Grumpy Vet Posted June 1, 2005 Share Posted June 1, 2005 Hi all. I've been holding onto my old vehicle for the past several months and am ready to sell it. I got a company vehicle in February and have no real need for this truck any more. My wife still has 2 years on her lease - or we'd trade her vehicle in and have her drive the 4Runner. I'm interested to hear people's experiences and advice on how, where and when to sell it. The vehicle is a black '99 Toyota 4Runner SR5. It has 92K miles on it and is in pretty good shape. I just had the rotors turned on it...a mass air flow sensor replaced and a couple other things fixed on it. Tires have less than 7K on them. There is wear on the steering wheel, some small stone chips on the hood, a 3" scratch on the driver door and a 2" scratch on the bumper.....You'd have to look for these things.....interior has some wear in the cargo area - but according to the description of Kelly's Blue Blook site - it would definitely be in "good" condition....and would be heading towards excellent according to the mechanic that just did the work on it last week. It has the towing package, power sunroof, power windows, power mirrors..the normal stuff. I'm the original owner. I bought it at the end of 1998. It has never been in an accident of any type. Oil changes and everything have been done regularly..... So - my question is - what is the best way to sell this thing? I've heard CarMax is fairly good - but would be several grand less than selling it privately. I'm planning on detailing the car this weekend and taking it over there the beginning of next week just to see what they offer. Anybody tried Ebay Motors? Should I try AutoTrader or one of the local papers? Any good websites that do this kind of thing? No hurry to sell it - If I could move it in the next month - I'd be happy. I'm a little nervous about the private party sale w/ someone test driving it and stealing it....giving me a bad cashier's check....or taking me on a test drive and shooting me. I've never sold one of my vehicles privately before. I'm thankful for any tips, hints or ideas. Thanks, GV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halter91 Posted June 1, 2005 Share Posted June 1, 2005 I had good luck with Auto Trader. It's worth the 30-50 bucks they charge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyansRangers Posted June 1, 2005 Share Posted June 1, 2005 ebay motors is good but you will come across the same bad cashiers check or bad check unless they pay by cc or paypal. Use ebay first and put a $1000 paypal deposit is required at end of autction Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonard Washington Posted June 1, 2005 Share Posted June 1, 2005 i like carmax no hassel...especially for a car with as many miles as your. yea its a toyota and probably in good shape, but those many miles scare me. i'd buy it if i was in college though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumpy Vet Posted June 1, 2005 Author Share Posted June 1, 2005 I'll have to pick up an AutoTrader and check that out....been a while since I've seen one of those..... The only thing that makes me nervous about Ebay is that the buyer won't really see the vehicle before they buy it. I could take a gazillion pics but I'd really prefer the buyer to drive the thing and see it....My profile on Ebay is 115 or so positives w/ 100% positive feedback since '98 - so that would help.....Definitely if I go w/ Ebay - it would make sense to get a deposit.....I'd have to probably get my Paypal account back up and running. Bluebook private party has this vehicle somewhere in the $10 - $11K range. I'd think that would be a bit much for most folks to Paypal or put on a CC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonsofwashington Posted June 1, 2005 Share Posted June 1, 2005 If you want the car to get some views have a girl in a bikini stand next to it when you take the picture you're going to post for it. Certainly wont get you into heaven but is that the goal?:cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumpy Vet Posted June 1, 2005 Author Share Posted June 1, 2005 Well.....my wife won't do it...... I guess since I've hosted dks' signature on my server for 6 months or so.....she would be the obvious choice......unless I can get Blondie to don a BurgerKing crown and pose in a bikini on it. Perhaps I could also get Mr. Nipple Piercing to pose as well and increase the demographics to which this truck appeals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoony Posted June 1, 2005 Share Posted June 1, 2005 It sounds like the car you have is worth about $900. PM me and I'll take it off your hands... