SELL YOUR CAR ON E-BAY

Yes, they will charge you about $125 to list your car, but if you’re getting people from all over the globe to come look. Millions of people take part in their online auction daily, so there’s bound to be a buyer out there somewhere. Once again, you can set the price you want (“buy it now”) or put a bottom price you’ll except, leave it for auction and take your chances. If a number of people really like what you have, you could sell it for far more than you’d expected.

Of course, as with Craigslist, you’ll want to have many good photos of your car, outside and in, to let people far away get an idea of why they should want it. While it’s fantastic to have people around the globe having a chance to see and ultimately, buy your car, there are practical problems with that. Someone in Toronto might treasure your Tercel, or a London lad might love your Lincoln… but not the cost to ship it there or the paperwork to bring it into the country. Realistically, unless your vehicle is a rare collector’s one, it’s highly doubtful it would be practical to sell it outside of the country. That doesn’t negate the usefulness of e-bay but does limit its scope just a little.

If you do succeed on e-bay, it will take a little while to get your money. On that website, bids on cars are non-binding, so even after the item “sells”, it can take awhile to be sure the purchaser wants to go through with it and then for the website to get the funds to you.

SELL YOUR CAR TO A DEALERSHIP

There’s bound to be a car lot near you which will take your old car as a trade-in on a new ride. They can usually get you on your way in a new set of wheels within hours. It’s quick and simple. No fuss, no muss.

This could be ideal if you are looking to simply replace the one car with another, and if your car is in great shape to look at and to drive. Some dealers will still take your car even if it is dinged up or has some mechanical issues, but they’re sure to take that into account when figuring out how much to offer. As they’ll likely have to fix these things before they can in turn re-sell it, even small problems can mean a big reduction.

As well, while a number of dealerships will buy your car even if you decide not to buy your next one from them – ie. a straight sale rather than a trade-in – they’re bound to offer you less. So the amount you recieve, while fast, may be low in your estimation.

Which brings us to…