A friendly word of advice if you sell your car on Craigslist...

[FelixDeCat]

I love looking at things (especially cars) for sale on CL. After a while you become picky and rather annoyed by people who dont know how to post an ad to sell a car. Sure, its your car and your ad and you are free to do as you wish, but dont be suprised if no one ever calls!

1. Dont insult your readers / potential customers

Every once in a while you see and ad that says something like, "Dont bother lowballing me because I know what its worth and Im going to cuss you out if you try. Ive had lots of assholes trying to give me less and you and they can GO TO HELL!!"

What kind of bull is that? Do you really think talking to people like that is going to sell your car? How about one four letter word - FIRM.

2. Do mention the mileage, if the car's inspection is current, known mechanical problems, if you have the title and if its clear (paid for). I always ask about lights on the dash because fixing a CEL code can get expensive. Also I ask about oil leaks, working a/c, all power equipment working. Then I inspect those things when I show up. Expect the person who is buying to do the same.

3. Clean the dern car before you put pics up!

Leaving trash all over your car, mud and leaves on the floor mat, etc, do not make the car look desirable. You are trying to motivate someone to come out and see your car and pay your asking price. If it looks like you didnt even bother to care for it will help insure you NEVER sell the car.

Sometimes having a clean ride goes a long way in getting someone exited about your car.

4. Price the car appropriately. Dont overprice expecting to negotiate.

Buying and selling is a two way street. You dont want to be lowballed, but if your car is the most expensive of all others for sale for similar make and model on CL, guess what....its likely all the others will sell before yours does especially if there is nothing deserving of such a high price. Sometimes having a good sedan at a fair price will attract people who werent even interested in your type a car. Its just a good deal and people know it. It will attract them like flies to honey. Dont chase them away with a high price because "you got bills to pay", "thats what I have in it", "I know what its worth", etc. You are just discouraging interest in your vehicle and thats not the point of advertising.

You can start off at one price, but know the market for your car and be ready to lower the advertised price to spur interest.

5. Please, please, please use spell check. Also, its "good condition" not "good conditions"! About 20% of the ads have that extra "s" on condition and Ive grown weary of seeing it. Usually those are cars for sale in the hood.

6. Have the transfer paperwork (application for new title) ready to go when you meet if they are ready to buy. You can download it from the DMV. That will save a trip back to your place a week later for you to sign the paperwork.

7. Be sure to take all your junk and paperwork out of the car. Sure you never know when its going to sale and if its your daily driver you tend to have a lot of things in it. If you got it up for sale I would leave the very basics in there. Of the 15 cars I owned I traded most and sold the rest. Ive found things in the cars I bought and lost things in the cars I sold. It pays to be ready.

8. Lastly, dont lie (too much) about the condition of the car. Better to be honest upfront and price it right than have a new enemy who knows where you live on your hands. It makes for a better rest at night.

And make sure they listen! I sold one car back in the late 80s that overheated and I told the lady it did. It was only a $1000 car with body damage and basically crap on wheels. She said her husband was a mechanic and would fix anything. A few days later she called me all upset making up stories about how I didnt tell her about the problems and wanted her money back. What?! It was a fiasco. As revenge, they never titled the car and it was later involved in a drug deal. A detective came by the house and said they found some meth, a scale and plastic baggies. The car was seized by the state of Texas.

Good luck.

 

[coloumb]

Awesome - hopefully you posted that on Craigslist!

#8 - Why can't people just be up front and honest about the problems with the car? Check around for the true value of the car and deduct what it would cost someone to fix. Granted - since the car is used anything could happen... so they assume you were lying...

Your example sounds typical of buyers remorse. I'd say adding to #8: "Draw up a legal document listing every problem you are aware of with the car which the buyer signs" [there has to be a standardized "used car" contract].

 

[FelixDeCat]

Awesome - hopefully you posted that on Craigslist!

#8 - Why can't people just be up front and honest about the problems with the car? Check around for the true value of the car and deduct what it would cost someone to fix. Granted - since the car is used anything could happen... so they assume you were lying...

Your example sounds typical of buyers remorse. I'd say adding to #8: "Draw up a legal document listing every problem you are aware of with the car which the buyer signs" [there has to be a standardized "used car" contract].

