Somewhat OT--selling a car

[flydhest]

Anyone have good advice on selling a car? I have never sold a car before. My first car, after I graduated college, got totaled as I was finishing grad school. The insurance money went to buying a new car. That car, five years later, was stolen (ironically, as I was having a garage built on the back of my house) and when recovered, was also considered totalled by the insurance company. Lost my next car in a divorce. Bought my convertible then. Last year, in anticipation of the arrival of my daughter, bought a Jetta TDi sportwagon. We have an 8-1/2 month old and live in the middle of a city. It is small enough for the city, yet big enough for everything we might conceivably do (including if we ever have another kid). In the year that we have had it, we have put 5,000 miles on it. I have a Honda S2000 convertible, as well. In the past year, I have put something under 1000 miles on it, including one day, for the race my team co-sponsors, using it as a pace car and logging about 200 miles. Yes, 1/5 or more of my annual miles was one day at a bike race. So, I have bought 5 cars, but never sold one.

I bike to work almost every day, I bike to go shopping, my wife and I both work 2 miles from the house, so even driving to work doesn't put on miles. I haven't decided to sell it, but the case seems more compelling as time goes by.

What's the easiest way that isn't dumb? So, I could presumably go to a Honda dealership and get very little, but not expend much effort. I could likely go the Craigslist route, but may have to put in a fair amount of effort, but might realize the best price. Is Carmax the happy medium?

Thoughts?

[Fixed]

man those hondas are nice and go for good money in fl.
my son left me his mx-5 while he is away at college( mcgill) fun car
take a vacation come down here and sell it , you can stay at my house
cheers

[Richard]

If you work in an area with good traffic, I have always had the easiest time selling by taking it to my office, parking it in a high visibility spot, putting a sign on it and waiting. You won't bike commute for a bit, but in the right area, I've never waited more than a week to sell a car. If you work in a low traffic area, ask a buddy to take it to his or her parking lot.

[Mike748]

I miss my S2000. What year is yours?

Carmax is easy but you won't get top $$.

Cars.com or craigslist seems best for private deals, but you gotta deal with a lot of flakes and scammers. Ebay ads are pretty cheap and get a wider audience.

[William]

We sold our Volvo wagon through CL and had no issues. Actually it all went down very quickly. I would go cash only.




William

[Ozz]

Check out AutoTrader.com

I used them to sell a car when it was a magazine-only (1996?). they came out, took a picture of the car and posted it in the magazine. Much cheaper than other ads. My guess is that you take your own picture now and upload it to their website. I had 20 calls in 1 week..

People looking for cars will go there....putting a sign in the window only gets the message to people walking by, most of whom are not looking for a new car.

I am guessing that the S2000 will sell quickly....spring may have been a better time to sell it though.

[JMerring]

+2 on cash only; also, make sure you get a piece of paper signed by the buyer wherein they acknowledge and agree to take it as is, where is, with all faults; also, that you make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, as to merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, words words words, etc. a googly search of the interwebs should give you all the contract you need.

[William]

+2 on cash only; also, make sure you get a piece of paper signed by the buyer wherein they acknowledge and agree to take it as is, where is, with all faults; also, that you make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, as to merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, words words words, etc. a googly search of the interwebs should give you all the contract you need.

+100

Bill of sale acknowledging that you are selling it AS IS (with all of JMerring's provisos and quid pro quos.... ;) ).




William

[gasman]

Decide on a fair price-look at edmunds,KBB, consumer reports and motor trend. They all will give you a different number but you will have a good idea of its' value.
Put on CL for cash only and give them an as is bill of sale as well as the title.

You should be able to sell that car quickly at a good price.

[93legendti]

I sold a car in '93 using an ad in the local paper, but a lot has changed since then:

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/car-buying-advice/guide-to-new-car-buying/trading-in/how-to-sell-your-used-car/index.htm

[Terry312]

I sold my 2003 S-2000 on a site. I'll see if I can figure out which one and post later. It was a S-2000 specific site. Mine was very low mileage as well. In the meantime you could google S2 fan sites with a classified section.
The guy who bought mine flew in form MN with check and drove down to Fla

[Ken Robb]

CarMax is a straight operation. They will give you a written bid that is good for a week or so. If you get their bid you can try to do better via Craigs List, Auto Trader, etc. knowing you have a guaranteed deal at CarMax.

