Selling Your Car: It’s Easier Than You Think!

Did you know that nearly 40 million used vehicles are bought and sold each year in the United States? This means that you’re in good company searching for the best way to “sell my car.” But what does selling your car involve? Are there advantages to selling your car, truck, or SUV to a dealership rather than selling it yourself? You’ve got questions, and we’ve got answers.

What’s Better: Selling Your Car Yourself or Selling to a Dealer?

Determining whether it’s better to sell your car yourself or to a dealership begins by looking at what you’re willing to invest. Selling your car yourself requires a significant investment of time and money. While many people believe that selling their vehicle themselves will yield a greater profit, this isn’t the case when you consider how much time it takes and the money you’ll spend getting your vehicle ready to sell.

Selling Privately

Impressions mean everything when selling a vehicle. A clean and well-maintained vehicle will usually fetch a higher price than one with stains or tears in the upholstery, dents or dings in the exterior, or cracks in the windshield. Because of this, you’ll want to take time to thoroughly clean your vehicle both inside and out or spend extra to have it professionally detailed. Potential buyers will also want to know that everything is mechanically sound and may ask you to cover an inspection by a licensed mechanic.

Even if you spend extra to have your vehicle inspected and detailed, it doesn’t guarantee a quick sale. It takes time to advertise the vehicle and field inquiries, sorting through genuinely interested buyers and those who are simply trying to scam you. As inquiries come in, buyers will want to look at and test drive the vehicle, which takes up more time and puts your safety at risk since you are potentially getting in a car with a complete stranger.

Once you have an interested buyer, negotiations can lead to growing frustration as buyers look for every fault in the vehicle to drive the price lower. After all, everyone wants to save money. So do you accept the low offer to get rid of the car quickly? Or do you wait for a better offer, which could potentially take weeks or months?

Selling to a Dealer

With 40 million used cars, trucks, and SUVs sold each year, dealerships are not only in the business of selling cars, they’re also in the business of buying cars. It’s how they fill their used inventory and ensure they have models that meet a variety of driving and budget needs. In short, they want to buy your car. Whether you walk away with cash or use it as a trade is entirely up to you!

Selling to a dealer is the easiest, fastest, and most rewarding option. Selling your car yourself can take weeks, months, or even longer, forcing you to wait before seeing any profit. If you’re looking for cash today or are ready to get behind the wheel of a new model without the wait, a dealership can handle the entire process in minutes. Drive your old car over to the dealership and leave with a new model or cash in hand!

Another great advantage of selling your car to a dealership is that there’s no investment required. Rather than spending hundreds of dollars having your vehicle professionally detailed or inspected, dealerships like ours will buy your car, truck, or SUV as it is. There’s no prep work required. More importantly, our offers are based on the vehicle’s fair market value, which means we don’t use any imperfections (dents, dings, scratches, etc.) to negotiate a lower price. Instead, we encourage you to negotiate with us for a higher selling price.

How to Sell Your Car to a Dealership: What You’ll Need

Who doesn’t want to save money and time? Selling to a dealership guarantees you’ll save both and requires minimal prep work. So, what do you need to do before you head over to the dealership?

#1 Do Your Homework

Before you sell your car, it’s essential to know its worth. Every vehicle has a unique thumbprint known as the vehicle identification number or VIN. You’ll find the VIN printed on the bottom of the windshield on the driver’s side, on a sticker on the driver’s door, or on your insurance card or registration. You can use the VIN and sites like Kelley Blue Book to determine the value of your car based on its age, mileage, condition, and location. This value gives you a better idea of what to expect to get for the vehicle and is a great starting point for negotiation.

#2 Gather the Paperwork

Do you have the title to your vehicle, or do you still make monthly payments on the loan? If you own the car, you’ll need to bring the title with you to the dealership. On the other hand, if you’re still paying on the loan, you need to contact your lender for the payoff amount. For example, some dealerships ask for a 20-day payoff amount. Why is this important?

So, let’s say that you owe $15,000 on your 2019 Chevy Tahoe, and the dealer is offering you $17,000. This offer gives you a $2,000 profit that you can either walk away with as cash-in-hand or use toward your next purchase. This situation is known as positive equity.

Now, let’s say that the dealership is only willing to give you $10,000 for your Tahoe. This situation is known as negative equity, meaning that you have to cover the $5,000 balance to satisfy the loan. In either situation, knowing the loan’s payoff helps you negotiate a fair price to help you either break even or come out money ahead.

#3 Clear Personal Items

Once you do your homework and gather the necessary paperwork, it’s time to clear your personal items from the vehicle and head over to the dealership. While it’s unnecessary to have your vehicle detailed, a clean car makes a better first impression. Spending a few dollars on a drive-thru car wash is an affordable investment that takes minutes out of your day and ensures your vehicle looks its best when you drive onto our lot.

Are You Ready to Sell?

The used car industry is one of the fastest-growing in America, and it shows no signs of slowing down. So what does this mean for you? It means that it’s a great time to sell your car.

Rather than taking matters into your own hands and spending countless hours looking for reputable buyers, why not save time and money by going directly to the professionals? Dealerships like ours are renowned for giving customers top-dollar for their vehicles. Why? Because we need to fill our inventory with as many high-quality models as possible, and that means we’re anxious to add your car, truck, or SUV to our lot.

Selling your car to us comes with a hassle-free guarantee and zero commitment. You can sell your vehicle to us and walk off the lot with cash in hand. Or, you can use your vehicle as a trade toward your next purchase. In either case, you’ll get top dollar and reap the rewards of relying on the experts to handle the sale.