Top 6 Dangers of Selling Your Car Privately

1. Your personal safety. Strangers test driving your car.
2. Giving out your personal information; address, phone #’s etc.
3. Payment; the cashier’s check scam and other payment issues.
4. Registration, Smog laws, transfer and release of liability.
5. Your car might have problems.
6.  Advertising, expense, writing an ad.

1. YOUR PERSONAL SAFETY. STRANGERS TEST DRIVING YOUR CAR

There is nothing comfortable about this. Here’s the scenario: You have a perfect stranger looking at your car and then he or she wants to test drive it. You have no choice but to go with them. The old bit about holding the keys to their car while they take yours is no good. What if it’s a rental? What if it’s borrowed from a friend? If they damage your car are their keys really going to do you any good? Ok, now you’re in the passenger seat of your car with someone you wouldn’t even talk to at Starbuck’s. People have a tendency to drive a car they are considering buying much harder than they normally would to “see what it can do.” I know from personal experience this can be scary. Envision in your mind if you will that maniac friend of yours with whom you hate driving. Oh yeah, I almost forgot my personal favorite, hygiene. It may sound funny but I think you are getting the idea.

2. GIVING OUT YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

In order for someone to contact you, you’re ‘gonna have to give out your phone number. These days most everyone uses a cell phone. If you get a call from a blocked number, the caller already knows a lot more about you than you do about him. Remember, once someone has called your cell phone from their cell phone, they have your number forever and people tend to misdial or call at all hours. Giving out your home address just isn’t a good idea for several reasons. Honest people tend to reveal their schedules when making an appointment; “I am never home before six…” for example. This bad habit could give away valuable information to many prospective buyers who may not be as honest as you. What if something goes wrong with the transaction? Nobody wants a visit from an irate buyer.

3. GETTING PAID SAFELY

There are several ways to get paid for your car when you sell it privately and all can have difficulties. A common scam is payment with an official looking, bogus cashier’s check. You take it as payment, deposit it into your account and in about two weeks when you’re car is long gone it bounces and your bank charges your account. The most obvious is cash but this method is not always problem free. Where do you conduct this cash transaction with an unpredictable stranger? We have already discussed the problems with your home. At a public place? Fine, but you don’t know who might follow you home with this new cash in your pocket.  A personal check is out of the question and you’re probably not set up to accept credit cards or ATM.

4. REGISTRATION, SMOG LAWS, TRANSFER AND RELEASE OF LIABILITY.         

In California, the license plates stay with car. Meaning, in the case of a private sale, you give the title and it is incumbent upon the new registered owner to complete the transfer into his name in a timely manner. This doesn’t always happen because it entails additional expense on his part. If he then gets parking tickets, toll booth or any kind of photographic violations it comes back to you. Yes, you can prove that the car is no longer yours but involves going to court which can cost you money in the form of missed work. There are special release of liability forms that must be carefully filled out to avoid this. Also, the law requires that you must have your car smogged with 90 days of the sale. This is not easy if your car is not running right or the “Check Engine” light is on. When you sell your car to us we legally give you a full release of liability, on the spot. Also, we take all cars, smogged or not.

5. YOUR CAR MIGHT HAVE PROBLEMS

Let’s face it, it’s a used car. Chances are you are selling because there is something wrong with it or there might be something wrong with it that you don’t even know about. What if you sell your car and it breaks down the next day or so and the buyer wants money back? Or revenge? Refer to Danger #2: They know where you live. When you sell you car to us we buy it “As-Is’, nothing more is required on your part.

6. ADVERTISING EXPENSE, TIME AND WRITING AN AD

It’s not as easy as you think to write an effective, accurate ad to sell your car. Plus it costs money to advertise and can take quite a bit of time. When you sell your car to us it is HASSLE FREE, we take care of everything.