I am not a car guy, so please bear with me..

Looking to sell my vehicle due to having 2 babies now and a 3'rd one coming in year, in other words I seem to have outgrown it..

I am the original owner of this 2000 Honda Civic EX Sedan, automatic. I pretty much babied it since day one, oil changed every 3000 miles, or 3 months. Tune up done by Honda tech(a friend of a friend) at about 90K. Took it in to Honda for oil change and quick inspection 2 months ago. Honda said it was good to go but by 125K miles it should have brakes redone, Timing belt and water pump changed, and a tune up.

Vehicle is in pretty good condition, has its fair share of nicks and dings here and there, I mean it is a 14 year old car. 1 fender bender where I bumper kissed an old Lady from a stop sign about 5years ago, no visible damage. Right side has some scrapes and paint damage due to my girl kissing the wall with it..

So never having sold a car, took it to CarMax as didn't want to deal with the hassle.. Long story short, they want to give me a measly $2000 for it!!!

My dudes, F that!! I was referred to Kelly Blue Book by everyone I told this story to.. KBB shows it at $4100 in excellent condition, or $3700 in good condition.

I don't want to RIP anyone off, I know the cars not perfect.. but i figure, with $500-700 put into it, it would easily go another 100K miles.. And its never given me a problem in ally 14 years I've had it..


1. What price do yall think I should set it for? What do you think is Fair? $3000 OBO is what I was thinking...


2. If and when I sell it, beside the title, what all do I need to do?

3. Anything I need to do to protect myself? Obviously I would be upfront with anyone buying it but def don't want someone buying it and coming back in a month saying bla, blah broke and I want my $$ back..


new to all this so really appreciate any advise and input on this!

oNe

p.s. Not sure how to upload photos on this forum as I only have them on my computer.

 

There is a thin line to when it comes to buying a used car. No used car is ever perfect. It's always good for the seller to keep up on their paperwork and what they have done to the vehicle. Depends on where you live and insurance, they may ask for an inspection. Since that it's a 14 year old vehicle, it's going to need one. When it comes to companies like Carmax they are going to lowball you because they are there to make money. So that's not a surprise on what they were going to give you. You can get more when it comes to doing a private sale, it's just you're going to have to do more of the leg work to do it. So if you keep your paperwork of the things that have been done, get an inspection and do a Bill of Sale I think that you're going to be fine. I am not sure what the laws are in the state, country that you're in. I think that with doing those things the buyer shouldn't come back and say that "this is wrong, broken." For anyone that has any common sense it is a 14 year old car and it's not perfect. Obviously as long that everything works on it, it's fine. You're the original owner which is great and you have done all the maintenance. Just be honest and up front with them about it. To figure out a price in what to sell for, look online and see what others are selling for. Look at the body, the mileage, compare as much as possible. I honestly don't know what your car would go for since that I am not from your area.

I hope that this helps you in some sort of a way.

 

What did you expect going into a place that advertises buying cars to make the process easier? They make tons of money buying and selling used cars I bet. Same deal goes for any place like that such as game stop, cash4gold etc.

Go by what you think is fair. Use KBB as a guide and adjust according to the market.

Contact your local title place to for information on what you need. You do not provide us with a state, so there is no way for us to figure this out.

Have a bill of sale signed and notarized. It is normal IMO and will have a statement on there saying that the car is being purchased as-is with no implied warranties.

 

To be honest I had absolute no idea what to expect as I didn't know jack about Carmax.. kinda figured it was just a dealership of sorts but not really a dealership..

But uh, I think I got what I needed thanks to both of you!!

Similar cars sell for $4000-6000 in my area(which explains Carmax offer of $2000, as they probably trying to double up on their $$)

KBB lists excellent at $4100, and the lowest grade which is Fair Condition lists at $3300

I think I will list it as $3,000 FIRM just to sell it as soon as possible!!(plus car is in good condition but will need about $500-1000 in maintenance work sometime in the next 7,000 miles, so I think thats fair and lets me feel NOT as guilty!)

Wish me luck!

oNe

 

By you saying that the price is "firm" you're going to be limiting your buyers. You're pretty much saying "you're not going to give any bargaining." You should always go above what you're wanting and then you can go from there. Some people could figure out and see that it needs $500-1000 worth of work but since that it's "firm" they are more than likely to walk away. You could always do the work that needs to be done and then go from there. But like I said "you're limiting your buyers." Also with the paint damage, unless you have paperwork the buyer is going to have to take your word for it(in that's what happened and that everything is safe). Again, there is no wiggle room because you're "firm" about your price. Just because a seller thinks in that is what their car is worth, doesn't mean the buyer is going to think the same thing. You need to have room for negotiations. In order to get rid of your car you're going to have to give a little. Some buyers are going to have to give too but if they are doing all the giving you might have a harder time selling. Also if there is more Civics selling in your area, it could be harder too. The only way you're going to get top value on your vehicle is if all the maintenance is caught up and the damage is fixed. You might have a hard time finding someone who is going to pay the $3000.00 you're asking and then put on the top end of $1000.00 of maintenance. So you're pretty much asking for the buyer to pay for a perfect condition, which from your damage it's not. Also get an estimate of what needs to be done as in maintenance. Some buyers are not going to take your word for it. But again, it's a bargaining tool that you've taken away since you're "firm" on your price.

