Selling A Car
Posted on October 17, 2008
Buying a car might be difficult, but selling a used car is every bit as complex. I had never sold a car before this one – I had always just driven them into the ground and then towed them off to the dump. This time, however, I thought it made more sense to sell it off before the it repair bills got too expensive. It can be really difficult to calculate the precise moment when selling a car make sense. After all, you never know exactly how much life your used car has in it. If you don’t really need your car, or could get by in a pinch without it, you can usually wait a little bit longer before you decide to sell. If, on the other hand, you are very dependent on it, it often makes sense to start looking for a buyer earlier rather than later.
The problem is that there are so many different options for selling a car, and each has its advantages and disadvantages. A lot of people, when they decide to sell cars, will wait around and try to find the best individual buyer they can. If you get just the right customer, you can sell your car for the bluebook value, or even a little bit higher. Perfect customers, however, can be few and far between. Unless you are selling a collectible car, it makes a lot more sense to consider the other options.
A lot of people prefer selling a car to a used car dealer. It is a lot easier to make the sale, after all. You won’t necessarily make as much as you would from an individual buyer, but then again you won’t have to wait around for months as people come and go, checking out your car and trying to decide whether they want it. Time is money, after all, so sometimes convenience is worth losing a little bit of cash on the deal.
On the other hand, donating a car is an option that too few people consider. If you are not selling a car in good condition, you probably won’t get a lot for it. If, on the other hand, you donate your used car, you can be guaranteed the bluebook value on a tax write off. Often, this translates to more than you actually get if you sold a car for cash. At any rate, it is at least worth considering. You get a tax write-off, while helping a worthwhile cause.
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