"Specialty Auto" to sell your used car?

[lschwarcz]

I'm currently selling my '06 Civic and posted an ad on cars.com (I've also posted it in the Trading-Post here). I just got a call from this guy at a place called, Specialty Auto (http://www.specialtyauto.net/) gives me a call asking if the car is still for sale. It is so he then goes into his sales speech saying that he guarantees that I'll get my asking price of $17,800 for it if I advertise through them for $279.

I checked the Better Business Bureau and they have a satisfactory record there (they actually are not a BBB member). I haven't really seen anything else out there about them.

Has anyone here heard of them? Anything positive or negative about them?

Thanks!
Larry.

[lizzurd]

I'm currently selling my '06 Civic and posted an ad on cars.com (I've also posted it in the Trading-Post here). I just got a call from this guy at a place called, Specialty Auto (http://www.specialtyauto.net/) gives me a call asking if the car is still for sale. It is so he then goes into his sales speech saying that he guarantees that I'll get my asking price of $17,800 for it if I advertise through them for $279.

I checked the Better Business Bureau and they have a satisfactory record there (they actually are not a BBB member). I haven't really seen anything else out there about them.

Has anyone here heard of them? Anything positive or negative about them?

Thanks!
Larry.

I am curious as to how a guy in Omaha will be able to sell a car located in California.....

[Serj22]

He'll show the car through interpretive dance of what he thinks it looks like.:D

i don't think the money is worth it since there is no one that is going to pay the asking price for anything right now. I think that $200 can better be used to sell it to someone nearby, and have a little bargaining chip, as well as money to put it in the paper and auto stores nearby, if they let you.
And then usually there's a fee, or limit, like $279 and if it isn't sold, he'll need another $200.

I personaly have enver ever heard of this group of car sales, and have never thought of looking there. Autotrader, Craigslist, Kelly Blue Book... I would look at all those before I even thought of "Specialty auto sales"

[electric V]

Kelly Blue Book is my friend.:D

You can buy a new 2009 Civic LX at that price. unless your 06 is an EX, EX-L , or a special eddition with all of the trimmings it wil be difficult to sell

Posting your car an CARs.Com is free (to the best of my knowedge) and it is set up with many other websites that have classifides like KBB.

[splaturn]

Tell them you will not allow anyone from their facilities to touch your vehicle (i.e you aren't shipping it, even at their expense).
That you will not sign the title over to them.
That they WILL be paid in full when you get the asking price.

You could probably sell it on consignment at a dealership in your area, as well.

[bugsy714]

don't forget craigslist!

[lschwarcz]

don't forget craigslist!
So far I've advertised it here (see the posting in the Trading Post), the 8th Gen Civic forum, Cars.Com and CraigsList. The only replies I've received showing any serious interest have been from CraigsList. The postings here and the 8th Gen Civic forums have generated a few replies but nothing serious. I've received zero replies of any type from Cars.Com.

So far, CraigsList is the champ. Free and it gets results. But, there's still time for the others to catch up. The car isn't sold yet though :(. In my book, the winner is the one that finds a buyer ;).

Thanks!
Larry.

[Serj22]

You also did the old fashioned "for sale" sign in the car correct? Some people forget about this method. I sold 2 cars that way, and it only cost me $3.00 for the sign:D Never ahd any luck selling a car on craigslist. I'd post perfectly good perfect cars and people asked me if i'd part it out. "SURE ILL UNBOLT THE FUEL RAIL, AND FUEL PUMP, AND FUEL LINES AND EVERYTHING FOR YOU AND SELL YOU THE REAR WINDOW ON A PERFECT CONDITION CAR!!! NOW I CAN SELL IT FOR HALF AS MUCH TO SOMEONE ELSE BECAUSE IT'S INCOMPLETE!!!" Some people on craigslist...

[lschwarcz]

You also did the old fashioned "for sale" sign in the car correct? Some people forget about this method. I sold 2 cars that way, and it only cost me $3.00 for the sign:D Never ahd any luck selling a car on craigslist. I'd post perfectly good perfect cars and people asked me if i'd part it out. "SURE ILL UNBOLT THE FUEL RAIL, AND FUEL PUMP, AND FUEL LINES AND EVERYTHING FOR YOU AND SELL YOU THE REAR WINDOW ON A PERFECT CONDITION CAR!!! NOW I CAN SELL IT FOR HALF AS MUCH TO SOMEONE ELSE BECAUSE IT'S INCOMPLETE!!!" Some people on craigslist...

Good idea about the sign except that I had the car professionally detailed and now keep it in my garage under a car cover. I could put the sign in the window but even I wouldn't see it :).

I haven't received any requests to sell only parts but I have gotten a few that seem strange. A woman from San Francisco wrote saying that it's a little out of her price range. I'm now asking $15,900 and she can only afford $12,000. A little out of her range????

Another guy wrote saying he didn't want the warranty and wanted to start price negoiation after subtracting the $1700 warranty. I wrote back to explain that you can't return a car warranty like a DVD player to Best Buy. I told him that Honda would give me back about $500 for it and I'd be willing to lower the price by what ever Honda would give me for the warrany. He never wrote back (surprise!).

Thanks for the input!
Larry.

[Serj22]

Also, some automotive stores allow you to put a picture of your car in their window with all the details, phone number, etc... but it's rare to see those anymore...

[lschwarcz]

Also, some automotive stores allow you to put a picture of your car in their window with all the details, phone number, etc... but it's rare to see those anymore...

Well, the car has finally sold! I guess once I lowered the price enough I got a lot of replies.

But, I can say that next time I sell a car, I'll use craigslist.org and posting to forums like this. I paid $65 to post the car on cars.com and I got one e-mail with a question. That's all! I posted it on eBay motors and only got 2 offers that were both low-ball offers (both were well below what my local Honda dealer offered me). Posting to this forum and the 8th Gen Civic forum got only a few replies too (but they were free).

My posting on Craigslist.org was by far the best. And, it's free! But, right now the posting on eBay motors is free too. They'll only charge you $125 once the car is sold through them.

Thanks for all the input everyone!
Larry.

[illegal]

if it is stock, anything goes to get it gone, if it's modified I recommend modified auto trader.com and mautofied.com

Whenever I had a sign on my car, I got a professional sign made up at my friends shop that also has a vinyl machine, so it looked more proffesional, and potential buyers always commented on how nice it was, and how much I must really care, and take care of my car, not to just put a POS sign on it from home depot.

Just a thought for the future.