Back to GuidesWhen the time comes to sell your car, there are a lot of ways to go about it. Whether your vehicle is in like-new condition or if it is a little worse for wear, there are all kinds of options for you. Listing and selling your car can be stressful but if you know where to do it and how to go about it, you can end up getting the most money for it without all the hassle.
Aside from the traditional methods like selling it to a dealership, there are more high-tech options for you to choose from. A wide variety of websites will allow you to sell your car online in a few different ways. By understanding what sites are out there and what they have to offer, you can make the right choice for your sale and reach the perfect prospective buyers for your used car.
As one of the older used car markets on the internet, Cars.com is a great option for all kinds of sellers. They have long been known as a place that has a massive variety of vehicles to choose from and a lot of options for selling as well as buying. Because of its size, selling your used car on the site means your vehicle will get in front of a lot of eyes and have the kind of exposure you need if you want to make a sale. However, it is important to note that you will also have a lot of competition, which means you may have to adjust your expectations when it comes to the price you will be able to get for it.
Cars.com has a lot of features that make them a great choice for selling your car. One of their most popular features is their Instant Offer, which allows you to sell your vehicle directly to the site. With this option, they will arrange for an inspection at a local dealership where the car will be inspected. Then you will get an offer on it and everything will be taken care of by the site. While you can also sell the car privately on the site, the Instant Offer feature is a nice, hassle-free way to get the job done.
Autotrader prides itself on being incredibly welcoming to people who are selling as well as buying used vehicles. They do everything they can to make sure the process is easy for everyone involved and that you can convey as much information about the vehicle as you can so you can find the right buyer. Listing your car is not free, but they offer a variety of different packages as well as options like Carfax vehicle history reports, photo albums, and money-back guarantees if you don’t make a sale. This makes them a good option if you are listing your vehicle in multiple locations.
Autotrader also has an Instant Cash Offer option for people looking to sell their car as soon as possible with very little advertising or marketing. With the Instant Cash Offer program, you will take your vehicle to a participating dealer and get an offer on it after it is inspected. With this offer, you can either take the cash or you can use it for a trade-in on a new vehicle from that dealership. Should you choose to sell the vehicle privately on the site, you can also use Kelley Blue Book to find and display the vehicle’s KBB value so you can get the best possible price for it in accordance with the model year and condition.
eBay Motors is another large, national listing service that has an incredibly wide reach. If you are unfamiliar with eBay in general and how the site works, it may not be the best option for you. You don’t have some of the scam protections that you will have by working with some of the other sites on the market. You will be very much at the mercy of the users and they have the option to back out of the deal at any time. On top of that, eBay doesn’t handle things like the transaction or the car title transfer, so you will have to make those arrangements yourself, which can be difficult if the buyer is not local to you.
One of the major advantages of using eBay Motors is the fact that you have the option to sell using the auction method. If you have a unique, vintage, or rare car that you are trying to sell, this is going to be one of your best bets if you want to get top dollar for it. Any in-demand vehicle will have its asking price go up as buyers compete for it. Because of this, eBay Motors may not be a good option for run-of-the-mill economy cars but for classic vehicles, it can be a great way to maximize your sale.
CarMax is unique in the world of online car buying and selling marketplaces in that they have both online options and in-person physical locations, which make the selling process in particular incredibly easy and convenient. These physical locations work just like traditional car dealerships except you can access a lot of the information you will need online and even initiate an instant offer on the site. The offers that CarMax gives their customers are good for seven days, so you have some time to think about it and make sure it is the best option for you. This also gives you a chance to get some other offers and compare them or even try your luck at selling as a private party before settling on their quote.
The fact that CarMax has physical locations has both upsides and downsides. One of the upsides is that you can go to one of the dealerships if you want to do business with them or if you want to do a trade-in. However, because they have physical locations, this expense will be built into their offer. This means that you may not get the offer you would get from a site that doesn’t have a building and employees to pay for. You may also have to travel to one of the locations, which comes with its own expense. Weighing the pros and cons will help you decide if they are a good option for you.
For those looking for one of the most convenient and unique ways to sell their car, Carvana could be one of the best options. They have a variety of features that make the whole process as easy as possible for both the buyer and the seller. The hallmark of their service is their car vending machine program, which allows buyers to sort through hundreds of cars online and then go pick it up at one of their locations. This means that there is an incredibly wide range of vehicles to choose from and as a seller, you won’t be limited to your immediate area.
