# selling my car...pricing and other questions **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 18, 2012, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-car-pricing-and-other-questions/622344 "2012-05-18T18:08:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![diggerwam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/919ad9/32.png) [@diggerwam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggerwam)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-car-pricing-and-other-questions/622344/1 "2012-05-18T18:08:53Z")
I’m trying to sell my car. I found exact same car features mileage etc at numerous dealers. I listed my car at $1500 less than the dealer. Is that acceptable? I’m just getting nervous its been a week and not even one inquiry. Also do people negotiate anymore. i listed my car at price X but I understand that I’m not gonna get that much. Do people on Craigslist for example understand that listed price is just an opening bid? If not, how do I make it clear in the ad that I’m willing to negotiate price. Thanks in advance. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-car-pricing-and-other-questions/622344/2 "2012-05-18T18:17:45Z")
Why are you listing it for so much less than the dealers? Add OBO (or best offer) to your ad to let people know you will negotiate. But I think most people who would haggle will do so without that. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-car-pricing-and-other-questions/622344/3 "2012-05-18T18:21:30Z")
The blue book value of a car for sale by owner is less than the dealer value, so that seems appropriate. Most dealers will do at least a minor inspection of used cars and replace anything that desperately needs it. Include OBO to your ad to show willingness to negotiate. If you haven’t even had fake scam emails from your craigslist ad, I’d almost suspect you did it wrong. Maybe double check you got the email address correct. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-car-pricing-and-other-questions/622344/4 "2012-05-18T18:37:35Z")
Did you post pictures of the car? Did you post a complete set of pictures that shows both sides, front back, and both the front and rear seats of the interior, and the condition of the dash? Crappy pictures or pictures that show only one side of the car often make me think there is damage to the unseen parts of the car which makes me less likely to pursue those ads further. I want to be able to see what the car looks like before I waste my time taking a closer look at it. If you don’t include a picture at all I won’t even look at the ad. Clearly list the features, engine size, etc. and anything else important. Your price is probably about right. Dealers often include a warranty of some sort with used vehicles, even if the warranty is a bit limited. Since you are selling yours as-is no-warranty your price is appropriate. As others said, if you aren’t expecting to get that much, but OBO, or perhaps “reasonable offers accepted” so you don’t get a bunch of lowballs. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-car-pricing-and-other-questions/622344/5 "2012-05-18T18:42:48Z")
You want to price less than the dealer. But if you are willing to negotiate you have to leave some room for that. Of course it all depends on the value of the car. If it’s got a Blue Book value of $15000, then $1500 isn’t a huge drop. If it’s a $5000 car, you might be cutting your throat. ---
**Author:** ![Rand\_Rover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/db5fbb/32.png) [@Rand\_Rover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rand_Rover)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-car-pricing-and-other-questions/622344/6 "2012-05-18T19:00:55Z")
The easiest way to turn a car into cash is to rake it to carmax. Ive done ittwice and its a painless process (but ofcoirse you will probably get less, so it’s all about how much you value your time and not having to deal with a bunch of hassle) . ---
**Author:** ![diggerwam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/919ad9/32.png) [@diggerwam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggerwam)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-car-pricing-and-other-questions/622344/7 "2012-05-18T19:19:11Z")
I’ve gotten plenty of scam replies. I have 3 pictures in my ad. None in the newspaper ad. One on [cars.com](http://cars.com). we wanted to try free ad at first after getting reamed by newspaper pricing. I think I’m just being overly anxious. I just don’t want to drop the price too soon. ---
**Author:** ![pohjonen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pohjonen/32/423_2.png) [@pohjonen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pohjonen)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-car-pricing-and-other-questions/622344/8 "2012-05-18T19:41:26Z")
I hope you aren’t one of the craiglist posters who omits things like the make, model, year and mileage on your car and posts the ad in a city 200 miles away and doesn’t put a phone number. Half of them in my area are like that. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-car-pricing-and-other-questions/622344/9 "2012-05-18T20:37:02Z")
