Assuming you are caught in a situation, where you are getting a new car and want to dispose off the one you are now using, you have two options. The first option is to contact a dealer who sells used cars and the other is to sell the car through your own efforts. The advantage of selling a car on your own is that you can get a higher price than what a dealer will be able to fetch. But the hitch is you will have to find the right buyer and that exercise can prove tedious and time consuming. It is common knowledge that selling a car privately is not easy and you will have to personally negotiate with people who do hard bargaining.

The first thing to do when you decide to sell your car is to put up an effective well-written ad. Keep the ad small and give details such as the car's make, model and its general condition. You can also furnish the odometer reading as the car is a used one. You can insert an ad in the local newspaper and this is really effective as people in your local community will be seeing it and you can expect good response. Another way placing an ad is on the Internet. There are many well-known car sites in which you can place the ad.

Clean up the car thoroughly and try to give it a new shine. A well-maintained and good looking car will fetch you the price you expect because the prospective buyer will be impressed. Polishing the exterior body will make the car look clean and appealing. Make it a point to empty the inside of the car and remove all things from the boot. Check to see that all car fluids are at the right levels. This means you need to change the engine oil and see to it that the brake fluid is at the right level, before the buyers test drive the car. Have the tires checked and keep the tire pressure right. If your buyer is going to test drive it, he should not have a shaky ride because of low pressure in the tires.

It is prudent to keep the car's service record ready to show the potential buyer details about how often you serviced the car. Keeping a copy of the car's title document is also a good idea as your buyer will know for sure that you are the owner of the car. Buying a vehicle history report will also be an excellent idea. When you take the steps listed above, the buyer will rate you as a responsible owner and that you are not in a hurry to off-load a problem car.

If your goal is to purchase a better car, trading in your present car at the dealership can make the whole process quick and simple. You may not get the the price you would have commanded selling it on your own, but getting rid of your car speedily out weigh the difference in price. Please know there are some auto auctions that will sell your privately owned car, if you are willing to part with a modest percentage for their efforts. More often auction companies are used by banks to dispose of repossessed cars. But they may also be willing to dispose your used car for you.