I tried posting something very similar to this on CL, and it was flagged in 5 mins! People dont like to be told what to do I guess.

I made up a simple quasi document once that both the buyer and seller would sign (I still have it) agreeing the vehicle was sold "as-is". I dont know why but I found it hard to ask them to sign it. I just dont like conflicts I guess.

They did sign it however and no problems since.

 

[QueBert]

I sold a car on CL last year, you pretty much have to list it for more than you want, I expect to be low balled on anything I put up for sale. And people don't even give you resonable offers, my car was worth about $2,800, I listed it for $2,400 at first thinking that would work. Out of the 1st dozen offers the highest I got was 1,500. People were saying "I know you're asking for $2,400 but I'll give you $1,100 right now"

 

[mcmilljb]

Why do you hate rule #5 so much?

Good suggestions though.

 

[FelixDeCat]

I sold a car on CL last year, you pretty much have to list it for more than you want, I expect to be low balled on anything I put up for sale. And people don't even give you resonable offers, my car was worth about $2,800, I listed it for $2,400 at first thinking that would work. Out of the 1st dozen offers the highest I got was 1,500. People were saying "I know you're asking for $2,400 but I'll give you $1,100 right now"

A lot of what you are saying is true. Ive seen both sides, as a lowballer and a seller. As I said in the OP I love to look at ads on CL and waste a lot time doing it when Im bored. Sometimes I contact the sellers if they mispell the make of the car (helps with search results) or with other tips. Ive even made lowball offers of 50% less than the ask. Seven out of ten times they come very close to my offer.

So far, Ive bought one car on CL and resold it for a small loss. It was supposed to be for my sister but she backed out. Luckily I got the car cheap enough. So lowballing does pay and again about 70% of people go for it.

I would definately use the word FIRM, or "wont take less than xxxx". That should stop the lowballers.

 

[Ichinisan]

[asshole mode]

Do you have some strange aversion to apostrophes in your contractions?

Also..."sell" and "sale" are not interchangeable. This is one of my many pet peeves.

[/asshole mode]

Whew...sorry about that. You have some good advice in there.

I love looking at things (especially cars) for sale on CL. After a while you become picky and rather annoyed by people who don't know how to post an ad to sell a car. Sure, it's your car and your ad and you are free to do as you wish, but don't be suprised if no one ever calls!

1. Don't insult your readers / potential customers

Every once in a while you see and ad that says something like, "Don't bother lowballing me because I know what it's worth and I'm going to cuss you out if you try. I've had lots of assholes trying to give me less and you and they can GO TO HELL!!"

What kind of bull is that? Do you really think talking to people like that is going to sell your car? How about one four letter word - FIRM.

2. Do mention the mileage, if the car's inspection is current, known mechanical problems, if you have the title and if it's clear (paid for). I always ask about lights on the dash because fixing a CEL code can get expensive. Also I ask about oil leaks, working a/c, all power equipment working. Then I inspect those things when I show up. Expect the person who is buying to do the same.

3. Clean the dern car before you put pics up!

Leaving trash all over your car, mud and leaves on the floor mat, etc, does not make the car look desirable. You are trying to motivate someone to come out and see your car and pay your asking price. If it looks like you didn't even bother to care for it will help ensure you NEVER sell the car.

Sometimes having a clean ride goes a long way in getting someone excited about your car.

4. Price the car appropriately. Don't overprice expecting to negotiate.

Buying and selling is a two way street. You don't want to be lowballed, but if your car is the most expensive of all others for sale for similar make and model on CL, guess what....it's likely all the others will sell before yours does especially if there is nothing deserving of such a high price. Sometimes having a good sedan at a fair price will attract people who weren't even interested in your type a car. It's just a good deal and people know it. It will attract them like flies to honey. Don't chase them away with a high price because "you got bills to pay", "that's what I have in it", "I know what it's worth", etc. You are just discouraging interest in your vehicle and that's not the point of advertising.

You can start off at one price, but know the market for your car and be ready to lower the advertised price to spur interest.

5. Please, please, please use spell check. Also, it's "good condition" not "good conditions"! About 20% of the ads have that extra "s" on condition and Ive grown weary of seeing it. Usually those are cars for sale in the hood.

