Selling my 2005 Subaru Legacy Outback 2.5 XT LTD - where should I post to sell - CarGurus? Craigslist? Other recommended sites?
How much are you willing to work for it? If you don’t mind working for some extra money and have time to wait for a buyer, sell it yourself on line. Craigslist has pointers for sellers and buyers since there is a lot of scamming there. For instance, always meet prospective buyers at a neutral, public site. My local police force has several spots on their lot dedicated for car buyers and sellers to meet. You also need to decide if the person you meet can be trusted with the car keys. They might steal it, and you gave them the keys.
Just about any car dealer will make an offer around trade value, less any repairs it needs. If you live near a Car Max, try them. I’ve gotten more than I expected twice from them. I also got more than I asked from a Honda dealer for my 2005 Accord when I bought a new one.
AutoTrader is a decent source. Not as screwy a clientele as CriagsList.
Both CarMax or CarGurus are pain free. You won’t get as much for the car since they pay wholesale prices, not retail. Another consideration with CarGurus or CarMax, neither one really wants your car. Both will just auction it. It is too old for their buyers
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I sold a Honda on Craigslist once.
I did have to deal with a lot of junk, spam, fake calls. People try to lowball you. But I did finally get a buyer offering a reasonable price. He paid me cash for the car, and all went well.
I’d probably use CL again, but just be aware of what goes with it. Be savvy and firm with your asking price. Good luck.
Definitely want to sell it myself. We are not buying another car, so not interested in trade-in. I am concerned about the sketchy people on craigslist, so looking for other options, as well.
An ad in the local newspaper will attract a generally more responsible cohort compared to Craigslist, I have found. For one thing, they take the effort to acquire and read a newspaper, and they can form an impression of the car without seeing a photo.
Responsible, yes, but far, far, fewer likely buyers. The OP would get more views if the add was posted on YouTube and titled “Silly Cat Fail” The classified adds are all but dead. They just haven’t seen fit to pull the plug.
I second “Auto Trader”, it’s the only place I look when looking for a car.
Not sure what’s available where you live, but here there are a couple used car lots that will sell cars on consignment for a fee, they do all the advertising and dealing with potential buyers.
I am leery to deal with anyone, bought a mandolin on craigslist, had my drivers license and cash. Paranoid for sure. Going to let someone take it for a test drive without you? So many worries.
I’ve never sold a car. Well I did one time, but that was to the person I had recently bought it from. But if I was going to I’d probably first post it on bulletin boards (either electronic or real ones) at places where I know the folks that routinely go there, like at my church, the gym, at work, high schools and colleges, etc. My friend sold an older Corolla that way recently, by posting it on a bulletin board at the place they work. It resulted in a transaction where everybody came away with what they felt was a fair deal, and everyone was happy. If you can limit the buyers to people you have some sort of personal relationship with, or at least the same, but through another party you know, that’s the best type of buyer to deal with.
If all that didn’t work I’d post on Craigslist, and seek advice on methods to more or less guarantee I wouldn’t be ripped off. I’d certainly ask the local DMV that question. Even if that meant offending some potential buyers. I’m not sure what those methods would be though. I definitely wouldn’t let someone I don’t know or have any connection with take the keys and the car for a test drive. Not without some back up in place to compensate me fully should they try to not pay the full amount or outright steal it.
If your are a Facebook user, you might check if they have Marketplace in your area. It was great a year ago, but recently is swamped with dealers and vendors… but still gets decent coverage. CL is another site where many of my friends shop.
Both those sites have every type of car from $120K down to “new breaks” models. (I’m never sure if that’s a typo or not.)
I usually go with the new owner to witness transfer, from an old situation. I sold a car, reported it to DMV (as required) but was summoned to court 2 years later.
You can also look for park-and-buy lots. They’re big parking lots where you can park your car and people come to look at all the cars there. Like a dealership, but you’re the salesperson for your own car. They’ll take a small commission for letting you use their lot, but you get lots of eyeballs that might not be looking elsewhere.
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I have bought and sold cars on Auto Trader successfully. Also sold 2 cars simply by posting a photograph and price on supermarket bulletin boards. Works well when selling an inexpensive older car, especially in large urban centers…
Last time I used a newspaper ad to buy a car was in 1978!!
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That’s too expensive around here. The only ads I see in the newspaper are for dealer sales.