I would stick a sign in the rear window of the car and place an advertisement in the newspaper. Make sure you drive the car conservatively while you have that sign in the window. There’s nothing like seeing a car with a “for sale” sign in the window being driven aggressively.
You might have to settle for Carmax’s offer since it’s rare to find people who can afford to pay $7,000 in cash to a private seller. You might also consider lowering the price in your advertisements. The fact that the second owner of a car this young selling it is a warning sign that might drive the price down.
You asked for feedback on your ad. The dark black tinted windows turns me off. I’d assume the car was driven hard by someone young due to this customizing. I would not advertise the tinting, and I’d consider having it removed. I also don’t trust aftermarket security systems and the Viper lock, so I wouldn’t put them in the ad either.
The new tires is good, perhaps the condition of the brake pads could be included if they have 60% or better life left in them. If the brakes are below 40% pad life consider putting new brake pads on the car so you can advertise new brakes. On a car with 45K miles new tires and brakes say to me I can drive this car for awhile without sinking more money into it. Buyers like that.
My father was against putting money into a car you are about to sell, so I wouldn’t sink another dollar into this car. New tires might sound good to some people, but they wouldn’t impress me. I consider new tires a diversion. I am more concerned about the integrity of the drivetrain and the body/frame, you know, the fundamentals. Buying a used car with old tires means I can buy the ones I like, although I might mention the old tires as a negotiating tactic.
Seriously, in my opinion, I don’t think you will recover any money you sink into this car in an effort to sell it. Get as much for the car as you can as it is.
Most of the comments are right on, but I’d definitely leave the part about tinted windows in. You’re in Houston. Heck, anywhere in the South, tinted windows are a plus. Including that just means it’s something the buyer won’t have to do. It has nothing to do with being 'rodded around…it’s all about heat control down here.
I think the dark tint is a plus in Texas. You should leave that on the windows and in the ad. It’s something a buyer won’t need to do when he buys your car.
Leave out "no repairs have been made". You mean this as a positive that it has not needed repairs and is reliable, but can be taken the wrong way by a buyer.
Perhaps a comment that a stick shift is a fuel saver.
Possibly just as simple as putting an "OBO" on the price. Some people, it just kills them if they can't haggle, even if they only ended up knocking like $50 off the $7000 price.
Other than that, there simply are strong local and regional variations in price. As a buyer of used cars, I've found (with the occasional private-sale bargain) that a car that lists at $4000 here in Iowa City is probably $2500-$3000 if I just head out of town (for instance to Cedar Rapids or Marion), and $1500 if I go out to Des Moines. In Iowa City, college students distort prices upwards, and in Des Moines, there's a massive collection of used car dealers all on a strip forcing prices down.