6. Have the transfer paperwork (application for new title) ready to go when you meet if they are ready to buy. You can download it from the DMV. That will save a trip back to your place a week later for you to sign the paperwork.

7. Be sure to take all your junk and paperwork out of the car. Sure you never know when it's going to sell and if it's your daily driver you tend to have a lot of things in it. If you got it up for sale I would leave the very basics in there. Of the 15 cars I owned I traded most and sold the rest. I've found things in the cars I bought and lost things in the cars I sold. It pays to be ready.

8. Lastly, dont lie (too much) about the condition of the car. Better to be honest upfront and price it right than have a new enemy who knows where you live on your hands. It makes for a better rest at night.

And make sure they listen! I sold one car back in the late 80s that overheated and I told the lady it did. It was only a $1000 car with body damage and basically crap on wheels. She said her husband was a mechanic and would fix anything. A few days later she called me all upset making up stories about how I didn't tell her about the problems and wanted her money back. What?! It was a fiasco. As revenge, they never titled the car and it was later involved in a drug deal. A detective came by the house and said they found some meth, a scale and plastic baggies. The car was seized by the state of Texas.

Good luck.

My job is done here. I can sleep soundly tonight.

 

[Farang]

I disagree about letting the buyer know about mechanical problems. In my experience, the buyer will take advantage of that to try to lowball you on the car.

If your car has mechanical issues that are to be expected (say a 100k+ miles car with a leaky radiator), you should act ignorant of all mechanical issues and leave it up to the buyer to inspect. Only when mechanic issues are atypical should you inform the buyer.

My strategy is to sell the car as-is, listed as running or not running, with basic information such as mileage.

 

[FelixDeCat]

My job is done here. I can sleep soundly tonight.

Nice.

 

[FelixDeCat]

I disagree about letting the buyer know about mechanical problems. In my experience, the buyer will take advantage of that to try to lowball you on the car.

If your car has mechanical issues that are to be expected (say a 100k+ miles car with a leaky radiator), you should act ignorant of all mechanical issues and leave it up to the buyer to inspect. Only when mechanic issues are atypical should you inform the buyer.

My strategy is to sell the car as-is, listed as running or not running, with basic information such as mileage.

Its your choice about what you think is best. Heck you can even charge a high price and you might even get it. Car dealers do it all the time! And as PT Barnum once said, "theres a sucker born every minute"

But after having that bad experience with that lady and her bad case of buyers remorse I never want that to happen again. I just tell them the major stuff and set the right price. If they want to negotiate Ill listen, but in the end I have the magic word...."no."

 

[ShawnD1]

If your car has mechanical issues that are to be expected (say a 100k+ miles car with a leaky radiator), you should act ignorant of all mechanical issues and leave it up to the buyer to inspect. Only when mechanic issues are atypical should you inform the buyer.

This is why I'll never buy a used car again. Here is a list of problems from the used cars purchased by me, my brother, and my best friend:
-gas tank with a leak near the top of the tank (can't tell it's leaking until you fill the tank completely full of gas)
-spark plug held in place with a heli coil that can't be seen without removing the spark plugs
-spark plug held in place by a.... (same god damn thing, different car, different seller)
-seized rear brakes. the car stops fast but it wears the shit out of the front brakes
-torque converter that slips like crazy when it's cold (vehicle was purchased in july)
-gremlins in the vacuum system that can be fixed for about 1 month at a time


This is all shit that you can't tell is wrong unless you rip the car apart, take off the tires and the wheels and the brake assembly, unscrew all the spark plugs, fill the tank up with gas, and attempt a 60-0 stop as quick as possible.

 

[FelixDeCat]

This is why I'll never buy a used car again. Here is a list of problems from the used cars purchased by me, my brother, and my best friend:
-gas tank with a leak near the top of the tank (can't tell it's leaking until you fill the tank completely full of gas)
-spark plug held in place with a heli coil that can't be seen without removing the spark plugs
-spark plug held in place by a.... (same god damn thing, different car, different seller)
-seized rear brakes. the car stops fast but it wears the shit out of the front brakes
-torque converter that slips like crazy when it's cold (vehicle was purchased in july)
-gremlins in the vacuum system that can be fixed for about 1 month at a time


This is all shit that you can't tell is wrong unless you rip the car apart, take off the tires and the wheels and the brake assembly, unscrew all the spark plugs, fill the tank up with gas, and attempt a 60-0 stop as quick as possible.

