I want to sell my car. What do I have to do?

Factual Questions
1

I am selling the car for a number of reasons. I don’t want to. I like my car. And it’s paid for - that’s my favorite part.
But, I can’t afford to get it fixed. I live in a new state and can’t afford to get a new license, new insurance, new registration and new inspection sticker. And, I have other financial problems which could be lessened by selling the car and putting the money to good use.
I just started a new job, 3 miles from home so I can easily walk to work. My sister does the grocery shopping. If I want to go anywhere, I can get a ride from my sister or her boyfriend, or I can walk (I live in a fairly small town). It seems like a good time to get rid of the car and work on saving some money instead of putting it in to car repairs and paperwork.

I have one problem though…

I have no clue what I am supposed to do.

I have never sold a car before. This is only my second car ever and the last was a trade-in.

I do have the title.

Is there anything specific other than listing it somewhere and finding a buyer?
How much about the condition of the car should I put in the ad?

I know the exhaust is going to need work soon. It started getting noisy about 1 month ago. But, I have only put about 75 miles on it since then. I don’t know exactly how bad the problem is. Should I put this in an ad or just tell them about it when they call?

The driver’s side mirror was knocked off it’s arm (the thingie that moves it), when my stepdad backed into it. The mirror does work, you just have to adjust it by pushing on the glass (the same way the passenger side was designed to work). So, I never bothered getting it fixed. What about this? Put it in the ad?

The front, right next to the driver’s side headlight has a crack and a patch of white paint, scuffs and scratches from when some jerk hit it in the middle of the night. Who the hell hits a parked car? Put this in the ad?

Other than those, I am not aware of any problems. I had been having problems with it occasionally not starting unless I jiggled the wires going to the starter. I had the starter replaced and the wires grounded back in May. The problems didn’t stop. Just recently, my neighbor removed and reattached one of the wires and the problem hasn’t happened since. It was an intermittant problem and was very difficult to diagnose (3 mechanics from different garages couldn’t figure it out). I think my neighbor has fixed it but I can’t be sure unless it does it again. Sometimes it wouldn’t do it for a month or more. Should I even mention this when I’m not sure if the problem even still exists?

So, other than placing an ad and finding a buyer, what else do I have to do? Any paperwork? Are taxes going to be my problem? Or is that only the buyer’s problem? If it makes any difference, I live in New York (unfortunately).

2

I live in NY too. The only paperwork you need to do is to sign over the title. Just make sure you sign it in the right place!! Sign where it says SELLER and leave BUYER blank (whoever buys it may want to register it in a different name). You also have to fill in the odometer reading but that’s self-explanatory.

Inspection, registration and sales tax are the responsibility of the buyer. You just have to give them a bill of sale which can be just hand written on a piece of paper. A lot of people make a big deal about being sure to write AS IS on it but I doubt it matters much.

As far as disclosing any problems, that’s up to you. But its kind of a shitty thing not to do.

The moment you sign over the title your insurance policy is no longer in effect on the car so don’t worry about doing that the same instant (but they’ll keep billing you until you do). Also people aren’t going to want to buy a car they can’t test drive so don’t cancel it beforehand.

Since you won’t be transferring them remember to surrender your plates to the DMV as soon as possible too.

More info here…

3

Make sure you remove your license plate. You need to fill out your part of the title and sign the title. You need to clear any bank liens against the car prior to the sale. This means the paperwork the bank sent you after the loan was done, has been sent in by you to have the lien removed.

4

“AS IS” on your copy of the signed bill of sale will get you out of any legal trouble if the car breaks down and the buyer starts saying you made (or didn’t make) statements about the condition of the car or otherwise starts trouble. (at least in my state-- which isn’t NY).

There are other ways of course, but it’s the easiest.

Plus it’s a common phrase that the buyer will understand and will help ensure that you are both on the same page. Thus, I can’t see why you wouldn’t want to include it–it’s four letters long and could come in handy later on.

5

That’s all you have to do. There are some things you should do because they’re a good idea:

  • collect all the paperwork and maintainance history
  • give your car a nice bath and vacuuming
  • make sure to sell the vehicle ‘as is’, in other words cover your ass

You don’t need to put every minor problem in the ad. It’s a used car, after all, and every one of those has its own minor issues. You can always mention them on the phone if you think they’re important. Things you should mention in the ad, which seem obvious but are often missing from the ones I read:

  • make and model, including model year
  • odometer reading, and if it’s miles or km
  • asking price (you can always put in ‘obo’ but generally I think that negotiability should be assumed)
  • your phone number (or other contact information).

Not being familiar with New York law I can’t answer certainly regarding taxes, however in my experience in other localities the buyer pays sales tax upon registration (based on the blue book value). The seller just keeps the money paid to him.

Remember to keep your license plate, and be careful with test drivers. One woman I heard about gave her car to be test-driven, the testers copied the key and came back that night to steal it.

Good luck!

6

I don’t go into details about the car about what is wrong with it but rather just give them the opportunity to discover it themselves before buying and letting them decide.

“What is the cosmetic condition of the interior/exterior?”

  • Take a look at it and sit inside.

“How does it handle on the road?”

  • Would you like to take a test drive?

“Are there any mechanical problems?”

  • Feel free to have it inspected by a mechanic if you like.

I purposefully avoid giving my opinion about the car (it’s obvious I don’t want it anymore right?) and let the buyer decide for themselves.

Craigslist.com works great for selling cars. Put as many pictures as you want up along with a detailed description as long as you like and it’s FREE!

