Avoid Private Automotive Marketplace Pitfalls and Sell Your Car to a Dealer Instead

Who doesn’t love a little spring cleaning, regardless of the season? Maybe you’ve started a spring cleaning list, and if it starts with “sell my car,” it’s time to head down to Newton Chevrolet GMC to get top dollar. Selling your car to a dealership is easy when you know the steps. It starts with finding the right spot to ensure you receive the best possible price. From there, a little bit of preparation will make the task simple.

Selling your car used to involve drafting catchy classified ads and deep-diving into your vehicle’s specifications. If you were one of the lucky ones, filtering through an unending series of emails and texts might net you a single qualified buyer. If the stars aligned, they’d take a test drive and fall in love, and you’d leave with a wallet full of cash. Unfortunately for private sellers, that’s not typical.

Today, you can avoid sketchy buyers, potentially dangerous meet-ups, and lowball offers by selling to a bonafide automotive dealership like ours. Doing so won’t cost you, either. You’ll get top dollar without enduring the stress and hazards of the private sale market. It’s easy when you follow these steps for a seamless transaction.

Prepare Your Car for Sale

Some experts suggest having your vehicle detailed and reconditioned before you sell it, but when you sell to us, you can skip it. Professional detailing costs hundreds of dollars, so why wouldn’t you choose a buyer that doesn’t care if there’s mud caked in the fenders or a few stains on the seats. So much in life is hard: preparing your car for sale doesn’t have to be an overwhelming chore.

All it takes is a few hours, a trash bag, and a box for your belongings, and your car is ready for sale. That is if you sell to us. Putting your car on the market as a private seller requires a different and more exhaustive set of steps. Skip the hassle and go with the easier, more convenient plan: prep it, wash it, and head down to our showroom. Here’s how to prepare your car for sale to a dealer:

Wash It

Washing is different from detailing. Detailing is exhaustive and time-consuming. Instead, run your car through a simple car wash and give it a good vacuuming. Don’t go overboard, and don’t spend hundreds, but a little effort can make a big difference. You’re going for clean, not showroom-ready. Showroom-ready is our job.

Clean It Out

Now’s the time to remove trash and all your personal belongings. Grab a box and a trash bag and get to work checking every console, seatback pocket, and crevice for your stuff. Our cars are repositories for clutter, so go through every inch. Oh, and grab the garage door opener. You almost forgot it, didn’t you?

Look It Over

Do you see any glaring cosmetic issues? Look for bigger door dings, scratches, or excessive wear in the cabin. While we don’t recommend making major repairs, you might have luck scrubbing out a larger stain. Scanning your car also helps you stay realistic about its value. Also, make sure you gather all the keys. Missing a key means you won’t fetch the best price.

Time to Value It

It always pays to conduct a little research prior to heading to our lot, so you have some idea of what your car is worth. Not to worry, you can value your trade on our website right now. Just click on “Value Your Trade” and fill out the form. It’s simple, and you will receive an offer for your vehicle quickly and easily. You can use those numbers as a gauge for what your vehicle is worth, but remember, many factors affect your vehicle’s value, so they might shift when the car is checked out by one of our team members. Keep an open mind.

Erase your Electronic Footprint

Virtual clutter is almost more troublesome than the stuff we can see. Don’t forget to deactivate Bluetooth connections and delete any stored contact information. Ditto with your vehicle’s navigation system, if it has one: you don’t want the next owner knowing where you live, work, and play. Do the same for any other personalized vehicle data.

Many sellers forget one critical bit of stored personal information–the Homelink transmitter or built-in garage door opener. Failing to deactivate it probably won’t lead to any issues, but won’t you feel better if those buttons are restored to factory settings? Along those same lines, tap through your vehicle’s infotainment settings to uncover any other bits of information you might have forgotten.

Newer vehicles contain complex onboard software and operating systems designed to store convenience-related data. Doing so is how it creates shortcuts, like one-touch home settings in the navigation system. Even your seat memory and mirror setting preferences get stored in some vehicles, and while those don’t pose a potential security hazard, it’s best to clear everything.

If your vehicle is newer, the infotainment system is likely connected to your smartphone. You may have an app for remote starting and managing the car’s service records/reminders. Disconnecting your smartphone from the vehicle’s Bluetooth system won’t sever this connection, so follow the manufacturer’s instructions to fully divest your device from the car’s operating system.

Ready the Paperwork

Your vehicle comes with a ton of included paperwork. Some, like the owner’s manual, are replaceable, but others aren’t. We’re talking specifically about the title and the registration. The title lists the vehicle’s legal owner, while the registration does the same, albeit with a little less legal power. Do you own your vehicle outright? The title should reflect this, listing you as the owner.

If you still owe money on your loan, or if the vehicle is leased, you’re not the legal owner. The legal owner is the lienholder–the bank or financial institution that carries the paper. The title always resides with the vehicle’s legal owner, which means that you’ll have to pay your car off and wait for the state to issue a title in your name before you sell it. Well, that’s your first option.

Your second option is to sell your car to us. Selling to an authorized dealer means you’re handing off the messy paperwork to a buyer that handles dozens of transactions just like yours every day. We often have shortcuts and workarounds for cars with lien holders, and because we eat, sleep, and breathe local vehicle laws and guidelines, the process is always seamless.

It’s easiest to show up with your vehicle’s title in hand, but don’t let not having it stop you from reaching out. This is especially true if you’re driving a leased or financed Chevy or GMC since the factory’s finance arm likely holds the title. When you sell to us, we can leverage that relationship and minimize any paperwork hold-ups that might delay putting cash in your hands. And, remember: you don’t have to buy another car to sell your car to us.

Selling to Us Is Simple

The best part about selling your car to us is it’s easy. Not only are private sales messy and potentially dangerous, but the paperwork required to ensure your sale is legal – bills of sale, DMV forms, and more – creates a lot of stress for most sellers. Wouldn’t you rather transact with a buyer that handles the details for you, especially since you won’t receive less for your car?

The used car landscape is in a constant state of flux, which means rules and laws constantly change and evolve. Not only that but finding a qualified buyer among the sea of emails and texts you’ll receive from a classified ad is exhausting. Chances are, you’ll quit before you ever find the right buyer. Why put yourself through the stress of all that?

Instead, check out our online valuation tool and receive an offer before you ever step foot in our dealership. From there, follow the steps we’ve outlined above and schedule a time to drop off your car. We’ll give a quick look over and move forward with all required paperwork quickly and efficiently. Before you know it, your transaction is done. If another vehicle catches your eye, know that our team will happily schedule a test drive. If not, we’ll wrap up the details of your sale and get you on your way.