I’m losing my freakin’ mind with all the Craigslist and Cars.com Scummy McScamsters (fake inquiries trying to phish my credit card at vehicle report sites; supposed buyers not showing up for test drive; and curbstoners making ridiculously low offers).
I can make upwards of $2,500 more selling the car on my own rather than to a dealer (I’ve had a few dealer offers), but I’m starting to lose what little of my mind I have to devote to this process.
Are there such things as honest agents who sell private buyers’ cars on commission?
There are services that do this, I believe. There is one I have seen advertised in the San Jose area (I can’t remember the name unfortunately). For a fee they will appraise your car, and keep it on their lot and show it on your behalf to prospective buyers. There is a website called shift.com that also does this, but I have no information about their honesty or reliability.
There are, in some communities, car lots that take cars on consignment. Tell him your bottom price, and he gets the difference as his commission.
Don’t you have a cousin who lives on a busy street, who will park it in his yard with a for-sale sign on it?
I’ve lived in several towns, where people with cars for sale go downtown every Sunday and park them on a certain street with signs on them. An ad hoc used car lot.
But, like a lot of other things, anything that does not involve a connected media has ceased to exist.
This, as evidenced by the number and variety of responses, varies greatly by location.
In some areas there are Auction Houses, which will sell the stuff of the deceased and anything that someone brings in.
If you find one make sure that they deal in autos often enough to have car buyers show up every time.
Used car lots are common in many areas; they are non-existent in others.
So, the OP’s question needs the words “in my area” appended.
Why not try CarMax? They’ll make you an offer on your car that’s good for a week or so. Yeah, so you won’t get the absolute best price for it; but you will get a FAIR price for it. Furthermore if you’re willing to pay a 3rd party agent to sell your car, I would imagine it’s about the same as a CarMax offer.
You’re not necessarily going to get max profit selling it as private individual. Most people in your scenario not wanting the hassle use Carmax or similar if they are willing to take your car.