Dangers of Selling Your Car Privately - We buy used cars, trucks, SUVs, RVs, Motorcycles, Boats and Watercraft"

7 Reasons NOT to Sell Your Car Privately

Personal Safety Risks - Test Driving Your Car.
Your Privacy at Risk - Giving Out Your Address, Phone, etc.
Payment - Beware of Various Scams and Other Payment Problems.
Registration Fees, Smog Costs
Title Transfer and Your Liability.
Problems With Your Car Even You Dont Know About.
Advertising Your Car Time and Expense.

1. PERSONAL SAFETY RISKS - Strangers Test Driving Your Car

Your personal safety is at risk whenever you allow strangers to take your car or truck for a "spin around the block". When they want to test drive your vehicle for sale, and it's in their best interest to do so, then you must ride along. Holding the keys to their car while they drive yours away is not a good idea. What if it's not their car? And what if your car gets in an accident or otherwise damaged, are their car keys really going to do you any good? So now you're in the passenger seat of your car with someone you've never met. People on a test drive want to "see what it can do", that is, driving your car much harder than you ever would, possibly resulting in damage that would incure more cash expense for you to repair.

This is a two edge sword. They may crash your car, or, like one time I test drove a car and the entire left front wheel assembly fell off (see story below). Why take the risk?

2. YOUR PRIVACY AT RISK - Giving Out Your Address, Phone, etc.

If you want to sell your car yourself, then you'll have to give out your home address and phone number. What if you get a call from a blocked number? The caller already knows a lot more about you than you do about him and they have your number in their contact list. Giving out your home address has its own risks. Honest people tend to reveal their schedules when making an appointment, like "I get off work after 5PM". This is not a good idea for many reasons, the least of which is you could give away the times nobody is home to protect your property. Also what if the buyer drives away and the car breaks down? Do you want an irate buyer at your front door demanding a refund (after you've spent the money?)The list of "what ifs" is very long in this case. Why take that chance?.

3. GETTING PAID SAFELY

Of all the means to get paid for your car, most are fraught with peril. The number one scam is with an official looking, bogus cashier's check. You accept it as payment, deposit it into your bank account and then about a couple weeks later after your car is long gone, the fake cashier's check bounces and your bank charges your account. The most obvious solution to avoid this risk is accepting cash but this method is has it's own problems. Do you conduct this cash transaction with an unpredictable stranger at your home? Or a public place? Fine, but you don't know who might follow you home with all this cash in your pocket. For obvious reasons, accepting personal check from somebody you dont know has it's own risks and you're probably not set up to accept credit cards or take ATM cards. If you want to get safe, secure cash for your car, sell your car us and breathe easy.

4. REGISTRATION and CALIFORNIA SMOG LAWS

In California, the law requires that you, the seller, 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. The added expense of getting your car legally smogged with a certificate can greatly reduce your net cash amount from the transaction. We buy all cars and trucks, smogged or not. Sell your car or truck to us and keep the extra cash.

4. TITLE TRANSFER AND RELEASE OF LIABILITY

In California, the license plates stay with car. So when you sell your car privately, you give the title and then it is the responsibility the new owner must complete the transfer into his name in a timely manner. This doesn't always happen because it entails additional expense on his part which includes registration fees and sales tax, plus time spent at a California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) office which can take a very long time.

If the buyer fails to register the vehicle in their name and then gets parking tickets, toll booth or any kind of photographic violations, it all 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. When you sell your car to us we legally give you a full release of liability right then and you go away with cash in your hand and no worries.

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. In my personal experience, while test driving a 10 year old Italian car, the front CV joint gave way and the entire left front wheel fell off. I walked away because it really wasn't my fault. Now, that owner not only didnt make a sale, he incurred tremendous extra expense to repair the car before he could sell it privately. The car went straight to the junkyard because it just didn't pencil out. The seller may honestly not realize he had a problem OR he was hoping it wouldn't break until after the sale and the buyer is way down the road. What if you sell your car and it breaks down the next day or so and the buyer wants money back? Refer to Risk #2: They know where you live. When you sell you car to us we buy it "as is", so no matter what happens, you are not liable for anything regarding the vehicle.

6. ADVERTISING EXPENSE, TIME AND WRITING AN AD

You'll soon find out that it's not so easy to write an effective, accurate ad to sell your car. You've probably seen some very "creative" uses of the English language that make you wonderwhat the writer is talking about! On top of that, most effective classifieds are an added expense that reduces your net. The costs to advertise not only involve cash but can take quite a bit of time. Even "free" classifieds like Craigslist can expose you to the risks outlined above. When you want to sell your car, call us for a safe, no hassle transaction because we take care of everything.