[avalonracing]

Wait, are you selling the S2000?
You know I'm local and always wanted one, right?

[flydhest]

Avalon . . . perhaps we should talk. I had thought, after buying the S2000, that I would always own a convertible for as long as I own a car. But realizing that I put 1000 miles on it in a year, and that there are literally weeks that go by when I don't drive, it just seemed to make less and less sense to me. It's a great, great car. Fun, pretty great mileage, fun, Honda reliable, faster than it has any right to be, better handling than any car its price, and most of any price.

It just feels funny having it sit behind the house, getting leaves on it from the tree in the back yard, such like.

[William]

Wait, are you selling the S2000? You know I'm local and always wanted one, right?

Avalon . . . perhaps we should talk. I had thought, after buying the S2000, that I would always own a convertible for as long as I own a car. But realizing that I put 1000 miles on it in a year, and that there are literally weeks that go by when I don't drive, it just seemed to make less and less sense to me. It's a great, great car. Fun, pretty great mileage, fun, Honda reliable, faster than it has any right to be, better handling than any car its price, and most of any price.

It just feels funny having it sit behind the house, getting leaves on it from the tree in the back yard, such like.


Do I sense a Forum Buddy deal in the works? :)





William

[djg]

Well, if it's a done deal, there you go.

I've done all three -- CL, dealer, and Carmax. Carmax is not so bad if they want your car. A relatively recent model that they know sells well, and fits their criteria for clean . . . they'll likely offer well less than you might get via CL, but way more than the brand dealer's vision of wholesale. OTOH, if they don't want it for the lot, or not especially, they're just like any dealer, except less of a hassle to deal with. In either case, you'll have an offer and a check within a few hours.

We've sold two vehicles via CL. More work than Carmax for sure, and each vehicles took a couple weekends to sell, but not as bad as you might think. You need decent photos, and useful copy, and you need to price the vehicle well, but we did better than the dealer or Carmax by a few grand on a couple of older vehicles (one minivan, one sedan) that were going to be resold wholesale. One or two folks didn't show up for appointments or dropped the ball in some way, but not a ton of work and not bad overall.

I'd be disinclined to go back to the dealer, but maybe that's a bad intuition on something like a nice clean S2000 -- if the dealer has a developed market for the model, they might be inclined to . . . well, deal.

We ended up keeping my 2004 Volvo S60 as a third car last year, even though we have two drivers and I mostly ride my bike to work, because it was in fine condition, and has tons of life left, and makes for a good backup car (and will be fine when my 14 y.o. daughter turns 16 and wants to learn how to drive), but . . . you know, at 6-plus years old it just wasn't worth much.

[Terry312]

The S-2000 might be the most fun, fast and reliable sports car out there.
My preference was the 2003 year.

[mudhead]

Fish where the fish are. Find the most trafficked S2000 enthusiast sites and post there. I did that with a relatively obscure Toyota Celica Alltrac turbo and got top dollar for it - above NADA value at the time.

[William]

Fish where the fish are. Find the most trafficked S2000 enthusiast sites and post there. I did that with a relatively obscure Toyota Celica Alltrac turbo and got top dollar for it - above NADA value at the time.

I did a similar thing in reverse for my Landcruiser. Got a very fair deal, flew out to Chicago, bought it and drove it back to RI.





William

[mudhead]

Fish where the fish are. Find the most trafficked S2000 enthusiast sites and post there. I did that with a relatively obscure Toyota Celica Alltrac turbo and got top dollar for it - above NADA value at the time.

[amgc36]

CarMax is hassle-free and better than selling to your typical new car dealer. Plus, it's something you know you have as a bottom line recourse that can help moderate your expectations.

