Hello everybody, Sonny Miller here in Southern California. I just wanted to talk to you guys today and let you guys know how to sell your vehicle private party the fastest way. I’m going to give you guys some tips on how to sell faster on the platforms, plus some details I’ve learned through the years that’ll help you get the most money for your vehicle.
If you guys need help with any advice on how to sell your car privately, feel free to call me anytime at (714) 900-3723. I’m here to help.
Step 1: Get Your Paperwork in Order
First off, you want to have all your documents in order. Most of all, get your vehicle to pass smog and have that smog certificate ready to show the buyer.
Next, your title and registration need to be current — and what I mean by that is no back fees owed to the DMV. It makes the sale of the vehicle a lot easier and smoother if there’s no back fees, because people are reluctant to pay for a vehicle with back fees owed to the DMV. Somebody is going to have to pay for them, either you or the buyer — which means you will have to deduct the price from the vehicle. So it just goes a lot smoother if you pay for it and get your registration current before you list it. Then have your title ready to be signed off by you.
If you need advice on filling out a title, here’s our walkthrough on how to fill out a California vehicle title.
Step 2: Clean the Vehicle Inside and Out
Then you’re going to want to get your vehicle cleaned as best as possible, inside and out. First impressions matter, and a clean vehicle always shows better in photos and at the test drive.
If you want more details on how to clean your vehicle inside and out, how to get stains out, how to clean your engine, and also clay bar tips, check out our detailed blog on how to clean your vehicle properly yourself.
Step 3: Take a Lot of Photos
Take a good amount of photos of your vehicle inside, outside, and of the miles. Take a photo of the actual miles on your odometer. Try to get different angles, and be creative.
If your vehicle is parked in a parking stall and it’s hard to see angles, try going to your local park and taking pictures from different angles. Try to send photos of the engine as well.
I suggest 30 to 40, even 50 photos, because you’re only allowed so many on these platforms. So in your description, you can tell buyers you have more photos available if they want to see them.
Step 4: Write a Detailed Description
Then you’re going to want to make a description of your vehicle. Give as much detail as possible and be as transparent as possible. Transparency goes a long way.
When you put the year, make, model, and miles, make sure it’s 100% accurate. Don’t put a year newer or a year older. Make sure it’s the exact year and the exact miles.
Where to Post Your Listing
You’re going to be posting your vehicle on online platforms like Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, and AutoTrader. And if you have a spot to park it on a street somewhere, you can also put a for sale sign — that helps too. Here’s some inside tips on each one.
Facebook Marketplace
Make an account on Facebook, unlock the Marketplace, and then search groups. When you search the groups, put in something like your city’s name, or “sell my car in [your city’s name].” You’ll see groups come up. Follow those groups.
When you post on Facebook Marketplace and put the year, make, model, and miles, make sure it’s accurate. Then write your description and start posting to these groups.
On Facebook, you’re allowed to post to 21 groups at a time. But if you follow more groups, you can share your post into them after your listing is reviewed and approved. Just go to share your listing, copy the link, and you can post to these groups individually. Tap on a group, and where it says “discuss something” or “what do you want to sell,” paste your URL in there. It will pull up your listing and you can post just like that. Sometimes it makes it look like you have to make a whole new listing — which is very tedious — but you don’t.
You can also share it to groups a couple different ways. Just go to your listings and it says “share in groups” — so you can easily share it that way too. I suggest you follow a lot of groups, because it makes selling the vehicle easier and faster. This is the free way to do it. It doesn’t cost you anything, and it’s also pretty fast if you do it right.
Another tip on Facebook is boosting. If you go to your listings, you’ll see a little rocket ship — that boosts your listing. You can do $5, $10, $20, whatever your budget is for this vehicle. It will basically sponsor your listing on Facebook to sell it faster.
Craigslist
Craigslist is still a good platform to sell vehicles on. You can share your photos, same as Facebook. Year, make, miles. Give as much detail as possible, and the most accurate, transparent description for your vehicle.
