I’m looking for options to sell Mrs. Plant’s old car. Something like carvana, where someone comes to examine the car, makes an offer and takes it away if one agrees.
Personal experiences requested.
Thanks!
Thay’s how you sell anything in person by default. What do you like about selling to a company that’s different from a newspaper classified ad? Even Carvana is going to need some more paperwork than just ‘take it away.’
Mrs. Plant wants to do it that way, and it’s her car. Of course there is the title transfer and such, but we don’t want to spend time arguing price with people.
If she sets her sale price low enough, the only arguing will be among buyers trying to get the deal.
I don’t blame anyone for not wanting to go through the hassle of a private offer & sale. A reasonable seller should have some figures in mind, though.
Depending on where you live, private party car sales bring out far more scammers & thieves & useless flakes who’re no-shows or lookie-Lous than real buyers.
The car buying companies are one-and-done.
No comparison in degree of difficulty and hassle for someone who doesn’t trade in used cars as a hobby or side gig.
Now e.g. Carvana will not offer top dollar. So that’s how you pay for their convenience. But are you good enough to extract top dollar out of that elusive real buyer who’s willing to overpay?
Also, how much money is at stake and how important is the last few bux? Selling a $2,000 well-used ordinary car or a $45,000 slightly used fancy car are two very different activities w different tradeoffs.
What generally is the OP looking at here?
A fifteen year old CRV.
Having said all that …
The “we come to you” service costs money. Unless you live in the boonies, bringing the car to them and e.g. ubering home pays very well. IMO IME do that instead.
Also each of the big chains: Carvana, Carmax, AutoNation, etc., use different software to price your car. And GIGO very much applies. If one appraiser notices the bad paint and another doesn’t, well, you may have a significant spread in bids between the 3 services that more than pays for the 90 minutes wasted at the other two.
Having done this a bunch that’s my vote for max reward for min effort and zero f-ing flakes and sleazeballs.
If you have not already, visit both KBB.com & edmunds.com & let them take a stab at pricing it. I bet e.g. Carvana will offer about $4800 for average trim, mileage, & condition. Don’t fall in love with those website’s private party sale prices; they’re fantasy.
IMO … Decide how hard you’re willing to work for the WAG $500 spread from worst offer to best & git 'er done.
The Younger Ottlet sold her car (a 2008 Ford Fusion with @160K miles) via CarMax. She described the car online — including a couple of body issues — and got a bid. She took it to the CarMax lot, where they looked it over and gave her a check for the agreed amount.
She might have been able to get more via a private sale, but the convenience more than made up for any potential difference.
Thanks, that is the sort of thing I’m looking for.
Does GIGO mean “get in, get out”?
Another alternative (maybe – don’t know how it works in the US) is to send the car to auction. I only mention this because someone I know who is well connected with the car industry always gets rid of her personal/family cars that way. You won’t get the best price compared to a private sale, but it may be better than buyers like Carmax. She finds it very convenient since she’s always busy and has no time to squabble with private buyers. The last time she sold a car that way, she netted a few thousand more than the wholesale book value she was expecting, and that was after all costs and commissions.
This a brief article about how it works:
The old IT saying: “Garbage in → garbage out.”
Their fancy computer pricing models depend on the appraiser rating the various attributes of your vehicle accurately. Things like odometer mileage and “Does it drive?” are pretty objective.
But for things like paint condition, upholstery condition, remaining tire wear, amount of ordinary wear and tear on interior, etc., the appraiser person rates those on typically a 5-point scale. If one appraiser is a tough grader and the other is generous, or one simply doesn’t notice the huge cat vomit stain on a rear seat pan that the others do notice, well … the quality of the estimate coming out of the computer is only as good as the condition ratings they input.
I sold one old beater where the estimates were $800 and $2000. “Why the difference?” you ask. Mr. $2000 did not notice the whole underside of the engine was coated in leaked oil. Mr. $800 did. Same car, same day, at two lots across the street from each other.
I sold it to the folks offering $2000. Once in awhile you get lucky.
Is she purchasing another vehicle? If you go to Carmax or the like they will give you a hard copy offer for your used car. You can take that to the place you are buying a new vehicle and ask if they will match the offer as a trade-in. If so that amount comes off the price of your new car and you can save quite a bit in sales tax that way.
No, she already has a new car.
Last time I traded a car in, the offer was less at the next dealers.
I’m just looking for good and bad experiences with businesses like carmax.
Thanks, all.
My experience buying a car from Car Max was very good, FWTW. When I needed to get the ext. warranty refunded a few months later (totaled, both the car and me), they also made that painless. My son also bought and returned a car with them and had no complaints about how he was treated.
Another option is CarGuru. I haven’t used them, but i have a few friends who work there, and i know it’s a legit outfit and they’ll give you an online quote and pick up the car.
Indeed you do.
Back in 2006, my old pickup stopped being willing to shift into odd-numbered gears one morning on the way to work. I had already been somewhat idly looking at newer vehicles, but not with any sort of purpose or drive, and had found one I thought looked nice. Well, when the transmission pooped out on the way to work, that suddenly took on a whole new urgency.
Long story short, I took the afternoon off and went over to Carmax with the busted pickup. It was a 1995 Ford Ranger with 230k miles, dull paint, a transmission that only did 2nd and 4th gears, and relatively low mileage tires. Gave the appraiser the keys and went in to haggle about the new pickup I liked inside.
Guy comes back and tells me $1400 is their offer. I blinked and almost blurted “Are you sure you looked at the right truck?”, but for once my brain was ahead of my mouth and I just said “Okay!”
My guess is that he didn’t actually start it and drive around.
For sure that’s the hard part. 
Congrats on putting one over on 'em. Without needing to say anything less than completely true. Win!!