Where would you guys put a car up for sale at?

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Dec 31, 2007 | 10:46 AM

#11

calpalmer

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From: Western Washington

My Ride: 2008 Space Gray 550i, Light Poplar Wood, Anthracite Head Liner, Sport Package, Sport Automatic Transmission, Cold Weather Package, Front Ventilated Comfort Seats in Black Nasca Leather, NAV, HUD, Active Steering, Comfort Access, Night Vision, Lane Deviation Warning, Active Cruise Control, Heated Rear Seats, Folding Rear Seats, Power Shade w/ Rear Side-Shades, Rear Air Bags, Logic 7, HD Radio, Sirius Satellite Radio, iPod/USB Adapter. Car in BMW Body Shop, estimated completion 01/24/07.

I'd agree with the eBay suggestion everyone's made. I know a couple people that have bought late-model nice cars via Craigslist.com. Any experience here with BMWs and craigslist?

Cal

Dec 31, 2007 | 11:58 AM

#12

mrfva

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Between Autotrader.com and Cars.com, I had better luck selling our Escalade on Cars.com. More inquiries through Cars and none from Autotrader.

Best of luck.

Dec 31, 2007 | 12:48 PM

#13

flipside

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From: New York

My Ride: 08 535xi

I put my 2006 Honda pilot on Ebay, Autotrader and cars.com on the same day (about a month ago). It sold on ebay in less then a day ($31k). To this day, I've yet to get a call or email from the ad in autotrader and cars.com.

Dec 31, 2007 | 12:58 PM

#14

CWS530

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From: St. Louis Burbs, USA

My Ride: 2007 530i. Purchased 6/28/07. Titanium Silver Metallic, Black Dakota Leather, Dark Poplar Trim, Steptronic, Premium Package, Cold Weather Package, Bluetooth, Adaptive Control Xenons. 10/30/07 Added OEM 124s with 245/40/18 & 275/35/18 Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires. Installed red Cal Coversï¿½ from BavAuto. 11/21/07 Added OEM all-weather floor mats (for winter, carpet in summer) and coat rack. 6/26/08 installed M5-style rear spoiler. 6/30/08 put on red reflectors. 8/22/08 Euro turn signal stickers applied. 3/20/09 Installed Shadowline Trim. 3/27/09 Added Matte Black Kidney Grilles from Trinity. 4/03/09 Installed Bimmian Shadow Matte Black 530i Badges. 4/04/09 Installed LED license plate lights from Trinity. 5/01/09 Installed Brabus Interior LED Kit and White Angel Eyes. 5/02/09 Put in Brabus 6K Fogs. 5/14/09 Removed charcoal filter. 5/15/09 Installed light smoke LED side marker lamps from Trinity. 5/21/09 Sprint Booster. 6/12/09 Painted exhaust tips flat black. 6/13/09 Pulled red Cal Covers and painted calipers low gloss black. 6/27/09 RPI Ram Air Scoop from Trinity. 8/15/09 Installed Brabus's silver invisibulbs front and rear. 9/24/09 Installed R-Dash license plate LEDs from Brabaus (John).

Quote:

Originally Posted by HPLouis' post='512210' date='Dec 31 2007, 09:53 AM

Right now I'm trying to prep myself to be in the best position to buy rental property. I've been hitting the foreclosure auctions and I see alot of properties going for dirt cheap. I would like to pick something up.

I've been going over my finances and I see my car as more of a luxury than a necessity so I'm contemplating selling it. I would save the money that I'm paying monthly for a downpayment and to free up some cash flow. Where would be the best place to list if I'm going this route? I was thinking about eBay but that is where people go to look for deals or something cheap. How's everyone's luck with places such as cars.com or autotrader? What about the classifieds here?

Thanks,
Henry

In talking over the holidays with friends who recently have sold cars, I would concur that e-Bay produces the greatest amount of exposure along with the highest number of flakes. The volume still could work in your favor, of course, as one serious buyer likely is among them. Cars.com tends to attract more focused--and generally more local--buyers who know what they want and tend to call, and even visit. At least that was how things panned out for my friends.

Dec 31, 2007 | 01:29 PM

#15

JPJ

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From: Detroit

When I sold my 330i I started with Autotrader and got very few inquiries with none being serious -- couple of scammers contacted me from it (I'm travelling out of the country but will send you a check for $10K more than your asking price then you send me back the difference....). I had more luck with ebay for serious buyers and was able to sell the car at my reasonable buy-it-now price. I also bought my 530 through ebay (flew to NC and drove it home).

I would try Craigslist though -- it's free and gets a lot of looks from local buyers.

Dec 31, 2007 | 02:24 PM

#16

jimb

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I would also try Craigslist; I sold a 2003 BMW 745i in a week using craigslist and at a fair price. In Spring of 2004, I attempted to sell a 2001 BMW 325iT sport wagon, but never got a single contact from autotrader and got one rather low offer from the local newspaper.

Dec 31, 2007 | 06:51 PM

#17

jackstraw

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From: Los Angeles, CA

My Ride: *on order* expected 12/20/07: 2008 550i space gray, gray leather, anthracite bamboo, sport pkg, logic7, iPod, HD, Sirius, Navigation, head-up display, comfort access, heated front seats, fold-down seats

I've had good luck on cars.com.

One difference between cars.com and autotrader.com is that cars.com has links to kbb.com and autotrader.com has links to nadaguides.com. You might want to see if there is a difference in appraisal value between those two websites. When I sold my Audi S4 a few months ago, kbb.com was several thousand dollars higher in their estimate. Another reason I used cars.com is because they have a lot of coverage in souther California. I believe the LA Times owns a stake in cars.com.

I also got several hits from craigslist.org. Might as well list it there... if free!

Dec 31, 2007 | 08:27 PM

#18

BrianTx5

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From: Houston, TX

Model Year: 2005

A friend sold a Honda Accord on Craigslist within a week.

Jan 1, 2008 | 06:43 AM

#19

AlB

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From: Richmond, VA

a few suggestions from one who has bought an sold many highline cars over the past 6 years.

Regardless of where you post it, there is a direct correlation between the listed price and the number of inquiries.

As others have mentioned, your write-up must describe you as a "car guy" and not a guy tring to sell a car. Show the love you have for your car, explain the mods like an enthusiast, not a hot rodder, be upfront with any defects, no matter how minor. Identify warranty time/miles remaining or provide in-service date. Identify presence paint or body work, if any. Show flexibility in your asking price, but be careful not to list too high. Provide a phone number or email. There is nothing better than to have a conversation between the seller and a prospective buyer.

best of luck
al

Jan 1, 2008 | 01:46 PM

#20

GoRovers

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From: SoCal

I've sold a few cars and bikes on eBay, and would simply add that eBay is best for selling "desirable" vehicles, and (as prior poster said) for getting exposure, assuming you include private contact info. (I've had a few auctions end without anyone meeting reserve price, paid my listing fee, then negotiated "offline" with bidders for a near-reserve final price.)

More run-of-the-mill cars/bikes sell faster and for more money on Craigslist. (First 24-48 hours of a Craigslist ad is when all your calls will come in.)