7

Thanks guys. I’m feeling more secure.

I definitely plan on disclosing all the problems I’m aware of. I just wasn’t sure if I should bother putting them in the ad or wait for a call.

I have one more question (for now) and it’s about what Harmonious Discord said.
The bank never sent me anything when it was paid off. After I sent them a big check, someone else sent me a title. I’ve had the title for at least 3 years now. Would there still be a lien on the car?! If there is, how do I go about getting it removed? To be honest, I had the loan for such a short period that I don’t even remember what credit union it was through.

I put an ad on Craigslist (since i’ve heard a lot of good stuff about it here). The closest listing page they have is in Burlington. I figure we get their radio stations, tv stations and job postings, we may as well give them car ads. My only other choice was Albany (upstate my ass), which is over 150 miles south of me. I was pretty vague in the listing. I put make, model, year, mileage, color, automatic, price and my phone number.

I just thought of another question. I’m paranoid about scams, especially with Craigslist having all kinds of notices about them. So, I put cash or bank check only in the ad. I have always been comfortable with bank checks. I’m not aware of any way to scam with them. Should I just stick to cash? Or should I be safe with bank checks too?

8

It sounds as if they sent you a cleared title. I’ve been sent a paper saying the bank releases the lien, and I had to send it in to have the title cleared. Sometimes people never get around to it and then the next person can’t get a title for the car. I think you can find out if a title has a lien, by calling the department of motor vehicles.

9

I think they rarely send anything saying the loan is paid off. Usually receiving the title means there is no more lien. Lien=collateral=title.

10

Also, if you don’t have your own parking area, do not remove your plates until you sell it. In NY the cops will tow a car that’s on public property sans plates. So if you live in an apartment or what-not wait until the last minute,

11

That must vary state to state. In Minnesota when you sell your car the plates go with it.

12

NY is absolutely anal about this and if you don’t turn your license plates in the DMV will be on you like white on rice.

13

lol, Apparently NY is really anal about a lot in regards to cars. I was pulled over recently because the MA plates fade really badly and mine were almost unreadable. I told the officer that I had been told at the auto parts store that re-painting the numbers was not my responsibility and since I was getting ready to sell the car, I didn’t see the point in getting new plates. He agreed with my logic but wanted to run my license and registration anyway. He asked if I had ever been pulled over in MA and I said once almost 10 years ago. He asked if I had ever been pulled over or ticketed in NY and I said this was my first time. He laughed and said I was very unusual in this state. That kinda of reinforced my decision to revert to walking and biking.

Anyway, the plates are from MA but I’m pretty sure this is one thing MA and NY have in common. The plates will be going back ASAP.

14

I have Pitted the NY DMV before, congodwarf. It’s like, if you go there and get all your business done the first time, they lose money or something. Ugh. I hate them. This isn’t the Pit so I’ll refrain from my true feelings but they just have a big ol’ stick up their ass and can’t be flexible about anything.

15

I’m wary of cashier’s checks as there have been quite a few news stories about counterfeits being passed, especially in private sales of the type you’re proposing. Other than insisting on cash, I’m not sure how to protect against this. Maybe someone has some ideas on the subject.
BTW, it’s important to you, not just the state, to clear the registration from your name. It’s possible that you could have some liability if the registration is still in your name.

16

YOu might find some other handy info here in this thread.

17

Make the car look as good as you can. Wash, wax, a cheap detailing cheap. People like the shiny, and it makes them think (whether true or not) that you maintained the engine as well. I’d be honest about minor defects, but I wouldn’t put that information in ads. If they’re looking at used cars, they should know there’ll be wear. If using Craigslist, put in pics, as good as you can get. You’re competing against other sellers and buyers gravitate toward the things they have a good idea what they’re getting. I’d be leery of personal checks. You could offer to go to the bank with the person and have them write the bank a check for cash and give you the money.

Good luck.

StG

18

I just noticed this. Man, people are jackasses; I was right in my post on “What does the ideal city need?” to say less people.
Oh, and congodwarf, of course Albany is upstate! NYC’ers think I live in Canada; I think YOU do. :stuck_out_tongue:

19

Good pictures say a lot too. Clean the car real good and take it to a park with some nice trees and grass in the background.

It looks a lot nicer than pics of a car sitting in a dilapidated driveway with an open garage filled with junk in the background.

20

You only need to list in the ad major problems – ones that will seriously affect most buyers. (For example, if you wait until someone calls to inform them that, say, the engine has a blown gasket that needs repair, many will be not interested and annoyed at wasting their time (and yours).) But none of your problems sound major, so I wouldn’t put them in the ad.

I would prepare a written sheet about the car, to give to a buyer (and keep a copy!). Something like this:

“This vehicle is being sold AS IS. It is a used vehicle, with about xxx thousand miles on it. I believe it to be in generally good working condition; I was driving it up until the sale.”

"The following are the only possible problems I know about:

  • exhaust is becoming noisy and may need work eventually.
  • interior adjustment for drivers side mirror is broken, so mirror must be adjusted by hand, just like passenger side mirror.
  • drivers side front fender has a visible crack and scuffed paint.
  • there were starting problems, but since replacing the starter and adjusting the wires, these problems have gone away. "

Mention everything you know about, and be completely honest about it in this document. Listing them all, and saying “As Is”, will protect you if the buyer ever complains about a problem. And most buyers will be more comfortable when you give them a written statement like that.