do not use that to describe anything about your vehicle. The end. I'm not elaborating on that. Just type that word into the Craigslist search and have fun on your journey.

To wrap this up, when in doubt, have a car-fluent friend look over your car before you place the "For Sale" ad or park it on the side of the road with a sign on it. Someone who doesn't see your car everyday will be able to pick out the little issues and imperfections you have become accustomed to living with which may put off a potential buyer. In this case, outside opinion really helps with the process and makes sure you aren't forgetful about any details and allows you to price your car according to the real world and not your own value. When I sell a car, I try to price it while taking defects into consideration, because extensive negotiating is a pain to deal with. I'm just a car guy, not a licensed dealership.

There are some exceptions to this crude list I have complied, such as the disease-infested Chevrolet Beretta our race team bought for $500 because we knew at that price there couldn't be much to the car and really nothing to negotiate since we were well aware of its junker status. This also does not apply to the 1983 Pontiac 6000 you found abandoned on a recently purchased property which had so many weeds growing through it, you originally assumed it to be a bale of hay. Again, a buyer should be able to figure out what they are getting on their own in that case when they see the jungle which has grown around it in your pictures.

So, what am I missing and where am I off base?

Let's talk about it.

Grace and Peace,

Drew !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

crowmolly > J. Drew Silvers 02/24/2014 at 10:32

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350 is a CAMARO engine. Always has been.

EL_ULY > J. Drew Silvers 02/24/2014 at 10:41

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something I see often on ads showing things with "custom wheels" (just giant chrome flea market garbage) is the phase "solid chrome wheels"

Because Houston :]

Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street. > J. Drew Silvers 02/24/2014 at 10:41

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Having a title and a smog cert on hand goes a long way to selling a car in California.

crown victor victoria > J. Drew Silvers 02/24/2014 at 10:43

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I love the yahoos who list cars with "salvage title due to minor accident" or some similar language that attempts to gloss over the fact that the car HAS A SALVAGE TITLE.

Granted, there might be some worthwhile salvage purchases out there, but I don't think they are undertakings for the general car-buying public. I'd never expect a salvage title vehicle to be a reliable DD from day one, but you see them pretty frequently and I worry for the folks that buy them who maybe don't know what they are getting themselves into.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > J. Drew Silvers 02/24/2014 at 10:44

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I kind skimmed but a few things I always do.

1. I love stickers, but I only put them on glass that way when It comes time to sell they can all be scraped off in a bout 5 seconds.

for example my 97 Accord. all these stickers came off with just a razor, and before I took pics for the CL ad

2. If you don't have OEM floor mats in you car go buy brand new ones that same color as the carpet in your car. If you still have OEM floor mats shampoo them. Either way wont cost you much time or money, and make your car look 1000 times better.

3. Don't be an asshole. seems pretty self explanatory.

interrogator-chaplain > J. Drew Silvers 02/24/2014 at 10:58

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Is that what those are? I've been seeing them on a whole whack of trucks driving into the station headed out to the boony's here in Northern Ontario.

J. Drew Silvers > interrogator-chaplain 02/24/2014 at 11:14

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Yep. It's some sort of redneck calling card. Here in the states they sell them for about $10 at Wal-Mart. They're probably making licensing money hand over fist because about a third of the trucks around here have them stuck somewhere on the body. Which is stupid because I live in the suburbs and barely anyone hunts since every city has an ordinance against it.

V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! > J. Drew Silvers 02/24/2014 at 11:42

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I've had 2 vehicles that I have had an exhaust fabricator install a one-off exhaust. Both have used mufflers that weren't part of some mass produced "cat-back" or "axle-back" system (they don't make them for the particular car I speak of). When I decided to install a new camshaft in my Ford 302, I called a reputable camshaft grinder and gave him just about every spec I had for the vehicle and drivetrain combo; to include stuff that most people would not think of. The result was more power; especially in the lower RPM range coupled with an INCREASE in gas mileage of approximately 3 MPG.