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoony Posted June 1, 2005 Share Posted June 1, 2005 In all seriousness, you will not have any trouble selling your 4 runner. I would have it professionally detailed (engine, body, interior) and place an ad in the paper. The detailing might cost you $200 but you'll get your money back when you go to sell... trust me. as for price, decide what you'd like out of it $ wise and place the ad for well above that... that way you can come down on price and make the buyer feel like he/she is getting a deal. And you might get lucky and find someone who's willing to pay that. Your bank should be able to tell you what your car is worth if you sell it yourself... I'd use that as a starting point good luck *edit* don't worry about the test drive or cashiers check... just call the bank before you sign over the title/give them the keys, and don't let them testdrive without you in the car. Besides, if someone is going to steal your car they'll just break in when you're not around, that way you at least you don't have a physical description :doh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Evil Genius Posted June 1, 2005 Share Posted June 1, 2005 Originally posted by zoony In all seriousness, you will not have any trouble selling your 4 runner. I would have it professionally detailed (engine, body, interior) and place an ad in the paper. The detailing might cost you $200 but you'll get your money back when you go to sell... trust me. The drawback is though - if you do have it detailed - you won't get anything if you end up selling it to or trading it in to a dealer. They see detailing (the engine) as a cardinal sin - since it hides any outward defects. Have you tried a for sale sign and driving it around the neighborhood? Its low key - but it works most of the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoony Posted June 1, 2005 Share Posted June 1, 2005 Originally posted by T.E.G. The drawback is though - if you do have it detailed - you won't get anything if you end up selling it to or trading it in to a dealer. They see detailing (the engine) as a cardinal sin - since it hides any outward defects. true, but if you sell it to a dealer you're going to get ripped anyways... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. S Posted June 1, 2005 Share Posted June 1, 2005 why not just keep it private? Put at the local school parking lot or Price Club or somewhere marketable on weekends. People do search for cars in areas like that, I know we have when we were looking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
illone Posted June 1, 2005 Share Posted June 1, 2005 www.autotrader.com usually gets the most # of hits and also will run in their local publication which is printed once a week. 3 weeks is $50 I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kilmer17 Posted June 1, 2005 Share Posted June 1, 2005 Under NO circumstances should you sell it to a dealer. CarMax may be easy, but they willnot give you top dollar. Only way to get that is to sell it privately. Throw it in the paper and an online source. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Evil Genius Posted June 1, 2005 Share Posted June 1, 2005 Craigslist if you live near a big city Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riggins44 Posted June 1, 2005 Share Posted June 1, 2005 Your best leads might be to tell your friends and coworkers that you're selling the truck. You'll be surprised who might be looking for a good used truck. You could even put a for sale sign in the back window and put by the road in a high traffic area. Caution...some places won't allow this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twa Posted June 1, 2005 Share Posted June 1, 2005 For Sale sign and park it at your bank or credit union,put your asking price and list of options. I would hold off on a ad unless you are in a hurry,people call all the @@##$ time. This gives them the info they need and a chance to look before bugging you. I have never failed to sell one within two weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChocolateCitySkin Posted June 2, 2005 Share Posted June 2, 2005 Originally posted by zoony In all seriousness, you will not have any trouble selling your 4 runner. I would have it professionally detailed (engine, body, interior) and place an ad in the paper. The detailing might cost you $200 but you'll get your money back when you go to sell... trust me. as for price, decide what you'd like out of it $ wise and place the ad for well above that... that way you can come down on price and make the buyer feel like he/she is getting a deal. And you might get lucky and find someone who's willing to pay that. Your bank should be able to tell you what your car is worth if you sell it yourself... I'd use that as a starting point good luck *edit* don't worry about the test drive or cashiers check... just call the bank before you sign over the title/give them the keys, and don't let them testdrive without you in the car. Besides, if someone is going to steal your car they'll just break in when you're not around, that way you at least you don't have a physical description :doh: This is exactly what I did. I detailed it and put it online (either autotrader or autobytel). In fact, I overpriced the value of my car and waited till I got the offer that was the amount I was looking for. All of my friends thought I wasn't going to get half the amount I was looking for... I showed them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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