[ire]

My wife and I each have a vehicle (she has a car, I have a small truck). Ever since we moved up to Salem, I've been commuting by bike and I rarely drive my truck. I've been thinking lately about selling the truck, and using the cash to bolster our investments. We would save on the occasional maintenance, gas, and insurance. The only problem is that it will complicate my racing situation. Normally my wife goes with me, but when she doesn't I'll have too hook a ride w/someone or she'll be carless.

Any other families only have one car? We've been thinking about this as interim step until we get our student loans paid off; after that point we would buy a used wagon type vehicle for traveling (probably an Outback). Any advice on selling my vehicle? This is only the second vehicle I've ever owned, so I'm not real familiar with the process for selling one.

 

[mklie]

craigslist is free, give it a try and use KBB to get the value of sale. The lower you go the quicker the sale.

 

[ire]

craigslist is free, give it a try and use KBB to get the value of sale. The lower you go the quicker the sale.

Is there value in using Autotrader? It costs around $20 to list, but if it'll net a higher selling price that could be money well spent.

 

[UNHrider]

i sold my FJ last summer through craigslist, and basically got what i owed on it. The Kbb for it was about $2000 higher then what I sold it for. Took a few price drops to even get interest.

just be careful of all the scams on craigslist. I had one guy try a scam I hadnt read about. He called me up, and made an offer without seeing the car, he drives up to purchase the car and says he offered a price $2k less then what he said the night before. I figured something was up when he didnt want to check out the car first, so I just lost some free time. Maybe not a huge scam, but he was hoping id be desperate to sell and take a price way below value.

Eventually sold it to a guy a couple towns over who was a pleasure to deal with.

 

[CBJ]

If you race a lot I am sure you have some friends who you can share rides with? Sell the beast and save some money. I wish renting options were better in NYC and I would have no car at all.

I have sold two cars just by having putting sale notes in the car.

 

[ire]

If you race a lot I am sure you have some friends who you can share rides with? Sell the beast and save some money. I wish renting options were better in NYC and I would have no car at all.

I have sold two cars just by having putting sale notes in the car.

Yeah, I don't think getting a lift to the race shouldn't be too much of a problem. We're going to take the truck to CX nationals, so I think I'll work on selling it after that race. I need to clean it up and make it look nice.

 

[Beef Supreme]

The most important thing you can do when selling a car is have it professionally detailed and take good pictures. If you do that, it doesn't really matter where you list it. Also, round up any service records if you have them. It takes very little to make a car stand out when selling used.

I recently sold an eleven year old truck that had never been cleaned beyond a quick vacuum. It sat for a couple of years and was so bad it had mushrooms growing in the bed. It sold for a premium price in half a day after a new battery and a nice detail.

 

[OGRipper]

What sort of truck are you talking about? Relatively new and in good shape, or an older beater? How much can you realistically sell it for?

If it's a good reliable truck but with enough miles on it that it won't generate much cash if you sell, I'd probably just keep it.

Or, sell the car and keep the truck!

 

[SLOPE]

Everyone needs a truck!

Wife has a CRV, I have a Mountaineer and a Dodge Ram for MTB'ing and dump runs.

 

[ire]

What sort of truck are you talking about? Relatively new and in good shape, or an older beater? How much can you realistically sell it for?

If it's a good reliable truck but with enough miles on it that it won't generate much cash if you sell, I'd probably just keep it.

Or, sell the car and keep the truck!

2000 Ford ranger with 65k on it. It's in really good condition, but I don't drive it and have a kid now...not really practical

 

[bean]

I'm in the process of doing this now. I work from home and only drive my car two or three times a week; mostly to places that are within a mile or two. So there's no real reason to keep mine except for laziness.

My wife has a much longer commute so she'll be keeping hers. I'd prefer to keep my 9-3, however, she doesn't care for the manual transmission and upkeep is more expensive than for her Sentra.

I've been planning to wash and wax the exterior and clean the interior this weekend. Then it'll be ready for photos and listing.

 

[ire]

This may be a stupid question...trade in value is about $6500 with retail value being $9000. Does that mean it would probably sell somewhere between those two numbers on a private sale?

 

[Bicyclist]

This may be a stupid question...trade in value is about $6500 with retail value being $9000. Does that mean it would probably sell somewhere between those two numbers on a private sale?

Probably...check cars.com/Autotrader/Craigslist to compare to other similar vehicles and price accordingly (lower for a quick sale).

 

[Beef Supreme]

This may be a stupid question...trade in value is about $6500 with retail value being $9000. Does that mean it would probably sell somewhere between those two numbers on a private sale?

Yes. It will be closer to trade in than retail. You can also look at nada.com and edmunds.com for additional appraisals.