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Smart Shopper Buying and Selling Vehicles Online (eBay, etc.)
225 messages, Last post on Sep 24, 2009 at 8:13 AM
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Most discussions focus on the buying or leasing experience, fewer on selling. I've traded, sold privately, donated and scrapped cars. Each has its advantages, depending on the value you place on convenience and your time, and the value and condition of the vehicle. While I've never experienced a problem, I've heard or read about some bad selling experiences. Those of you who've sold vehicles to private parties, through Ebay, Craigslist, newspaper adds, or signs on the window, do you follow any guidelines that could be of value to other readers? Any do's and don'ts, or unusual experiences you'd care to share? |
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Replying to: hpmctorque (Mar 03, 2008 6:45 am)
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Replying to: hpmctorque (Mar 03, 2008 6:45 am) Rule #1 - Don't overprice your vehicle. Just like houses, it's a rare buyer that will overpay as there's simply too much competition. Rule #2 - It's rare to get more than one seriously interested buyer in short order so it's best to sell it to that person. In other words, if it's at all possible, don't let your buyer get away by trying to squeeze that last dollar out of 'em. Of course, if you're in no hurry, you can wait and wait as a previous poster suggested. Rule #3 - Always include the following information in your ad: year, make, model, mileage, and price. Your wasting time (not just your own) and money if you omit any of those five items. Rule #4 - Do not misrepresent the vehicle in any manner, shape, or form. People have such low expectations as to honesty anymore that you'll build lots of rapport by being candid about your vehicles weak points (and virually all have them). |
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Hi, so I bought it now on a new camry hybrid from a dealer in Tucson. After trying toreach him for 24 hours to pay him, he sends me an email stating they had sold the vehicle to another dealer. What is my recourse?
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Replying to: bkushner (May 17, 2008 8:04 am) |
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Sold my Land Rover Discovery in a week on Craiglist. First I shovelled out all the junk that had accumulated in the car. Then I spent $20 on having the car washed, and detailed at my local car wash. I took clear photographs of the exterior and interior (remembering to blank out the license plates). I wrote up a detailed factual description of the vehicle without putting in any adjectives such as "excellent" or "good", but at the same time putting in key selling points such as first owner, accident-free, detailed maintenance records available, garage-kept, non-smoker etc. I also put the VIN number on the description. I also spent a week researching Edmunds, KBB etc for a sale price. I had it appraised by Carmax (they give a detailed inspection report which is handy in a private sale) as well as a couple of local used car dealers. I also scoured Craiglist and Ebay to find out how much similar cars were selling for. I finally settled on a price. I posted my listing on Craiglist. Within an hour I started getting "bites". More than 50% of these inquiries were from scammers, offering to buy my car without inspection and paying through a wire transfer service or cashiers check, and advising me that their shipper would pick up the vehicle. I also got a few genuine inquiries, including requests for more details on the condition, and time for an inspection. The first guy who showed up to see the car test drove it, and inspected the car thoroughly. He said that he would come back the next day with his wife and the money. He never showed up. The second guy who showed up test drove the car, and inspected the engine, went under the car. He made an offer which was $2000 less than what I had asked for. When I refused, he left me his number and asked me to call him if I did changed my mind. I did not call him. After several hours he called me and offered $500 below what I had asked. I accepted. He came next day with his wife and the money and we completed the transaction. The guy requested a Bill of Sale (though one is not required in Illinois) so that he had some proof in case he got stopped by the cops for driving a car without plates. So I put together a Bill of Sale with an "As is" warranty clause after seeing several templates on the internet. There was nothing wrong with the car at the time of sale, but I just wanted to make sure that this clause was included to safeguard me.
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Replying to: prithis (May 20, 2008 7:58 am) tidester, host SUVs and Smart Shopper |
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| I live in California and just bought a car on ebay from a New Jersey dealer. I am dealing directly with one particular salesman by cell phone. He has asked me to give him my social security number and a copy of my drivers license. I've never heard of this as a requirement for title transfer and I want to make sure it's on the level. Why would I need to give him all this info? | |
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Replying to: calleaghn (May 20, 2008 11:30 am) I would say that the request for a copy of the drivers license is reasonable (for title and registration) but NOT social security. Also, I was just curious how you are buying a car from NJ while you are in CA. Dont you want to inspect and test drive the car? If the dealer is offering the car at a deep discount which makes it economical to buy from across the country, what is his reason for such a discount? I would do some more investigation before I do this, and I would certainly not give out my SSN unless I am financing it through him. |
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Replying to: calleaghn (May 20, 2008 11:30 am) Do not give him your SSN at all. |
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