One of the things that set Carvana apart from other sites that will give you an instant offer is the fact that they will come and pick it up to be distributed to one of their car vending machines. With this feature, you do not ever have to leave your home and everything can be handled online. However, it is important to keep in mind that this service comes at a price, so you may not get as large of an offer as you might with other sites that don’t have this feature.
Bring A Trailer / Cars and Bids
While most of the best sites for car sales are focused on being as convenient as possible for people who are just trying to get rid of a vehicle with very little time investment, Bring a Trailer and Cars and Bids are meant for high-end clients.
If you have a vehicle that has some inherent value or may be rare, these auction sites may be your best option for finding your potential buyers. They are both focused on rare or vintage vehicles and are focused on getting the best possible price for your car.
The main difference between these two sites is that Bring a Trailer has been around for a long time, while Cars and Bids is only a couple of years old and was co-founded by automotive YouTuber Doug DeMuro. Cars and Bids also limits their inventory to cars from the ‘80s, ‘90s, and ‘00s. Because of this, the one that will be best for your car will depend heavily on what it is and when it was made.
Facebook Marketplace / Craigslist
For those who are interested in handling most of the aspects of the sale themselves, Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist are going to be great options. Both of these sites simply allow you to list your vehicle for sale in your specific area and limit your buying audience to people who are local to you. Craigslist has been around since the dawn of the internet and while Facebook Marketplace is newer, it still gets a fair amount of traffic, since it is connected to a popular social media site.
One of the things you need to keep in mind when selling your car on either of these sites is the fact that they don’t have any kind of buyer protection. They are simply there to allow you to list the car and you will have to do every other part of the transaction yourself. Because of this, you will need to be very careful when dealing with buyers and make sure that you meet them in a public place and that the method of payment is above board.
Vroom is similar to CarMax and Carvana in that they will give you an instant cash offer for your vehicle that you can choose to accept or decline. They are a smaller operation than both of those other sites, which can be both an advantage and a drawback. Depending on your vehicle and the condition it is in, they may or may not give you the best offer. They could be a good place to start, though, since they offer pick-up and they pride themselves on making the process as easy as possible for their customers.
To get started, all you have to do is provide some information, including things like the make and model, the year, and your license plate number. From there, Vroom will give you a cash offer that you can take or leave. One of the downsides of using Vroom is that their offers are non-negotiable and once the quote has been given, there is no leeway. Knowing this ahead of time will help you figure out if their service is right for you and your car.
Anyone who knows about high-end vintage automobiles knows the name Hemmings. It is one of the leading auction sites for classic and hard-to-find cars and they are staffed by car experts who know everything there is to know about the vintage car market. Plus, their audience is made up of people who love classic cars and generally have the financial means to make big purchases. If you have an import or vintage vehicle, they are going to be your best option for making a sale.
Depending on the type of sale you want to make on the site, there are different price points. If you want to post a direct sale, it will cost you $99, for a classified ad, the fee is $129. If you are going to auction the vehicle, certain auction fees will depend on what the car is worth and what it is likely to sell for. Because of these fees and the audience that Hemmings attracts, it may not be a good choice if you are selling a run-of-the-mill economy car.
CarGurus has been in the business of helping people sell their cars for over 15 years. One of their most popular features is their Sell My Car option, which sends the details of your vehicle to a variety of car dealers, who will then make offers based on their needs and inventory. This allows you to sort through the offers and pick the highest one since the dealers are bidding against one another. Once you have chosen the best offer, CarGurus will then send a truck to pick up your car and you will get paid via cashier’s check or bank transfer.
CarGurus has an audience of around 20 million potential car buyers per month, which puts your vehicle in front of a wide variety of people. Plus, they offer free listings with a single $99 fee that is only paid if you sell the car. They also have a secure transaction platform called CarGurus Pay but you can also choose to handle all aspects of the sale yourself if you are so inclined.
Final Thoughts
When the time comes to sell your car, it can be overwhelming to try and pick a method that works best for you and your vehicle. Knowing which sites are available and what they have to offer can help you make the right choice for you and your vehicle. Finding the best buyers and getting the most out of your sale will make the whole process easy and ensure that you get the best price for your old car.
