Selling a car FSBO

NVGator

Founding Member
Member
Lifetime Member
Jun 11, 2014
14,903
20,211
Founding Member
I know a lot of you know I completed my purchase of a new car. Now comes the FSBO portion of my 4-Runner. I haven’t been through this process before. I know some of you are pros at this. Any advice?

Where to meet? How to screen prospects? How to create a valuation? What to disclose, what to be left unknown?

Any and all advice is welcome. Happy to answer any questions.
 

URGatorBait

Founding Member
Ox's Former Favorite Poster
Lifetime Member
Jun 11, 2014
34,887
32,913
Founding Member
My only advice is, don't take a personal check for payment.

You're welcome
 

78

Founding Member
Dazed and Confused
Lifetime Member
Jun 9, 2014
19,745
27,635
Founding Member
Donate the 4-Runner to a 501(c)(3) and claim it was worth 75k because DB Cooper drove it.
 

Swamp Donkey

Founding Member
7-14 vs P5 Fire Stricklin First
Lifetime Member
Jun 9, 2014
78,161
109,977
Founding Member
Where to meet? How to screen prospects? How to create a valuation? What to disclose, what to be left unknown?
Some place safe and public (preferable with visible cameras) and some place close. You are going to get about a million emails, texts or calls from people wanting you to accept a check (they will send extra) to get you to ship it to Nigeria. Make up some code they have to put in the text or email subject or ignore it. You can get a burner phone number through several apps so they don't have your number forever.

I said someplace close because I wouldn't even leave for the appointment til the get there and call asking "where are you"? You will get stood up like 90% of the time.

Like he said, no checks. Meet at your bank to exchange the keys and title for the CASH. Then deposit it so they don't jack you on the way out.

How many miles? A lot by now I'd assume.

Take ALOT of pictures and put it on the websites. Like everything. Under it. Under doors, every bit of the interior. Every body panel up close. Engine above from each side, Below from each side (with light), the transmission. The axles. The rear end.

Emphasize one owner (if it is?) etc. 4runners sell themselves and I know you haven't been rock crawling with it.
 
Last edited:

Concrete Helmet

Hook, Line, and Sinker
Lifetime Member
Jul 29, 2014
22,047
23,183
Why didn't you just trade it. You know that it would have lowered your tax total on the new vehicle, right? Is it really worth your time pissing around trying to sell something you know is a hunk of sh!t? Most people looking to buy something in this price range are the kind who will waste your time not showing up or trying to Jew you down.....should have just told your dealer to give you 4K for it or you're walking the deal...they would have done it.
 

78

Founding Member
Dazed and Confused
Lifetime Member
Jun 9, 2014
19,745
27,635
Founding Member
Why didn't you just trade it. You know that it would have lowered your tax total on the new vehicle, right? Is it really worth your time pissing around trying to sell something you know is a hunk of sh!t? Most people looking to buy something in this price range are the kind who will waste your time not showing up or trying to Jew you down.....should have just told your dealer to give you 4K for it or you're walking the deal...they would have done it.

Esp since the sales tax rate in Reno is just south of 9%. Isn’t that pretty much what you’re trying to make up by selling it yourself?
 

Concrete Helmet

Hook, Line, and Sinker
Lifetime Member
Jul 29, 2014
22,047
23,183
Esp since the sales tax rate in Reno is just south of 9%. Isn’t that pretty much what you’re trying to make up by selling it yourself?
Some people get so caught up trying to win from every angle. They don't understand that 95% of the time their trade value(not always what they put on paper) is known as ACV...actual cash value that comes from what their wholesaler will give them....that is subtracted from before taxable sales amount.
I ain't got time to be pissing around selling a 15-16 year old car...they'll work the deal to keep you from leaving.
 

Swamp Donkey

Founding Member
7-14 vs P5 Fire Stricklin First
Lifetime Member
Jun 9, 2014
78,161
109,977
Founding Member
car dealerships don't give you anywhere near the amount of money they show you on the deal. if they sure they're giving you retail on the trade-in it just means they would have sold you the new car for many thousands less.

generally a trade-in is about a $5,000 deal at least.

Crete obviously was a salesman and like that kind of thing. they made $3-5k on the new card sale and then they may $5k off the used car later.
 

Swamp Donkey

Founding Member
7-14 vs P5 Fire Stricklin First
Lifetime Member
Jun 9, 2014
78,161
109,977
Founding Member
I ain't got time to be pissing around selling a 15-16 year old car...they'll work the deal to keep you from leaving.
You don't do anything but race mustangs and hang around the pool. You have all the time innthe world.

It's a legit point. I have a old SUV that I should have sold years ago.
 
Last edited:

78

Founding Member
Dazed and Confused
Lifetime Member
Jun 9, 2014
19,745
27,635
Founding Member
car dealerships don't give you anywhere near the amount of money they show you on the deal. if they sure they're giving you retail on the trade-in it just means they would have sold you the new car for many thousands less.

generally a trade-in is about a $5,000 deal at least.