Yup. My dad was in the market for a used car this year as well. Ive had good cars and Ive had trash! And I do mean trash!

You have to admit though, every car (even new) will have its warts. Its just a matter of how much you can take. Besides a thorough inspection at purchase by you or a pro, it helps to investigate the model itself.

Again, I research cars I may never buy just for the fun of it. For example I read owners actual experiences with cars on Edmunds comments section. Sometimes you have real lemmons. Other times you just have buyers remorse. Ive looked up cars I owned and I didnt have the problems they mentioned.

Maybe you might have found out the car you bought with the bad tranny was a common occurrence for that model from the comments section if lots of people say the same thing. Like I said though, take them with a grain of salt because some people like to bitch about everything.

Just recently Ive been hot about the $55,000 2011 CTS coupe. After seeing one review of how impractical and even uncomfortable the car was to one reviewer, I would never buy one - even used.

 

[CRXican]

ha, you suck at used cars

both of mine have been awesome

 

[Sluggo]

Ran when parked

A/C Just needs a recharge

2 days of labor makes this a car a show winner

Transmission broke, $15 part on eBay, easy fix

My car is shit, but look at this picture of a fully restored one, mine could look like this

Wife sez must go today, everyday for the past 6 weeks, no price reduction at all

 

[Farang]

Its your choice about what you think is best. Heck you can even charge a high price and you might even get it. Car dealers do it all the time! And as PT Barnum once said, "theres a sucker born every minute"

But after having that bad experience with that lady and her bad case of buyers remorse I never want that to happen again. I just tell them the major stuff and set the right price. If they want to negotiate Ill listen, but in the end I have the magic word...."no."

Nothing to do with suckers. For example, if I'm selling a car with 100k+ miles, you as the buyer should know as common sense that there are going to be mechanical issues. You should budget for initial repair costs. Replacing a leaky radiator, a new battery, etc.

If you go into every detail about the car's issues, you make it seem as if your car has problems when it doesn't. It is just a car with 100k+ miles.

Most people don't know a lot about cars so if you go into details about what is wrong with it, they think you're selling a broken car. When in fact you're just selling a used car with mechanical issues just like any other.

 

[ShawnD1]

You have to admit though, every car (even new) will have its warts. Its just a matter of how much you can take. Besides a thorough inspection at purchase by you or a pro, it helps to investigate the model itself.

I totally understand that cars take a lot of abuse and they break from time to time. The problem is that the smallest problems can cost thousands to fix. It turns out that $3000 car you just bought needs $2000 in repairs. My friend's Chevy Blazer was bleeding him dry with $50 here, $200 there, replace this, take this to a mechanic, machine this down, etc. Replacing the gas tank was something like $700 because it couldn't be patched for some reason. Replacing the fuel pump was another $300 because that died after a couple months. The transfer case for the 4wd stopped working, but I don't know what that would cost to fix since he never fixed it.


I'd probably be more inclined to buy a used car if the guy selling it had a really long list of things he replaced on it such as the fuel pump, water pump, timing belt, etc. If you're buying a 10 year old car and the person selling it seems like a guy who knows nothing about cars and claims he's never had to fix anything, that probably just means he hasn't kept up with the maintenance schedule and the timing belt is going to fuck up when you're driving it in rush hour traffic.

 

[Soccerman06]

Yup. My dad was in the market for a used car this year as well. Ive had good cars and Ive had trash! And I do mean trash!

You have to admit though, every car (even new) will have its warts. Its just a matter of how much you can take. Besides a thorough inspection at purchase by you or a pro, it helps to investigate the model itself.

Again, I research cars I may never buy just for the fun of it. For example I read owners actual experiences with cars on Edmunds comments section. Sometimes you have real lemmons. Other times you just have buyers remorse. Ive looked up cars I owned and I didnt have the problems they mentioned.

Maybe you might have found out the car you bought with the bad tranny was a common occurrence for that model from the comments section if lots of people say the same thing. Like I said though, take them with a grain of salt because some people like to bitch about everything.

Just recently Ive been hot about the $55,000 2011 CTS coupe. After seeing one review of how impractical and even uncomfortable the car was to one reviewer, I would never buy one - even used.