A few years back, I posted my M3 on CL, AutoTrader and did the Carmax thing. I got about 7% more selling it myself than I got from CarMax but had to deal with a flaky buyer and a number of test drives.

You can also consider a bank transfer; that's what I did. We went to the bank and got the money after agreeing to a deal and signing a boilerplate warranty (as-is, where is, no warranty expressed or implied). I am not keen on significant cash transactions with strangers for safety.

[staggerwing]

While you have received some good info on avenues of disposal, I'm going to suggest possibly waiting until spring. One of my father's odd sayings was ", the best time to buy a convertible is when there is 6" of snow on the ground." Don't really know were that one came from, as he generally dealt in small aircraft, but the point is timing. There may be a small window left for those that might enjoy a fine topless afternoon of leaf peeping, but the window is closing fast. Otherwise, wait till spring, when trees are budding, hormones are raging, and perhaps, the economy might be looking upward.

Agree, that if it is clean, and low mileage, you should look for an enthusiast web site. I would be surprised if there wasn't one for the S2000, and most have a "for sale" sub-forum. It really is a terrific, if very niche vehicle; pricey for wearing a Honda label, but very much in the spirit of Soichiro Honda. Doesn't make as much sense if you don't know the back story.

I would love to have your S2000, but alas, it would likely be the recipient of a similar annual mileage. An older Miata would likely be a better fit.

[Ti_on_Steel]

I sold my Volvo V70R on consignment through a used car dealer. It sat out on their lot, they did all the leg work, they dealt with the buyers, they did the paper work, and they took 5%. I tried selling on my own for weeks. They sold it in 2 days. In my opinion, it was worth every penny.

[4Rings6Stars]

Read up on the local laws / responsibilities of a private party selling a car.

MA is law-happy so there might not be as much to it elsewhere, but in MA there are all sorts of implied warranties and responsibilities and such for private party sales---not as easy as having the buyer sign a piece of paper saying "As-is".

I'm about to sell a used car as well and plan on using craigslist and providing a carfax. Subaru dealer offered peanuts for it as a trade in (like 1/4 blue book).

[JeffS]

So you're selling the S2000?

1) s2ki.com
2) Craigslist
3) ebay

Carmax is way down the list, behind every other local dealer in town. All they're good for anymore is getting a quote so the other dealers can beat it. They've gone way down on what they're willing to pay in the last couple of years.

My wife was going to sell her car to Carmax. I put it on craigslist with some good pics and she sold it for $4k (about 20%) more than they were offering within a week. Personally, I've sold the last 5 cars I've owned on ebay. Bought the last five there for that matter.

[rice rocket]

Fish where the fish are. Find the most trafficked S2000 enthusiast sites and post there. I did that with a relatively obscure Toyota Celica Alltrac turbo and got top dollar for it - above NADA value at the time.

Celica AllTracs will pull in top dollar no matter what NADA/KBB says. Way way way above.

I miss my S2000 as well.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-fhhVeJE6DCM/SIQEkknvBkI/AAAAAAAAAMc/urgteVViMw0/s800/DSC_0091.JPG

Yes, I passed him.

:cool:

[edl]

I sold my Volvo V70R on consignment through a used car dealer. It sat out on their lot, they did all the leg work, they dealt with the buyers, they did the paper work, and they took 5%. I tried selling on my own for weeks. They sold it in 2 days. In my opinion, it was worth every penny.

+1

Dealer consignment can be a good route, but make sure you read the consignment agreement very carefully. Some agreements allow a certain period of time between actual sale of vehicle and payment back to the seller, which may not be acceptable to you.

To the OP - if you want to know the "real" wholesale of your vehicle send me a PM.

[Stan Lee]

I've had a lot of luck selling on Craigslist at bluebook value. I agree that if you don't need to unload it quick you should wait for a nice spring day and it should go quick with cash.

[soulspinner]

Decide on a fair price-look at edmunds,KBB, consumer reports and motor trend. They all will give you a different number but you will have a good idea of its' value.
Put on CL for cash only and give them an as is bill of sale as well as the title.

You should be able to sell that car quickly at a good price.


Exactly. Because of what it is.

