How to Sell My Car Fast in Long Island, NY
Selling is your best option if you’re contemplating letting go of your vehicle. However, this can be challenging whether you’re selling your car to a private buyer or a certified dealership. This is why learning to negotiate is vital so you can stand your ground and reject an unreasonable offer. Here’s how you can get a good offer when putting your vehicle on the market.
10 Steps to Selling a Car
Choose How You’ll Sell Your Vehicle
You can sell your car through different channels. These include the following:
Dealer Trade-ins
A trade-in means swapping an old vehicle for a new one at a dealership. It’s a quick and easy way to sell your car, plus you can save on listing and selling costs. Dealers will transact with you face-to-face, ensuring a safe transaction.
Dealer trade-ins can also help decrease the sales tax rate of your new car, allowing you to spend less on your vehicle.
Instant Cash Offers
You can get an instant cash offer for your car online, via phone, or at a dealership. All you have to do is give your vehicle identification number (VIN) or license plate number and describe its current condition and mileage. Sellers with instant cash offers take this information and present an offer within minutes.
When it comes to instant cash offers, you’d want an offer matching your desired amount. More detailed and correct information will lead you toward that goal.
Selling a Car Yourself
If you take this route, you’ll be directly negotiating with buyers. We’ll take you through this vital step later as we go on.
Moreover, selling a car yourself can save you more money, as private parties don’t have overhead costs. However, this takes extra effort, as you need to clean your vehicle and make it look presentable, collect and accomplish all the necessary paperwork, meet with buyers, and complete all sales documents.
Collect the Necessary Paperwork
Putting your car up for sale starts with gathering its documents. At the very least, you should keep its title, service records, original sales documents, and history report handy.
If you’re selling your car to a dealership, you may need to present the following:
- Your car’s title and release of lien letter (when applicable)
- Payoff information (includes your bank and loan number)
- Valid and current registration
- A valid, state-issued ID photo of yourself
- All keys and remotes included with your car (missing keys and remotes can affect how an instant cash offer costs)
Prepare Your Vehicle for Selling
Presentation is also crucial to the selling process. Make your vehicle look impressive to prospective buyers by removing trash, personal items, and accessories, like bumper stickers, decals, and license plate covers. You should also eliminate any blemishes like dents and scratches on the car exterior.
Set Your Car’s Selling Price
Websites offering vehicle appraisals are a great place to determine used car values. They only need your vehicle’s year, make, model, mileage, zip code, and overall condition to appraise it. When it comes to the car’s condition, provide the correct details for the exact value. We also recommend checking prices on private seller sites and comparing them to your offer for your final price.
How Does a Dealership Determine What Your Car or Truck is Worth?
Your dealership may determine your vehicle’s worth based on the following factors.
- Overall condition - A dealer, like the VIP Automotive Group, will evaluate the interior and exterior of your car and check for any damages, if any.
- Features and options - These factors refer to the packages and features your car comes with.
- Vehicle history - Your vehicle’s service and accident history give a closer look at its background.
- Make, model, and year - If your dealership works with an appraiser, the latter should provide the exact values of every make, model, and year.
Advertise Your Vehicle
This step applies if you’re selling a car privately. Facebook Marketplace, AutoTrader, Craigslist, and eBay are some online marketplaces where you can list your vehicle for sale. You may have to pay listing and promotional fees when using a private selling site.
An online ad for a vehicle on sale should tell buyers what to expect from it, why you’re selling it, and whether it’s in good condition or not. Don’t forget your asking price and negotiating terms, preferred payment options, and photos of the vehicle.
Ensure a Safe Transaction
Private car sales can put your safety at risk. Protect yourself and your vehicle with these useful tips.
Be Careful During Transactions
If you’re meeting a potential buyer, transact at a crowded retail or restaurant parking lot or police-designated “online safe zones.” Also, bring a friend with you to ensure a safe test drive or transaction.
For payments, your buyer may suggest an escrow service. This service will take the buyer’s payment until you’ve sold your vehicle to them. In this case, do your research and determine who pays the fees offered by the service.