You cant not buy a car because one person said one thing about it. If someone that is 7ft tall reviews a Honda Fit and says its tiny and cramped, it doesnt mean the vehicle wont fit you just fine. FFS go test drive one and see if you like it before listening to the guy. Its not like there isnt a federal law that lets you return a vehicle to a dealership in 2 days no questions asked, oh wait.

 

[FelixDeCat]

You cant not buy a car because one person said one thing about it. If someone that is 7ft tall reviews a Honda Fit and says its tiny and cramped, it doesnt mean the vehicle wont fit you just fine. FFS go test drive one and see if you like it before listening to the guy. Its not like there isnt a federal law that lets you return a vehicle to a dealership in 2 days no questions asked, oh wait.

I would not buy on a reccomendation, but if several people who own the car of all shapes and sizes and several reviewers say the same thing, I will take their advice and pass. But you are welcome to take the car yourself and find out first hand.

edit: Here is the review that opened my eyes about the CTS coupe - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVEGt42PMJc

 

[GodisanAtheist]

In the vein of being upfront-

A lot of repair places do free diagnostics on cars nowadays and (seeing how the diagnostic is free) tend to be a little liberal in recommending repairs.

Wouldn't it be a good idea to get an itemized list of issues from a well known repair stop (or a mechanic that you know, if you want a more balanced review) for any interested buyers? Why should a buyer trust your word for whats wrong with the car? For that matter, couldn't a buyer request a quick stop-off at a shop to give the car a rundown?

If nothing else the seller/buyer could discover any grievous issues and get them fixed/price them out without putting down hard cash.

Is this unreasonable?

 

[slag]

Nothing to do with suckers. For example, if I'm selling a car with 100k+ miles, you as the buyer should know as common sense that there are going to be mechanical issues. You should budget for initial repair costs. Replacing a leaky radiator, a new battery, etc.

If you go into every detail about the car's issues, you make it seem as if your car has problems when it doesn't. It is just a car with 100k+ miles.

Most people don't know a lot about cars so if you go into details about what is wrong with it, they think you're selling a broken car. When in fact you're just selling a used car with mechanical issues just like any other.

WAIT.. what? There's no reason a regular car with 100k miles on it should have mechanical issues. NONE.. zip.. zilch, nada.
If you do not fully disclose any and all issues with anything you are selling, car, xbox, tv, etc, to someone who otherwise thinks it is in good working condition, then you are a scammer and a common thief.

 

[DougK62]

Meh, I like it when people post shitty ads. It makes it easier for me to get a decent car that just needs minor maintenance or a good cleaning to make it nice. If everyone wrote perfect ads and cared about their property there would be less money in my pocket from flipping Craigslist cars.

 

[ShawnD1]

WAIT.. what? There's no reason a regular car with 100k miles on it should have mechanical issues.

I was kinda thinking this too. The gf drives a 15 year old Toyota Corolla with something like 200k miles on it and it still works fine. Just regular maintenance.

 

[Farang]

WAIT.. what? There's no reason a regular car with 100k miles on it should have mechanical issues. NONE.. zip.. zilch, nada.
If you do not fully disclose any and all issues with anything you are selling, car, xbox, tv, etc, to someone who otherwise thinks it is in good working condition, then you are a scammer and a common thief.

You've got to be kidding. You pay $4k for a truck from 1994, it has a leaky radiator and the battery is on its last legs. Expect it. Budget for it.

 

[ShawnD1]

You've got to be kidding. You pay $4k for a truck from 1994, it has a leaky radiator and the battery is on its last legs. Expect it. Budget for it.

That's extremely unusual. My parents drove cars from 1986 and 1987 all the way up to 2005. Neither car has ever had a leaky radiator. That's like saying "oh it's just the transmission that melted, you know, the usual"

 

[69Mach1]

When I sell a vehicle, I make a point to tell them about anything I know is wrong with it. I price it accordingly. I can usually do better than I could trading it in, because I usually get more in cash and get a better deal on whatever I'm looking to buy. I do the homework and know what it's worth, within reason. I had one person come back 8 weeks later and bitch about the condition of the car, so now I include a paper saying the sale is final and the condition of the car is "As is". If they won't sign it, no sale.