Dj_AmtraX

iTrader: (2)

Not so sure if it is safe to sell my 2007 IS350 on Craigslist since it's so much money. What are your thoughts? Dealers will screw me on the sale, but it's fast and easy.

p0lo8

Whats not safe?
You and buyer go to the bank, personal banker does the transaction from his acc to yours. You guys sign bill of sale and the banker notarizes it. And you sign the title of course.

genaos11

iTrader: (13)

^^^^^ agree .....dealer going go off not kbb it normally the black book basically low ball you , yea it fast easy but you see you money go dwn the drain ,go with private seller make some $ out of it

rookieIS

iTrader: (8)

i would sell it to private buyers.. dealer low ball you and turns around and sell it in a higher price in order to make money out of you

rule1223

iTrader: (15)

i suggest dealer, you don't have that much time for private sale trust me unless you selling it to your friends and family.

MashinA

iTrader: (20)

Ive never traded my car in or sold to dealer...ive always sold privately. I feel like you can always get 1-2k more selling private and to me thats worth the wait/hassle. Dont just do craigslist for a car this expensive as well. List it on autotrader.com and your local newspaper for example.

jbjones85

iTrader: (20)

max $$ sell private, fastest/easiest sell dealer. Selling privately is just as safe as selling to a dealer as long as it do it the proper way and do it at a bank or similar and get a cashiers check or something like that. I've bought and sold many vehicles privately with 0 issues.

joeker

iTrader: (8)

plus, if your car is modded and you're selling it as is, you're going to get more from a private sale. you could always opt to sell off parts after the fact as well

KillaIS250

iTrader: (1)

My personal experience...

Avoid craigslist, you will just be opening yourself up to joyriders & people who will waste your time. Even most of the ones that seem serious will suddenly be asking you to sell the car for less than trade-in value lol

Here's what i would do:

1) Go to Carmax. There should be one not too far from you since your in CA. Ask for a vehicle appraisal, it will take 15-30 minutes tops and they will give you an offer on the car. Take this as the lowest offer you should take for your car. If your finding out you get offers less than what Carmax offers you, it makes sense to just sell it to Carmax after all for more money.

2) Go to a Lexus dealership and ask for an appraisal too. This is usually a little bit higher than what Carmax offers, but still will be less than you can get out of a private sale in most cases. (If your trading in for another Lexus, dealerships will negotiate pretty well on the trade-in too)

3) Check out Kelly Blue Book for private party sale pricing and price your car somewhere around the KBB value. Usually, most people price it a little bit above the KBB value to allow for more "room" to negotiate on the price. Looking at the price, see if its worth it to you to list the car for sale privately or just trade it in to either Carmax or the Lexus dealership based on what they offered you.

Most times, the private sale value will be about $2k more than the closest dealer offer. Up to you whether the amount is worth the time for you to list it, show it to buyers, deal with the selling process, etc. If your a good negotiator, you can get your dealership to pay you more for your car too!

Good luck selling the car!

JYOO

Also dont forget to calculate the tax.

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

Yep!
You pay sales tax on the vehicle price less the trade in number.

Gville350

iTrader: (10)

I've sold two vehicles this year through forums. Just a thought.

anthrax144

I've sold all my cars using autotrader.com. It sometimes takes a while (a month or two) but you get $1,000's more than what any dealer is going to give you. As long as you're not in a hurry, that's the way to go. If convenience is more important, trade-in with a dealer. Just be sure to negotiate and be ready to walk away if the deal isn't right.

DIJohn46

iTrader: (1)

I definitely say private. You always get slightly more...It can be somewhat time consuming at times but people are always looking for 2is's. I traded my Subaru into Lexus and got close to excellent Kbb for my car because I was tired of waiting though.

01LEXPL

iTrader: (10)

What is your time frame is what you should ask yourself... If you aren't in a hurry you'll eventually find a buyer on CL or even this forum! However - what is an acceptable time frame for YOU?

Keep in mind you'll have to deal with lowballers and whatnot, but then again the stealership is one giant lowball - before you even set foot in there you know what the process is going to be like.

From what i've seen in canada, these do sell with little work - always a market for them. GL!

Make more - no guarantee how long it will take - might have to drop prices; risking trade-in value sale but cna gain a few K over a dealer and people like the fact that its less fees/taxes

Dealer - worry free since its gone, its gone - carry on elsewhere - quick process.