Piston Slap: Q'ed up for a Profitable Sale?

Virgil writes:

What has been your experience selling a car privately? My recently widowed sister in California has a 2003 Infiniti Q45 with 10,000 miles. Yes, ten thousand. But I live 2000 miles away. An ad in the paper or Craigslist would certainly bring riff-raff to the door. A simple test drive could turn into a missing car. The dealer offered about half of market value, a private sale could make both parties happy.

Sajeev replies:

The Mehta clan dumped several cars for trade when a manufacturer offered us disgusting incentives to buy/lease another company vehicle. Not proud of those moments, but that’s how easy credit and the lure of New Car Smell works. Now that credit is tight and lease rates generally suck, I’m a big fan of private party selling.

I’ve had good luck (twice) with Craigslist. Both sold in less than 24 hours to people who reaffirmed my faith in humanity. They sold for their (reasonable) asking price. And these were $15,000+ late model cars, much like your sister’s Q45. The keys to my successes are:

♦ A detailed write-up on the vehicle’s good and bad aspects, recent service history and corresponding receipts.

♦ Spending an afternoon cleaning/detailing everything, including dust on the engine and spots on the floor mats.

♦ Putting ALL CAPS, bold face proclamations in the ad stating that I am not a dealership. You have cash/cashiers check or we don’t talk.

♦ Taking hi-res pictures inside and out.

And don’t bring riff-raff to the door: meet prospects in a very public parking lot, like a high end shopping mall, at high noon. If you have full coverage insurance, let them (potentially) steal the car: it is worth the risk to find the right buyer and put them at ease, too. And your (recently detailed) ride no longer has any valuables or identity theft threats, aside from the license plates.

But I get it: a single woman (with more important things on her mind) won’t share my enthusiasm for private party selling. That’s what brothers are for: help her write the ad, find a place for car detailing and see her comfort level with meeting strangers in a somewhat safe place. Maybe go for a visit and throw the ad up there: you have nothing to lose other than your frequent flyer miles. And thousands of dollars at a stealership, of course.

Best of luck to her, whatever route you both choose.

[Send your queries to mehta@ttac.com]