Situations To Avoid When Selling Your Car

Let’s say you have a junker. It’s near and dear to you, and has got you through a flood, hauled your worldly goods around for more than one life transition, and driven best with your canoe strapped on top on the way to fine times with friends. But it’s on its last legs. It will now cost more to make repairs than the car is worth, and while the experts predict $100 for a barrel of the black combustible stuff, the Beast’s gas mileage is decreasing even as those leaks make it thirsty for motor oil. You could attempt to sell it. There’ s the online route: post it on EBay and get charged for the pleasure, regardless of sale success, because it’s a car; post it on Craigslist and field a never-ending stream of emails from people who offer half of your already-low asking price, or perhaps will do carpentry work for you in exchange for the vehicle. Better yet, the nice man from England will offer to buy your car, because he does this sort of thing, sight unseen, as long as you can cash a $10,000 check for him and return the difference to him with a check of your own. You might also leave the car on the street with a ‘For Sale’ sign, an invitation to interact with the curious public. Flaky individuals in the market for a fully operational vehicle for virtually no money will come, mechanics in tow, not understanding the Beast’s funny steering or intermittent stereo operation, and whine. Others will “have a good feeling about this” or “get the money together in a couple of days when I get paid,” never to be heard from again after a pet dog needs an emergency tonsilectomy and the aforementioned money is gone. If you park the Beast in the wrong place, you may receive repeated parking violation tickets from the police, who are really serving and protecting at this point, because Lord knows an expired inspection sticker on a car with a ‘For Sale’ sign is a real problem. You may then park the car in a friend’s driveway, where it will sit patiently- it is a faithful Beast, after all- as you continue your attempts at salesmanship. The problem with this arrangement, particularly in cold weather, is that the car’s battery will slowly drain and die. Finally, you may eventually connect with an affable young kid eager to work on cars and interested in a beat-up 4×4 as a project car. You may drive the car to his location, complete the transaction of the title, and accept partial payment because he is a young kid and seems entirely trustworthy. In short, you may be a sucker. Your ensuing attempts to contact the Affable Kid may then be unsuccessful, as your good faith agreement has been replaced by ignored emails and phone calls, until a message comes through complaining that the 4 wheel drive doesn’t work as well as expected. You may have to restrain yourself from smashing your computer keyboard into small pieces on the desk, or other such demonstrations of violated outrage. Or, you could do what you know, in your heart of hearts, that you should really do- spare yourself tedium, unending agony, and the bizarreness of the cheap car marketplace, and donate the Beast. For after all, it has given so much to you. The least you can do is give it to the Salvation Army, get your tax writeoff, and know that the world is a better place because of your choice. Category:Home › Autos • Will the trend toward economy-size car models lead Americans back to buying smaller-sized cars? — part 2 • You should never use after-market auto parts when maintaining or fixing your car • Should a new car be rust-proofed? • Will the trend toward economy-size car models lead Americans back to buying smaller-sized cars? — part 1 • Five safest cars in North America • How to ensure your teen drives safely after getting a license • Pros and cons of using an hydrogen generator for your car • DIY automotive maintenance: How to change the oil