Crete obviously was a salesman and like that kind of thing. they made $3-5k on the new card sale and then they may $5k off the used car later.

Nobody’s making 5k off a 2004 Toyota 4-Runner.
 

Swamp Donkey

Founding Member
7-14 vs P5 Fire Stricklin First
Lifetime Member
Jun 9, 2014
78,161
109,977
Founding Member
Nobody’s making 5k off a 2004 Toyota 4-Runner.
Lol.... yeah they are. when I buy a car at auction they buy say $7,500 sticker car for like $1500. when they show you a trade-in that's basically still all they're giving you.

They make 5k off of 94 Tauruses.
 

Concrete Helmet

Hook, Line, and Sinker
Lifetime Member
Jul 29, 2014
22,047
23,183
car dealerships don't give you anywhere near the amount of money they show you on the deal. if they sure they're giving you retail on the trade-in it just means they would have sold you the new car for many thousands less.

generally a trade-in is about a $5,000 deal at least.

Crete obviously was a salesman and like that kind of thing. they made $3-5k on the new card sale and then they may $5k off the used car later.
Depends on the dealership.....where I worked(boats) we didn't sell pre owned so we called a local wholesaler and got his buy bid....we couldn't play the wholesale to wholesale vs retail to retail game with our pricing because it was a nationally published and advertised price.....so a lot of people got their feeling hurt when we told them their allowance....after we took another 20% off of the wholesalers bid ;)
 

78

Founding Member
Dazed and Confused
Lifetime Member
Jun 9, 2014
19,745
27,635
Founding Member
Lol.... yeah they are. when I buy a car at auction they buy say $7,500 sticker car for like $1500. when they show you a trade-in that's basically still all they're giving you.

They make 5k off of 94 Tauruses.

You’re trying to sell me the logic of accepting a 1,500 allowance on a 7,500 car? Yeah, if they go 6k under MSRP on the buy. If you’re that stupid, you deserve to get your butt handed to you. That’s not how I manage a trade.
 

Swamp Donkey

Founding Member
7-14 vs P5 Fire Stricklin First
Lifetime Member
Jun 9, 2014
78,161
109,977
Founding Member
You’re trying to sell me the logic of accepting a 1,500 allowance on a 7,500 car? Yeah, if they go 6k under MSRP on the buy. If you’re that stupid, you deserve to get your butt handed to you. That’s not how I manage a trade.
Yeah, yeah yeah. They lose money on your car deals.

Im sure you believe that when the salesman tells you it. They kill you on tradeins and most buyers cant work them on the new car enough, so they get fat there too.

Dealerships today make the most money on their service and their second-leading profit center is used cars.
 

78

Founding Member
Dazed and Confused
Lifetime Member
Jun 9, 2014
19,745
27,635
Founding Member
Yeah, yeah yeah. They lose money on your car deals.

They generally run when they see me coming.

In all seriousness, this doesn’t have to be rocket science. Know the market on both ends, know your budget, and stick to a plan.
 

78

Founding Member
Dazed and Confused
Lifetime Member
Jun 9, 2014
19,745
27,635
Founding Member
Dealerships today make the most money on their service and their second-leading profit center is used cars.

Indirectly, it’s new car sales because that’s what brings customers back for warranty service.
 

Swamp Donkey

Founding Member
7-14 vs P5 Fire Stricklin First
Lifetime Member
Jun 9, 2014
78,161
109,977
Founding Member
They generally run when they see me coming.

In all seriousness, this doesn’t have to be rocket science. Know the market on both ends, know your budget, and stick to a plan.
the problem is people don't really know the market. you don't have an idea how cheap these cars are at auction. and that's really all the dealerships giving you when you trade a car in no matter what they show you on paper.
 

Concrete Helmet

Hook, Line, and Sinker
Lifetime Member
Jul 29, 2014
22,047
23,183
Im sure you believe that when the salesman tells you it. They kill you on tradeins and most buyers cant work them on the new car enough, so they get fat there too.
I agree with what you're saying but in the case of the OP most new car dealers don't sell stuff that old....they want something new enough so they can finance someone and stick it even further up their ass.....
 

MJMGator

Founding Member
Slightly amused
Lifetime Member
Jun 10, 2014
20,041
41,118
Founding Member
Yeah, yeah yeah. They lose money on your car deals.

Im sure you believe that when the salesman tells you it. They kill you on tradeins and most buyers cant work them on the new car enough, so they get fat there too.

Dealerships today make the most money on their service and their second-leading profit center is used cars.
Know what you’re willing to pay for the vehicle you want and know what you want for your trade. Don’t back off either. Lastly, know what interest rate you qualify for (zero is always nice).
Buying a car ain’t rocket science but folks sure as he’ll get taken advantage of most of the time.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Help Users

You haven't joined any rooms.

    Birthdays

    Staff online

    Forum statistics

    Threads
    31,643
    Messages
    1,615,746
    Members
    1,642
    Latest member
    fishermb