Finally, choose legitimate payment options like online payment platforms or cashier’s checks from reputable banks or credit unions.
Create a Paper Trail
Your paper trail should cover the following tasks:
- Transferring the car’s title to your buyer
- Completing a bill of sale and a release of liability
- Removing license plates and surrendering them to the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles)
Safeguard Your Personal Information
Before transferring your car’s service records to your buyer, block out your phone number, credit card numbers or other personal information. You should also remove any contracts or completed credit application forms from your glove box or owner’s manual.
Make the Test Drive Safe for Everyone
If your buyer wants to test drive your vehicle, discuss their plans and yours, and tell each other your limitations. This step can make things more comfortable, resulting in a successful sale and less suspicion.
Test driving the car with companions is also a great way to ensure safety. Join your buyer as they drive the vehicle, preferably with a friend or family member present. Also, take the test drive if you’re comfortable, and make sure it’s a short drive around populated areas.
Prepare for Pre-Sale Inspections
Inspecting a car on sale is also crucial to a quick sale. For pre-sale inspections, you can have the buyer’s mechanic check the vehicle, schedule an inspection at your home or office, or visit an auto shop with the buyer.
Sometimes, the third party’s mechanic may discover problems with your car. It can drive your buyer to suggest a lower price that you can accept. If you’re still selling the vehicle, some states require repairing it. You can also obtain the mechanic’s report, then show it to your mechanic for the next steps or other buyers.
Negotiate a Price
Most car owners go for trade-ins or instant cash offers because they’re scared to negotiate sale prices. Negotiations are confrontational and are a vital part of selling a vehicle.
When haggling for sale prices, remember that selling a car is a business decision. Experienced buyers may know the specific issues your car has, leading them to offer an extremely cheap price and support it by mentioning those problems.
During negotiations:
- Your buyer can’t offer a price lower than their first offer, and you can’t make your bid higher than your initial sales price.
- Say what you only need to say. Talking too much can put you in a weaker position.
- You can refuse any unfavorable offer. This rule applies when your buyer tells you a hard-luck story or wants to lowball your ride.
Provide Other Vital Documents
With trade-ins and instant cash offers, dealerships will prepare and file the necessary paperwork for you. But in private selling, you must obtain other crucial documents. Start with the title and registration papers required by your state and the buyer’s DMV. Then, you’ll need an automotive Bill of Sale form with “vehicle is sold as-is” in its terms. That form should also state that you’re not providing warranty coverage, and that the sale is final.
Apart from the documents above, you may need to complete and file mileage disclosure, liability release, and title transfer forms. And in many states, sellers must provide buyers with a current smog check or state inspection certificate. Whichever you’ll hand over to your car’s new owner, make sure it discloses a “passed” result. You should give the certificate to the buyer during the sale.
Receive Your Payment
The payment process for selling a vehicle depends on the approach you take. Dealerships offering trade-ins will add your trade-in value to the new or used car you’ve purchased. As for instant cash offers, the dealer can add the amount to your new car or give you a check.
On the other hand, private-party sellers should get their payment from the buyer’s bank. Ask them to get a cashier’s check from a teller, then review and approve any documents.
Why Sell Your Car to the VIP Automotive Group?
The VIP Automotive Group has bought and sold vehicles since it started operating in 1957, making the dealership an experienced seller. Our expertise has helped customers in and out of Long Island appraise and sell their vehicles.
Furthermore, customer trust is important to our business. Our staff will show you proof of payment within 24 hours, assuring your peace of mind. And if you want to know your car’s value, VIP offers curbside and at-home appraisals. We also accept payments immediately and guarantee appraisals for up to seven days.
Get a Good Offer for Your Vehicle
Selling a car can involve dealer trade-ins, instant cash offers, or private-party transactions. Whichever approach you choose, taking the necessary steps to sell your vehicle is crucial. This way, you can get the most out of your sale.
Are you ready to sell your beloved car? Apply for the VIP Automotive Group’s instant cash offer today.