[avalonracing]

I miss my S2000 as well.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-fhhVeJE6DCM/SIQEkknvBkI/AAAAAAAAAMc/urgteVViMw0/s800/DSC_0091.JPG

Yes, I passed him.

:cool:

Suzuka Blue S2000... My favorite!

[bigflax925]

Fish where the fish are. Find the most trafficked S2000 enthusiast sites and post there. I did that with a relatively obscure Toyota Celica Alltrac turbo and got top dollar for it - above NADA value at the time.

Exactly.

I was in the same boat with my 2000 Evo Orange Miata. Hadn't driven it in a year with a new child, building a house, changing jobs...

Was a long time member of Miata.net. Posted a classified ad annd sold to a gentleman who flew down from upstate New York. I found a bill of sale and contract at Edmunds or KBB and used that.

Ironically, it was during our one and only snow of the year, so instead of waiting until he got home for snow tires, bought and installed them for his long drive home.

[Terry312]

I'm not sure but I think I sold my S-2000 here:
http://www.s2ki.com/home/tag/community/
You'll need to register, but I was able to post in a day.
Search other sites and do the same, or as suggested, wait until spring.

[Len J]

Start with friends and friends of friends.

Lots of middle aged people would love that car, and as long as you are reasonable on the price, and not in a hurry, you should find a buyer by spring.

I sold my Porsche Boxster S this way. The first reaction when I'd mention it was for sale was usually...I've always wanted a convertable...and a porsche!

Len

[benb]

I've used AutoTrader/CycleTrader and it worked out fine..

I love the S2000.. looked at them a couple times but I really can't fit in them.. which seems nuts as I'm only 6'1", who builds a car like that and sells it in the US these days, especially Honda? It would have been insanely impractical anyway.. not a good bike hauler, and not real useful in a single car household in the snowbelt.

Anyway I would echo two things said before..

1) The S2000 is kind of like a motorcycle, it is probably best sold in the Spring when people want new cars and convertibles don't look silly in the face of approaching winter

2) The further south you can sell it the less the timing is going to matter

3) The further south you can sell it the better the value will be.. there have always been really, really good deals on S2000s here in New England since they are pretty impractical here.. so you're not going to get top dollar from anyone who has easy access to northern dealerships. ISTR seeing brand new ones at dealers a few years ago that were marked $10,000 below sticker. They just didn't sell up here.

[rice rocket]

S2000s are great in the snow belt. Snow tires make this thing unstoppable.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2055/60/71/4803666/n4803666_32789292_1038.jpg

;)

But yeah, I hear you about the height issue, the non-adjustable steering column is a dealbreaker for a lot of people. Luckily I'm 5'6, sized just like a standard Japanese man. :D

[benb]

My brother claims he can drive them.. he is like 6'4".. but he can't really drive a standard transmission for squat.. he was just moving them around parking lots when he sold cars..

Maybe I'm imagining things but I had the seat all the way back (I'm 6'1") and my knees were still touching the dash.. I might have been able to drive but it felt really dangerous and I wouldn't have been able to shift well enough to do justice to a sporty car. I don't think the steering wheel would have been an issue since generally arms get longer as legs do.

It seems dumb as I have an RSX Type S and there is more then enough leg room in my car even though the front cockpit area can't be much bigger then the S2000.. Unfortunately the roofline is low enough that I can't really wear a helmet without reclining the seat but I never really intended to take it to the track.. just went a couple times the first few years I had it.

I had a Mustang at one point and my fear with the S2000 is just like the Mustang no matter what tires you get on it you're still going to get stuck due to the ground clearance.. the car is not going to be able to push the snow once it is deep enough to hit the air dam. My RSX isn't great for the same reason for a front wheel drive car although I've never really gotten stranded even with all seasons.

[flydhest]

For the record, I'm 6'2". The thing is not great after 3 hours of driving, but for shorter trips, it is fine. Definitely not the most comfortable car, but that's not what I bought it for.

[benb]

I wonder if some years had more leg room?

In any case some of us are more leg and less torso.. that's me.