[afhsfsfdsss88]

Most dealer trade offers are so low because they don't even keep your car on the lot, they sell it at auction...at wholesale prices.

That is a lot different than individual sales...which is how this service sells your car. So yeah, you get a better price for your car, but the service still eats a good chunk of the sale price difference between dealer-trade and individual sale.

And "all the paperwork" amounts to downloading a bill of sale form and title transfer online with the DMV. It's not rocket science, nor time consuming. Certainly not worth hundreds of dollars.

[ryanSrich]

Agreed. Having sold several cars in NYS this is the typical situation with selling a car.

- Post on craigslist for a few hundred under KBB and few thousand more than what you're willing to sell for

- Get several calls and appointments in the evenings for a solid week

- Within two weeks someone offers you $1k less than what you posted on CL for but still $1k more than your lowest point

- Collect payment from buyer, give them the signed title, and a piece of paper saying how much they paid for the car.

In this situation there are literally two pieces of paper. The bill of sale that you can write on any old computer paper and the title that came with the car. Signing up for this service may be even more work than just selling the car yourself.

[bri3d]

A few notes:

1) Appointments for a week is a lot of time sunk. Easily worth a few hundred bucks to Valley people who think of their lives by the hourly rate. Especially when buyers drag out the process by not showing, having trouble finding a location, or trying to "negotiate" past an agreed-upon price when picking the car up.

2) Very cheap, economical cars (like old Civics/Accords) and very specific enthusiast's cars are extremely frustrating to sell. With economy cars buyer expectations seem to be higher than is realistic (did you really expect your $2500 car to have flawless paint?) and with enthusiast cars many buyers aren't serious. Tire-kickers, thrill-seekers, and picky people who "just want to try this one out, but really were looking for another color and options package or extra rare year xxxx" abound.

3) Loans and paperwork differ by state, but at least here in Colorado the paperwork is trivial and loans are painful. I've never gone to a bank, paid off the car, and had the title available in a timely manner, which leaves both parties with frustrating hanging obligations even after the sale is made.

I lived with someone for a few years who bought and sold several cars a month and I still pay him a few hundred bucks to broker the deal each time I want a car gone - I actually find the sales process quite enjoyable as it involves meeting a lot of people from a lot of backgrounds, but the time sink and general flakiness gets old fast.

[smsm42]

It's not even about the hourly rate. E.g. my schedule is such that I am rarely at home before it's dark at the evening on weekdays, and in the morning I have no time to spare. So I have to either reorganize my schedule (major hassle) or deal with a massive amount of buyers on weekend, instead of relaxing or going out somewhere. I'd gladly part with 5% to avoid that, and since I'm bad at haggling, I might even profit from that.

[param]

People making 100-200k/year would love this service. People below that income range would want to sell privately themselves to make the most money. People above would just dump it at the dealer's and not care.

[ValG]

Thanks for the notes guys. A few things that might not be as obvious:

1. Cars with Loans on them. This actually is a hassle, especially in states where the loan holder owns the title. You literally can't just sign the title over to them. In most cases, the buyer has to pay for the car, the seller uses that payment to pay off the loan and then they get the title to transfer over. There has to be a ton of trust there. Even with a bill of sale, everyone is afraid of getting screwed. 2. The straight craigslist process is not quite that easy, respond to emails, some of them from people not even really interested in the car. You have to go back and forth scheduling viewing and test drives. Roughly 40% of the time, you have to drive out to meet someone. If they no-show? Or low ball you? Or don't want it? Time is wasted at all of these steps. 3. Some people hate negotiating, and don't know what a fair price is. We help. 4. In Cali at least, you need Reg 262 for vehicle transfers. It's a form you can only get directly from the DMV (can't print it online). I went to the SF DMV the other day to pick some up, the line was over 2 hours, just to get a form. Needless to say, I put it off for another day.

I agree, for some people it makes the most sense to just sell it themselves. But it's not always a straight shot.

[exue]

Great points, especially on the loans. I'd like to add that you don't need REG 262 except in special circumstances, such as if the seller doesn't have the current title, or with loans (maybe that was part of the context though) [1]. But avoiding that trip to the DMV is a great blessing

When I sold my vehicle in CA, both the buyer and I filled out the transfer of liability online [2] - no appointments needed. The title ("pink slip") contains the bill of sale with the odometer reading that you would otherwise put on REG 262. The buyer and seller both sign the title which also has the paper version of the transfer of liability should you be inclined to mail it. The buyer generally will have to go to the DMV to pay use tax and turn in the old title.

[1] https://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/reg_hdbk/ch5/ch5_5.htm [2] http://www.dmv.ca.gov/online/nrl/welcome.htm

[JimWillTri]

Do you guys also handle the sale when their is an existing lien? How do you do it?