Cash is king. Remember, that paying cash is always the preferred method and for many the only method by which a person to person transaction can take place. However, you must decide whether to take a personal check, cash only, cashier’s check or even a PayPal payment. If at all possible specify method of payment in your add so people are aware of it prior to looking at the car. If you state cash many times people will bring it with them and if they love your car they may purchase it on the spot and it even causes them to negotiate from a point of weakness. Cash on hand will also stop any potential anxiety you may have when the person goes to get money and you wonder if you will ever see them again.

Occasionally a buyer may ask about a warranty, unless you want to do this out of the goodness of your heart you should say no. It has nothing to do with selling them a bad product; however you can’t foresee any potential issues the car may have. Make sure they clearly understand that the car is sold “as is”.

Remember that in most states you have some obligation to the Department of Motor Vehicles for taxes and change of ownership. It’s best to have a clear understanding of this prior to selling the car so you can make the transition smooth for both you and the buyer.

Last, congratulations on completing the process of preparing for the sale to closing out the process, it’s one where you should have a great sense of accomplishment.

Kelly Blue Book is one of the major leaders in defining the value of used cars, in fact that’s what many car dealers use as the de facto standard. For example, a 2003 Ford Focus in excellent condition will sell for around $4,400 from a private individual. The same vehicle from a car dealership in equal condition will run you $6,000. As you can see this is beneficial to both the buyer and seller. Just in case you are curious the trade in value is $2,800. So the buyer and seller both win by cutting out the dealership. Disclaimer: many dealerships will state that they run the car through an exhaustive set of tests and may even provide a car warranty for a given period of time. The question you need to ask is if it’s worth the difference in cost.

It becomes tougher to price your car when comparing apples to apples against another similar car. So take the time to do some research on your own after you visit Kelly Blue Book for information. Look online for the same make, model, year and accessories. Compare your mileage and car condition against those too. Weigh the pros and cons between comparable vehicles and be honest with yourself as you price it out. What you say and how you say it in an add to market your car can make all the difference in the world to someone looking to purchase.

Once you’ve looked at four or five comparable vehicles price yours higher or lower on an estimated value against the condition of the other car. Taking the prices you come up with and averaging them out is a great way to gauge the overall all car sell price.

First, no matter how hot your girlfriend or what she looks like in a string bikini keep her out of the photo. You are trying to sell the car right? Just making sure, because one to sell is legal and the other isn’t. Either way you only want one in the photo. Contrary to belief a person (clothed or not) distracts from the car. Keep it simple and focus on the car.

Second, you have a cherry sound system that just blasts out the bass and annoys old guys (like me) to death. Way cool. However, when selling your car don’t take pictures of it. That goes for other things like fuzzy dice or other tricked out items.

Third, focus on the car. Silly since you are selling the car right? This is an area people easily neglect. Use a nice quality camera; take photos of the doors and fenders. Take them of the hood and grill, the back and wheels. Take a few of the interior. But keep the photo’s general and esthetically pleasing. Having good clean and crisp pictures that you can post can make all the difference between someone calling or not.

Fourth, make sure you spell correctly and use proper grammar. 99.9% of society actually cares about what they read and that it flows and is void of anything obviously silly. Many people will take poor grammar or out and out slang as dealing with someone not fully functional and that the effort to get the car may not be worth the effort of dealing with you. Harsh I know, but it is the truth. Write it like people are going to read it, make an effort and it will pay off.

Take the time to do the entire process from start to finish correctly, it really doesn’t take that much extra time and it can pay dividends in money and time. As always, enjoy the ride!

Today you can still do those things and probably have some success. However, with sites like craigslist.com, cars.com, autotrader.com, eBay and many others you have lots of options. Actually, you may now have too many options! Now you have to consider things such as; if you place it on craigslist you set the price, people come over to see it and test drive and then they’ll dicker with you to lower the price. The positive is you gain a large audience very quickly and can sell your car quickly too. eBay, for example, is an auction site that allows you to put in a minimum bid you will accept and then if people like it they can bid it up. For the most part the car is purchased sight unseen and the auction and payment can take you a week or more. Not to mention you may not sell the car and will still be on the hook to pay eBays fees. One way is not necessarily better than the other, it depends on factors that are unique to you and the vehicle you are selling.

Some classic, sports or luxury cars can have a wide audience that can draw interested purchasers from a national audience, so eBay or cars.com may be good options. Other more common cars, such as Saturns may be more suited for craigslist. If getting money quickly is paramount than opt for craigslist.

Do yourself a favor and do a little research on auto sales sites and discover which option is best for you. Ask friends, many have had experiences selling cars that they would love to discuss. Whatever you do, enjoy the ride!

There are some basic and maybe obvious things you can do, which include wash the car both internally and externally, wash and clean the door jams to remove dirt build up, clean under the hood and wax the car. Although obvious (or seemingly obvious) you would be surprised at how many people don’t dedicate the time to these cosmetic improvements. Once complete ask yourself if you were a buyer would you like what you see?

Things that are not so obvious are items such as an oil change, tire rotation (or replacement if worn heavily), air filter or anything else that may help the cars performance improve. If you are aware of serious mechanical car troubles than you either need to disclose them or have it serviced. You will need to weigh the pros and cons of service versus disclosure to gauge whether it’s a cash plus or negative.

If you haven’t done it with this vehicle do it with the next, because you should prepare to sell your car when you buy your car. If you have mechanical records great, get them in order because people like to see these when purchasing the car. They can use a service like carfax.com, but this shows you’ve taken care of the car.

There is something to consider; if your car is an investment or worth a lot consider having it professionally cleaned and serviced. What someone can do professionally versus what you can do individually can add dollars to the value of the car.

Just remember that when you look to sell your car think about the person who will be buying it. Would spending time on it really make the difference and add value? If you have a 1967 Cadillac the fuel economy may be enough to scare people off and fixing it up and cleaning may add little value. If it’s a 1998 Honda Accord a little work can go a long way to increasing the value. Like most things, enjoy the process of preparing your vehicle for sale.

If you need to replace the times consider looking into the best tires for sale, this will lower the amount you need to pay while still making your car attractive.