Now, the thing about Craigslist is they charge $5 per post. But if you’re in Southern California — let’s say you’re in Anaheim, Long Beach, or Van Nuys — your listing will just say “Los Angeles.” But you can make different postings in different cities, in different counties. So if you have one posting in Los Angeles, you can open another and put it in a different part of Southern California. This gives you more eyeballs on your listing.
The whole idea of selling your vehicle privately is the more people seeing your listing — the more people knowing your vehicle is for sale — the better odds you have of selling it. So you could do four postings if you wanted to, $20 total at $5 a posting. It’s good for one month, so it gives you better odds and better space on Craigslist. Your vehicle will be shown more.
AutoTrader
Thirdly, AutoTrader. AutoTrader is still a good platform. They do charge, and there’s no real secret tip here. You pay the price and you post your vehicle, and it’s pretty straightforward.
The Old-School For Sale Sign
If you’re selling your vehicle privately, you can also post it with a for sale sign. Get one at Walmart, Dollar Tree, or Walgreens, grab some Scotch tape and a marker, and put it on your vehicle. It’s an old method, but it still works.
If you find a busy street that’s not too far from your house or apartment, make sure there’s no street sweeping on that day. But you have to be vigilant. Try to park safely and be prepared to move the vehicle overnight, because I don’t suggest anybody leaving their vehicle out with for sale signs overnight. It’s prone to thievery. But if you’re willing to move the vehicle daily and make sure there’s no street sweeping on that street, it’s a good option.
Also, if you have the time to wait with it on a busy intersection, you could have a for sale sign. If the Walmart, a gas station, or any type of store is on a busy intersection, you could ask the store owner if it’s okay to park your vehicle there with the for sale signs. Or if it’s at a shopping center and the angle is just right where a lot of traffic could see your vehicle, you could wait with the vehicle there. But you have to wait with the vehicle there.
Quick tip
Responding faster sends more trust signals to buyers. It’s better to respond faster because the person is in shopping mode in their mind right now — they might not be in an hour from now. So keep your phone nearby. If you have something up for sale, make sure to have the volume up too — you don’t want to miss the call or the message.
Price Your Vehicle to Sell
Price your vehicle accordingly. Look at comparison vehicles and price accordingly. If you’re trying to sell faster, sell it cheaper — the cheaper you list the price for, the faster it will sell.
So if you see a vehicle — same year, same make, same model, very similar miles, no problems, similar to your situation — and it’s going for $5,000, put yours at $4,500 or $4,000. It will sell faster than the person selling for $5,000 if everything else is comparable.
Handle Test Drives and Cash Safely
Schedule test drives in public places, preferably in the daytime.
If the buyer is trying to purchase your vehicle with cash, here’s a quick tip — you should be going to your bank to make sure the money is real. If the bank is open during open hours, go inside the bank and do the cash transaction inside the bank. Deposit the money with the teller into your account. But if the bank is closed, you can deposit the money inside the ATM.
ATMs will not accept fake money. So when you’re dealing with thousands of dollars, this is the safest way to make sure the money is real.
Get the Vehicle Out of Your Name
I always suggest when you sell your vehicle privately, always make sure to go to the DMV, AAA office, or you can Google your closest registration services, and make sure the vehicle is out of your name. California law requires you to file a release of liability, and you want to make sure to get the vehicle out of your name completely.
You can also get a copy of the new registration, or at least see the copy of the new registration. The person at the DMV, AAA office, or registration office will tell you verbally that the vehicle is out of your name. Make sure the vehicle is out of your name.
This is just an extra tip for you guys — make sure to do this because it will save you a headache in the long run.
For the full walkthrough on this step, see our guide on filing the California DMV REG 138 release of liability. You can also find your nearest AAA registration services branch here or check current smog requirements at the California DMV smog inspection page.
Need Help? Just Give Me a Call
If you guys need any help or tips on how to sell your vehicle privately, give me a call anytime at (714) 900-3723. I’d gladly walk you through it on the phone. No pressure, no headache. I’m here to help you guys.
I’m Sonny Miller here in Southern California, trying to help you guys. Thank you and have a good day.