> [@Rand\_Rover](#): > > The easiest way to turn a car into cash is to rake it to carmax. Ive done ittwice and its a painless process (but ofcoirse you will probably get less, so it’s all about how much you value your time and not having to deal with a bunch of hassle) . Carmax is a good idea if you 1) NEED cash right now or 2) really just don’t care how much you get out of it so long as it’s out of your driveway. However, you will get, at most, about 75% of its trade in value, which is already quite a bit less than what you can sell it for. I’d be patient and maybe get a few more pictures on CL. ---
**Author:** ![Hockey\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Hockey\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hockey_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2012, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-car-pricing-and-other-questions/622344/10 "2012-05-20T12:49:10Z")
I see so many ads for cars on CL that don’t list the important features: Year Make Model VIN - people like to run a CarFax before they come look Color MILEAGE!!! Engine size. ie: 2.2L 4cyl or 3.0L V6, or 5.6L V8 - these are just examples Any known issues PICTURES!!! I won’t bother opening an ad that doesn’t have the picture icon beside it. Price Phone number - I’ve found that people who are looking to purchase cars want to be able to call instead of email. Allow for both. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2012, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-car-pricing-and-other-questions/622344/11 "2012-05-20T18:24:37Z")
Go to Edmunds. They give you all three prices (dealer retail, private party and dealer trade-in). Price it at a small amount over Private party and accept a few bucks under that figure. Be brutally honest with yourself when rating condition when you use Edmunds. ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2012, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-car-pricing-and-other-questions/622344/12 "2012-05-20T23:45:45Z")
> [@Hockey\_Monkey](#): > > I see so many ads for cars on CL that don’t list the important features: > > Year > Make > Model > VIN - people like to run a CarFax before they come look > Color > MILEAGE!!! > Engine size. ie: 2.2L 4cyl or 3.0L V6, or 5.6L V8 - these are just examples > Any known issues > PICTURES!!! I won’t bother opening an ad that doesn’t have the picture icon beside it. > Price > Phone number - I’ve found that people who are looking to purchase cars want to be able to call instead of email. Allow for both. Also, transmission type. This is a major pet peeve of mine as I am pretty intent on buying only manuals. The dealer listings are also often wrong, so I find myself having to look at the interior pictures (if there are any) to confirm this one pretty basic piece of information. To the OP, what kind of car is it? Some cars are just slow sellers, regardless of where you price them (well, obviously unless you go too low). If it’s just a boring old sedan or something like that, it’ll be a great car for someone once they need it, but it won’t appeal to the kinds of people who check craigslist four times a day. ---
**Author:** ![Esox\_Lucius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/848f3c/32.png) [@Esox\_Lucius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esox_Lucius)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-car-pricing-and-other-questions/622344/13 "2012-05-21T03:59:42Z")
I advertised a car for sale last fall on Craigslist and didn’t get a single serious reply, just some scam attempts. Last week I put it on Kijiji, using the same pictures, got a ton of replies (only one scam) and sold it on the weekend, despite asking $300 more than I did on Craigslist. Here are the differences: –The website, but I don’t know if that made a difference. –The time of year, probably the biggest factor. –I spiced up the description with “clean and well-cared for”, “ready to drive away”, etc., which was all true, I just didn’t mention them the first time. BTW, it was a Honda Accord in good shape. And everyone who responded wanted to haggle. Except for the scammer–he of course was willing to pay full price without looking at the car. ---
**Author:** ![Hockey\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Hockey\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hockey_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-car-pricing-and-other-questions/622344/14 "2012-05-21T13:47:41Z")
> [@GreasyJack](#): > > Also, transmission type. This is a major pet peeve of mine as I am pretty intent on buying only manuals. The dealer listings are also often wrong, so I find myself having to look at the interior pictures (if there are any) to confirm this one pretty basic piece of information. > > To the OP, what kind of car is it? Some cars are just slow sellers, regardless of where you price them (well, obviously unless you go too low). If it’s just a boring old sedan or something like that, it’ll be a great car for someone once they need it, but it won’t appeal to the kinds of people who check craigslist four times a day. Yes, of course! I forgot that. That is also very important information. :smack: