Any advice on selling my old car? I've been doing my best to get it cleaned up -- I even tried scrubbing the carpet for the first time (nasty). Pretty soon the car is going to look so good, I might keep it! Is it worth all the effort to clean it? It has a lot of little dings and sratches that will be impossible to hide.

What's the best way to advertise? Once I find a buyer and agree on a price, should I require cash? I shouldn't take a check, right? I don't want to be left holding a bounced check.

Thanks!

 

When I sell my cars, I clean everything as much as possible. I have even bought new floor mats. Wash it, wax it, use a low-gloss dashboard protectant on the interior vinyl surfaces, dress the tires. I want the buyer to have as few things as possible to dislike about my car.

I have mixed feelings on the engine compartment. I have used Simple Green to keep it clean, but sometimes I think some buyers think that a clean engine is the sign of something being covered up.

As far as where to advertise, try a website like this one devoted to the car you are selling. I found autotrader.com to be a good place, and you can post one or more pictures (I would not advertise here without at least one--I never look at the ads without pictures). Many metro papers (larger cities) have deals with car.com where your classified is listed in both. I personally avoid neighborhood or community papers, since many of these are distributed free and are never read (as evidenced by sitting in people's driveways until trash day).

As far as money, I will normally take only cash or a cashier's (bank) check. I'll take a personal check only if I know the person, where they live, and where they work.