Good luck with the first time selling a car. It's not something that is easy. I would hope with the little bit of information that I have given you, might help you sell your car easier. You may not feel "so guilty" but you may not have buyers that are "so inclined" to want to buy.

 

say $6,000 or best offer set the price high so you have leverage to negotiate that way the buyer feels like they got the best end of the deal when the price obviously gets lowered to a realistic price. you can also employ bait and switch techniques like saying you have multiple buyers on the line that gave you a better offer.

 

Hey man.. GOOD STUFF< everything was on POINT!!! haha and yeah, this is getting super tough man!!

I had 10 people interested on the very 1st day that I posted it, Four of them actually came to see it but I ran into some trouble..


Your advise has been SPOT ON my man so maybe you can offer some more advice. I live in Milwaukee, WI area, zip code: 53202 Similar cars go for $4500 - $5200, more or less.

KBB lists excellant at $4700 and on the low end, Fair Condition at $3300!

My main issue is that I have a Check Engine light on, its a p1457 code, evap canister leak, blah, blah..

Its been on there for the last 3-4 years and I even passed emissions with it on back in 2012. Never bothered me once BUT it is scaring peepz away man!

I have tried to the best of my ability to be up front and honest about everything..

My listing pretty much says this..

2000 Honda Civic EX Sedan Automatic, 117,000 Miles

Positives:
- no rust
- engine is 100% OEM STOCK
- aftermarket radio and speakers
- only mod's beside above is clear tailights, custom gauges
- oil changed every 3,000 miles
- no problems at, car starts and runs with no issues, has been great all 14 years!!

Negatives
- it is 14 years old
- Per Honda and Tires Plus, will need major service in next 5,000 miles, all new brakes, a tune up, transmission fluid change
- CEL is on, code p1457
- Power windows are beginning to show signs of age, slow to engage
- Front Left tire has a crack in it so will need to be replaced
- nicks and dings per its 14 years of existence and being on the road


Thats pretty much it man. So my question to you is this. Knowing that on the lowest grade, FAIR CONDITION per KBB, it lists at $3300.

So with all the above negatives what do you think would be a fair price to sell this at?

I am having a difficult time coming up with a figure and would love another car persons opinion on this..

Maybe I said this wrong.. What I mean to ask is.. what do yall think a REALISTIC figure to sell this at would be? Knowing what you know from above..

Let me know!


Thanks!

oNe


P.S. Between us, if anyone offered me $3000 it would be their instantly!!! $2900 would be me seriously thinking about it, most likely to say YES.

 

Well the thing is with that CEL light, i wouldn't tell people that you've let it go for the last 10 or so years. It can tell some buyers that you don't take care of your ****. You should go and get a quote and find out how much it would cost to fix it? I am sure that it's something minor. Find out how much it would cost to the maintenance that is going to be coming up. Since that it's going to need a new tire, take that off the price of the vehicle. The more things that are wrong, even minor, it's going to scare them away. Some people want vehicles that are perfect and if they are not they are going to try to get every penny from you. People can come and look at a car and not really know what to look for. When you look on a dash and you have an engine, CEL code it scares people. It's mainly because they don't really know what it means. But if they ask, you're going to have a quote for how much it would cost to fix it. When it comes to the damage it's hard to say that it's scaring people away. I am not sure how bad it is compared to what you've told me here. I can only guess.

When you look around online in your area, how much are civics of your year, model, and similar mileage going for?

Would you be able to post some pictures? If you don't want to post them here you can send me a PM if you wish. More information is better than no information at all.

 

jwj1983, thanks for your advise and input, really appreciated man!

Washed and waxed her again, fixed the windows(driver side has fallen off track, and silicon sprayed the rest, now all roll up/down with no issues). Anything to help sell this right?

Civics in my area similar to mine seem to be going for $4200+ and thats with like 30,000 - 70,000 more miles on it than mine. Also cosmetically they look like crap compared to mine's, well I mean they look like 14 year old cars..

The cars that come close to mines cosmetically and mileage wise are usually dealer models and those go for $5000+

That is why I thought I would have no problem selling mines for $4,000 OBO, but when I got no takers, I then threw it on Craigslist for $3300 but listed every detail on it, good and bad. Best offer I had was $2800(which I still regret turning down).

I came to the $3300 figure based on what I was seeing i.e. similar civics for sale in my area and also using KBB as a gauge, high of $4200, and low of $3300.

Figure if I sell it for $3,000 and the buyer puts another $500-700 in it, they are still getting an AWESOME DEAL at $3500-3700!!


let me know what you think tho, since it still has NOT sold..

Gonna redo my post, would love to hear your thoughts and whatnot before I post it again!


oNe

p.s. pictures attached, right side shows where it hugged a column, the CEL code readout, and the cracked tire

 

The car looks fine from the pictures that you had posted. Like I suggested above you should fine out how much it would cost(quote) to fix that trouble code. With the crack in the side of the tire is a safety issue since that a sidewall can't be patched. Your chance of having a blow out while driving is pretty good. If I were you, I'd get a new tire and switch that one out. I don't think that you'd want to do a test drive with someone and have something bad happen because you could be held responsible for that. Even if you went to Wal-Mart and got a cheap tire, that would be fine. Nothing you can do to save that tire. The $2800 seemed pretty reasonable. $3000.00 Sounds pretty good too. I'd start there.