For these instances; I would add "custom" for a parts description for the vehicle(s) were I selling them. To be fair, these would NOT appeal to the average person hunting for a commuter or daily driver which is whom your article is more geared towards. My ad would state this. My own commuter cars are completely stock and untouched. There is no need to modify one when you have a side-toy.

Heck, even if I didn't and I was in the market for a new daily driver, I sure as hell wouldn't purchase one that had legitimate "custom" parts. Gonna be a real pain in the rear when said parts break and you can't find them and need it for work the next morning.

McMike > J. Drew Silvers 02/24/2014 at 11:57

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"If you are trying to sell your car, taking a picture of it as soon as you drop the hose on the ground after a wash isn't doing you any favors if the goal is trying to make the worn out paint look more glossy."

This drives me nuts. I don't know why, but it does.

I always thought it was due to the fact that people are lazy, and are only washing the thing because they want to sell it. As soon as that last bit of soap is rinsed off and (as you said) hose hits the ground, they scream, "HONEY GET THE CAMERA!! GET IT NOW!!!!!!!!!" leaving everything laying around as it is (soap, buckets, sponges kids toys, the works.)

Yes, wash it. Yes, clean it up and make it look shiny.. but for god's sake, take it around the corner before you take photos of your messy-ass front yard.

Photos of the last car I sold.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/6139566…

And the text:

Exterior Color: Heather Mist Metallic
Interior Color: Lapis
VTEC 2.3L four cylinder
4 speed automatic with overdrive
157,000 Miles
25city/31highway MPG
Power locks, windows, steering, mirrors, air conditioning.
Everything on this car works. Not just for the sale, but reliably.

One-owner car. Dealer maintained. Very clean. VTEC only used 3-4 times.

When I say "Dealer Maintained," I don't mean that the dealer only saw the car once a year, or when there was a warranty issue — I mean the dealer was the only place that laid hands on this car. Oil changes, safety inspections, windshield wiper replacement, tail light bulb replacement etc. . .

There is a full set of service records for this car from 1998-2012. If the service writer thought this car needed motor mounts, the car got motor mounts. If the service writer suggested rear brakes, the car got rear brakes. In the last month this car received a front brake job (pads and resurfaced rotors) even after the decision was made to sell the car. Safety inspection was done at that time, too.

Tires are three years old. Plenty of tread left.

interrogator-chaplain > J. Drew Silvers 02/24/2014 at 12:02

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I guess the difference is there's a ton of hunters up here. The station has a business card for baited Black Bear hunting. (Which kind of defeats the purpose if you ask me, besides being awful.)

J. Drew Silvers > McMike 02/24/2014 at 12:23

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Haha. We're on the same page. The investment and time put into an ad shows what sort of investment the owner has in their car, as far as I'm concerned.

J. Drew Silvers > interrogator-chaplain 02/24/2014 at 12:26

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We have a bunch of high school kids from six and seven figure families who drive bro trucks. Yeah...

McMike > J. Drew Silvers 02/24/2014 at 12:30

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To be honest, I was disappointed no one asked about the hardly-used VTEC.

Mom never gave it the beans.

You're right, though. You don't need to be a car guy to put together a good ad. My furniture and other ads get the same detail.

Details and photos, that's all people want.

J. Drew Silvers > McMike 02/24/2014 at 12:34

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You're right. The more effort and detail you put in, the fewer stupid/redundant questions you get. Unless you put in that you'll take trades...good lord, they come out of the woodwork when you do that.

Axial > crowmolly 02/24/2014 at 20:48

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Err, no. The 350 is a Chevrolet engine, not necessarily affiliated with Camaro, and has been in Corvettes just as long as it has been in the Camaro. The 350 was even the base engine for the C3, replacing the 327.

The 305, on the other hand, is a Camaro tradition.

That said, nobody should call the engine in their car as being from another car unless it actually is.

crowmolly > Axial 02/24/2014 at 21:13

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Historically it's a design for the Camaro.

