+1 I've sold about 30 vehicles in my life, and I'll bet the first person to come see the vehicle bought it >25 of those cases. I usually price my vehicles higher than average, make them look amazingly good with wax and full detail, AND PARK IT IN THE GARAGE AND LEAVE IT UNTIL THE EVENTUAL BUYER SURFACES, do an intelligent (IMO) writeup on autotrader (where I've been most successful over the years), and I'm prepared to be patient. If the car looks fabulous, people can't resist, particularly if it's an oder car because 95% of the time, the other stuff they've shopped is at least slightly dirty and doesn't shock 'em. In a few cases where I wanted it GONE, I did all the above and dropped the price to slightly lower than average like Jabberwock said, got that first shopper quickly, and it was gone. But the KEY is to make it LOOK better than anything else they see in the category, and they can't resist. The older the car and the better you've cared for it, the easier and more effective this part is.

 

Selling a used MB with 100+, honesty is not necessarily the best policy. I'm sure the OP wants to sell the vehicle, not have it sit as a giant paperweight.

Really, if the seller tells you "air suspension don't work" are you really even going to look further? Let the buyer drive the vehicle, if they feel something is wrong, they'll ask. If not, "oh well...."

Dog-eat-dog when it comes to selling privately.

 

nope I can't agree - I don't do dog eat dog in a private sale. I don't want to get screwed when I buy something so I treat people the same way - I won't hide a significant defect to a private buyer - when I am doing a face to face transaction with a buyer, its about my word and my integrity - there is no price that can be placed on that - I don't care what it costs.

If something significant doesn't work on a car I am selling, I inform the buyer up front in a private sale.

NOw a trade in at dealer is different - they get to do a full exam and I don't volunteer a thing - I have had to get rid of a couple of cars that had significant problems (one was high oil consumption, other was bad ABS master cylinder) - I traded those in to a dealer - got wholesale value and thats what I expected.

My advice when selling cars is don't mess with Karma - payback is a *^%$

 

I have no problem cleaning and detailing a car to a level that it'll never see again the rest of its life and let the buyer make his own judgements, but I can't bring myself to lie about things. This thread is making me think back over cars I've sold and as I recall now, pretty much every one I've ever sold was in such great shape for what it was -- anything from a 160K mile CRX Si with Xsi swap, to a 3K mile M3 with literally not a single flaw -- has so impressed the buyer that I could tell him about hidden things that might not be perfect (and get them off my chest), and he wasn't fazed at all. LOL

Also, if it's a woman or a guy who doesn't know about vehicles, I'll spill my guts even when they first call me, then show them everything that they don't find for themselves if they come see the car. Ironically or not, this is just as likely to result in a sale as not, it seems. If it's some guy who thinks he knows everything and makes it clear he's an expert, or treats me like he thinks I'm a liar, then I just let him look and decide for himself, and don't volunteer anything.

 

Try selling it to Carmax. It could be a long shot but I sold my 97 Lexus LX450 back in 2007 with about 130K miles. I think they gave me $10000 for it. I used it as a down-payment on my 05 SC430! Not a guarantee that they'll take it, but give it a shot.

 

Jabber and I6, quite honorable your practice and wish all sellers were like yourself. The only vehicles I've ever sold were to friends, so I sort of had to disclose problems, although none of the problems were big mechanical issues.

If I had to sell a 100K+ MB with faulty mechanicals, to a private party that I'll never see again... sorry, but I'm not so sure if I'd disclose such information if I was really looking to sell the car. I'd let them test drive and say sold "as is."

 

IMO, there's nothing wrong with that -- telling them "there it is, it's for sale as it sits, so feel free to check it out to your contentment." I wouldn't really call that approach dog-eat-dog, and seems a fair enough approach to me. But I would not lie to them and state or imply that the car is better than I believe it to be. Even if I think a car is perfect, I STILL give them a disclaimer and include on on my bill of sale.

 

There is a fine line, but I think the law would frown upon nondisclosure. Especially if the defects were not disclosed and the purchaser were injured due to the misrepresentation, nondisclosure and arguably the seller's negligence. Just my two cents, but a court date wouldn't be worth risking nondisclosure.

 

The effing dash shows air suspension problem, can't hide that!

 

no carmax next to 07093

 

In most states, used cars are sold as 'buyer beware'. Unless the seller makes specific statements regarding some type of a warranty, the buyer assumes ALL responsibly for the vehicle once the title is in their name. As a seller, making statements, such as the vehicle 'runs well' or 'doesn't have any issues', yet is does have problems, is 100% legal. The seller is not responsible for disclosing anything to the buyer, and no, the buyer can't come back and sue the seller for failing to disclose something later on. We are talking about cars, not houses here. I wouldn't advise outright lying to a buyer, but not mentioning problems is legal. Any buyer should inspect the car prior to purchase. Buying a car without a professional mechanic's opinion is always a bad idea.

 

A slipping transmission, I would sell "as-is" and you test drive until your teeth falls out. If the brake rotor is in danger of falling off, or I know the master cylinder is faulty, I would never sell the vehicle to someone in this condition. I mean some morals have to come into play here, with or without law.

For me, selling a used car rests somewhere in the middle....

 

since you all have changed this thread to a used car sales discussion, let me change it again

is it worth looking at 01-03 LS430, or go with an 04?

 

The answer lies within, grasshopper...

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...ce-please.html

 

Tough to buy an 01-03 and not continually want the 04+