1. You need to get organized. Clean out your car, taking out all of your personal things. Next wash it inside and out, making it shine as much as it possibly can. Take all of the service records and put them in chronological order. If you have any spare parts or accessories, be sure to put those back in the car. Your car needs to be ready to be driven away when you show it so that they can drive it away if they decide to buy it. Then you won't have to deal with it again.



2. Craigslist is KING. Just about everyone who's looking for a used car is going to visit craigslist, and it's free to list your car. When you list your car make sure you put up a detailed description and as many pictures as possible. Here's a big tip: Save yourself time and improve your credibility by taking pictures of any flaws on your car and describing them accurately. This will make you stand out from all the people that claim their car is "perfect". If craigslist isn't working, try AutoTrader.

3. Your listing on craigslist will move to the top every time you update it. In order to get the most from your listing, you should change it as often as every day or even every hour.

4. The first email or phone call or email you get will usually be the best one. You should treat the first person to inquire about your car like royalty. In our experience, it doesn't matter if you put your car on craigslist, a similar site, or in a newspaper classified. The first person that contacts you is, most of the time, the person who will end up buying your car. Since this person is usually very motivated to buy a car, you should not feel obligated to discount your car, or at least not very much.

5. Be safe. Don't put your address in your ad - all you're doing is advertising where someone can go to steal your car. You should also list your work phone instead of using your personal number. Finally, and most importantly, meet potential buyers in a public place. Shopping mall parking lots are ideal - they have security, they're lots of people, and they're easy to find.

6. Now let's talk about test-driving. If you don't feel comfortable going along with a buyer on a test drive, don't. Ask to hold their car keys before they test drive your car. If, at any point, you get a bad vibe, tell the buyer to take a hike. There isn't any reason whatsoever to take a risk.

7. Don't accept cashier's checks or bank drafts. Unless you're inside a bank talking to a bank employee, don't ever accept a cashier's check or bank draft as payment. These instruments are extremely easy to counterfeit, so you should only take them from people you know and trust. Insist on cash. If your buyer has to give you a bank draft, meet them at their bank so you can verify it.

8. Lastly, you need to wrap up the loose ends. Take off your license plates before the buyer drives away. You can prove that you sold your car by having the buyer sign a bill of sale. It is very important to ask for ID. If they give you any problems with this, do not sell your car to them.