How To Sell A Car Fast

How to Sell A Car Fast

How to sell a car fast involves preparing it for sale, finding out what it’s worth and deciding on a fair price to ask for it, and then having all of the paperwork ready to make for a smooth DMV transaction for title transfer.  

Keeping It Clean

To help you sell a car fast, you should take car to be detailed inside and out so it has an appearance of a well maintained vehicle.  Everyone loves that ‘new car smell’ so making sure the car is bright and shiny and smelling good can be the turning point for a seller to say yes.

Maintenance is the Key

Check your car for mechanical considerations:  tire pressure, water, oil, and all of the fluid levels (windshield wipers, brakes, powering steering fluid and air conditioning). Look at all of the lights and replace any broken or missing bulbs or fuses so the turn signals and brake lights are all working properly.

Organizing Your Paperwork

Now you need to get together the paperwork that can help you sell a car fast.  Get the vehicle registration papers, any vehicle history reports, and the car’s manual together and put them in an envelope so you can present them to a prospective buyer at the time they are checking out the car.  If you still have a lien on the car, have an official letter from your lienholder showing the correct amount of payoff needed to secure the vehicle title.  

Deciding on a Price

Of course now you need to decide on a price for the car you want to sell.  Look for it’s value with a Kelley Blue Book or National Automobile Dealership Association (NADA) suggested guidelines for your vehicle’s make, model and specifications. Once you have a price in mind, you’re ready to take the final steps to sell a car fast.  

Checking With a Dealer First

The first and probably fastest way to sell a car is by taking it to a dealership for appraisal. The dealer’s buying team will inspect the car, take it for a test drive and then usually write up an offer for the car.  Remember that they need to make a profit on all cars that they sell, so the offered price may not be all that you want.  By checking with a dealer first you can get a pretty good idea of what the market value is and you either accept the dealer’s offer to sell a car, or you can try your car selling luck on your own.

Sell A Car Fast On Your Own

If you choose to sell the car on your own, make sure you post a “For Sale” sign that clearly posts the contact phone numbers for you so a prospective buyer can get in touch with you right away.  Park the car in an area of high traffic to help you get as many lookers as you can to reach your prospective buyer.  

Using a Local Car Guide or the Newspaper

You can also advertise in a local car referral guide or small newspaper to help sell a car fast. Sometimes this involves having pictures posted of the car so be ready with a digital camera so you can take pictures of the car at flattering angles and send them to the publication to meet any printing deadlines they may have.  

Test Drive Rules

Remember that you will be liable for anything that happens with your car when allowing a test drive.  Be sure to look at the individual’s driver license and insurance information before allowing the test drive, and jot the numbers down.

Payment Verification

You want to protect yourself from receiving any fraudulent payment for the car being sold, so you can ask for cash; if this will be a large amount of cash, you may want to consider making the transaction at your bank so the money can be deposited into your account immediately and any paperwork can be signed with a public viewing.  You will also have the advantage of having payments verified if you are offered payment by a money order or cashier’s check. Any way you decide to accept payment, make sure the financial transaction is sound and that you are not going to fall victim to any kind of loss.

The Paperwork Afterwards

Once you have successfully made this transaction, follow through with taking the required sellers notices to your local Department of Motor Vehicles.  You want to have the release of your responsibility for that vehicle recorded as quickly as possible.  You can check with the DMV’s on line site, as you may be able to process that information on line and ensure the record is available immediately.    

Preparation is the Key

You will be able to sell a car fast if you follow these methodical steps to prepare for a smooth transaction between you as the seller and your buyer. You can check with your local DMV for any further suggestions, rules or regulations that might govern local policies for a successful car selling deal.