The 350 was originally developed for use in the 1967 Camaro SS 350. Ed Cole wanted 350 cubes from the 327 in "all bore" but the cylinders would overlap, so they increased the stroke from 3.25 to 3.48.

In 1968 it was moved over to the new generation of Nova, in the SS 350.

In 1969 it was distributed across the Chevrolet line and was first installed in a Corvette. It was not the "base engine" for the C3 until this year. In 1968 you still got a 327.

But yea, unless it's swapped from one chassis to the next it's all BS.

Axial > crowmolly 02/24/2014 at 21:24

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Well, the more you know!

I do remember reading that there was some fuss when the 305 disappeared from the Camaro.

crowmolly > Axial 02/24/2014 at 21:26

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Tears of joy I would imagine!

J. Drew Silvers > V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! 02/24/2014 at 22:21

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I see that as an exception. The problem lies in all of the other people who call chipping, Krylon-painted dash trim "custom" or anything of the sort.

J. Drew Silvers > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 02/24/2014 at 22:22

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Agreed on all counts. Very good points.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > McMike 02/27/2014 at 18:14

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That is how you do it.

Hondanazi > McMike 02/27/2014 at 22:01

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I assume it's tongue in cheek when you say VTEC only used 3-4 times?

McMike > Hondanazi 02/27/2014 at 22:06

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Well, sort of.. It was my mom's car.

The only time it saw north of 4K rpm in the few times I drove it.

Hondanazi > McMike 02/28/2014 at 00:44

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Awwww man, Honda's love revving over 4000, my '83 Accord used to run great shifting at 5500, especially if it's a Vtech!

HijoDePuta > J. Drew Silvers 02/28/2014 at 02:48

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I think everything in the article is pretty much spot on. I have other items on my list, and it applies to cars, items for sale on eBay, parts for sale in Forum Classifieds, and even home listings - If the person posts an ad full of grammatical and spelling errors, I will not consider buying from them. If they are so dumb that they ignore the auto spell check that is a feature on almost any device that can connect to the internet, then I don't want to buy something from them. Some examples I have seen:
- "I have to SALE my car because I lost my job." There is also the opposite "For SELL". There is a local dealer near me with this on his sign.
- SWADE seats. This was in a dealer ad. Also, they were Alcantara seats, not suede.
- The ad is in ALL CAPS or it has no capitalization or punctuation. It looks like a text message from a 13 year old girl. Also, if you use "LOL" in your ad, then the joke is on you, because I am not responding.
- Getting the model number wrong or misspelling the model name. I see this a lot. Also, no model number, such as "2001 BMW 3 Series". Well, that covers a pretty damn large range of possible engines and trim levels.
- "I will post pics later" Were you posting this ad in some sort of emergency situation? Take some pics, upload them, and then write your ad. How damn hard is that? Why would you start off by showing that you are a disorganized idiot, who can't handle the complexities of posting an ad?

I would add one other item to your comments about engine bays being drowned in glossy stuff to make them look nice, and black paint in the wheel wells, etc. - I always look at all of the door jambs, and the painted areas that you see when you open the trunk and the hood. I have seen a lot of cars that look pretty clean, and the owner swears he washed it every week, but those areas will have years of built up crud in them. To me, that is a sure sign that the car was only cleaned up for sale. Also, if those areas are not cleaned occasionally it tends to trap water, and in older cars, you will find rust starting to form. It is also a good way to see if they have buffed the shit out of the car to make it shine, because people who do that seem to forget to clean up the dried up rubbing compound in those spots. Who knows how much of the clearcoat they buffed away to try to make it shine. I will usually pass on the car if I find things like that.
Of course, this does not apply if you are buying a car to rebuild or restore.

J. Drew Silvers > HijoDePuta 02/28/2014 at 08:37

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Agreed on all points. I really think social media being a free for all as far as grammar and "text speak" are concerned is leaking over into everything. It seems as if nobody can construct a sentence anymore, no matter how much "higher" education they may have. Some may find your points crude or picky, but I don't, especially considering how much of an investment it is to buy a car.