How to sell a truck?

[MONKEYMAN]

My stepfather is wanting to sell his truck (95 Chevy 3/4 ton with extended cab and infamous 6.5 Turbo Diesel). He lives 75 miles south west of St. Louis.

1. Recommendations for free or cheap ways to advertise.

(He did put an ad in the local newspaper. He was wanting to sell camper and truck together. No one was interested in the truck.)

2. Any other info that may be helpful.

I am not very good at selling things. Thanks in advance.

 

[01rangerxl]

Craigslist is a free way to advertise a car, but it has its risks. You may encounter everyone from people with no money who are just wasting your time, to people who are criminals with bad intentions. If you are lucky, you will find someone with cash in hand who really wants the truck. To weed out people who are really looking for something else, make the ad as detailed as possible and include pictures.

 

[javacontour]

Craigslist? I've moved three vehicles out of the family fleet and purchased one, all via CL in the past 10 months. Sold two from my home and one from my MIL who lives even further south on I55 in MO.

So you might list it in St Louis and/or Cape Giradeau if there is a CL section for Cape.

 

[simple_gifts]

BITOG. Do a forum member a favor.

 

[Mr Nice]

If you place an ad on Craigsist and they want to see the truck, don't meet at your house. Have the person meet you at a police station to show them the truck.

When you say.... "infamous 6.5 Turbo Diesel"

is that meant in a good or bad way ?

 

[javacontour]

That's how I've done the meets as well. Meet in a public place. Last two deals were closed IN THE BANK as we all banked at the same bank.

No worries about counterfeit money since it was a memo transaction in both cases.

 

[BigCahuna]

What the difference between putting an ad in the newspaper or on Craigs list? At some point the potential buyer will want to see what your selling.If I was buying something and the person told me to meet him in some parking lot I don't think I would go, it would sound fishy to me.,,

 

[MONKEYMAN]

My concern with Craiglist is getting shady people. My mom is very sick and I and my stepfather do not need extra hassles at this point.

How do you determine asking price? My stepfather is set on $5,000 range. Truck has 125,000 miles and multiple injection pump replacements. Blue book was much less. I guess it is not what you ask, but what others are willing to pay. But if you know the motor, it is prone to problems.

 

[Cutehumor]

It maybe hard to sell a 16 yr old truck with the high gas prices we are experiencing. especially if he's asking over blue book. I would set the price at blue book then expect to negotiate. one of the mistakes people make is asking too much money for their rides then people don't even bother to look at the vehicle no matter how nice it is. I know that's what I would do.

 

[Mr Nice]

Originally Posted By: javacontour
That's how I've done the meets as well. Meet in a public place. Last two deals were closed IN THE BANK as we all banked at the same bank.

No worries about counterfeit money since it was a memo transaction in both cases.


Yep, no money ever changed hands when I sold my last car. It was either bring me a Bank cashier's check or I will NOT sell my car. No personal checks or cash with me. I also don't want strangers coming to my house. You will get the title signed by me after your cashier's check clears.

 

[MONKEYMAN]

Originally Posted By: Cutehumor
It maybe hard to sell a 16 yr old truck with the high gas prices we are experiencing. especially if he's asking over blue book. I would set the price at blue book then expect to negotiate. one of the mistakes people make is asking too much money for their rides then people don't even bother to look at the vehicle no matter how nice it is. I know that's what I would do.


That is what I would do also. But...my stepfather seems overly optimistic. With his first ad he set price for camper and truck about $4,000 too high.

 

[bullwinkle]

The 6.5 isn't NECESSARILY a bad motor-but you might want to splurge on Auto Trader & try there-odds are you're going to be able to get a little more money on Craigslist-which is full of email address harvesting scam artists & thieves, you need to be on your toes there (ask for home phone #s, do Google searches on people, meet in well-lit, occupied public places, get a deposit up front & then get the balance in cash or certified check). $5K is a lot for a '95 3/4 ton 6.5-it would have to be in PERFECT rust-free condition with all maintenance records to have a chance of getting that kind of money out of it.

 

[MONKEYMAN]

Originally Posted By: bullwinkle
The 6.5 isn't NECESSARILY a bad motor-but you might want to splurge on Auto Trader & try there-odds are you're going to be able to get a little more money on Craigslist-which is full of email address harvesting scam artists & thieves, you need to be on your toes there (ask for home phone #s, do Google searches on people, meet in well-lit, occupied public places, get a deposit up front & then get the balance in cash or certified check). $5K is a lot for a '95 3/4 ton 6.5-it would have to be in PERFECT rust-free condition with all maintenance records to have a chance of getting that kind of money out of it.


Since there were 4 injection pumps replaced under warranty and it had a transmission rebuild I am more aware of potential issues.

Body is not perfect. Has never been waxed. My parents had a freezer next to drivers door. So there are a lot of little dings on one door. Mom rear ended a car so front right needed repairs. I replaced the grill and a light housing after a turkey flew into it.

Craigslist sounds too risky. My stepfather would not do those things to reduce risks. I will look into Auto Trader.

 

[eljefino]

Craigslist is great. I would as a buyer be concerned about a seller "curbstoning", ie flipping the car and not being the same guy who's name and address are on the title. It goes both ways.

If a buyer shows up with a LOCAL cashiers check, have him put his name on the "to" section and cash it at his bank. Hand over the title at the teller window. Way too many ways for a counterfeit check to "clear" by bank laws that will then later be rescinded.

 

[Chris142]

Often people think that their car is worth more than others that are the same. This makes no sense.

It's worth around Blue book regardless of $$ dumped into it for repairs. KBB lists it in fair condition @ $3000

 

[MONKEYMAN]

A local buyer offered $11,000 for camper and trailer. My stepfather did check camper value Saturday. Dealer listed it as $7,500. That would put the truck at about $3,500 which is in the ball park. The wife of potential buyer did not like the camper. Everyone here probably knows what happens when the wife does not give approval.

I was thinking $3,500 to $3,000 for the truck would be a fair price for the truck based on book values.

 

[MNgopher]

Craigslist has worked well for me. I close the deal at a bank where the buyer has a cashiers check cut to me with me present or if we bank at the same bank via a transfer. Sign the title after that occurs.

I did not have a problem weeding out scams or lowballers. Its pretty obvious. My first contacts are via email, in an account setup for the purpose (keeps the junk email at bay). I get phone number from them usually and work it that way.

My last truck sold in less than a day. Priced fairly, lots of detail in the add, pictures, and full disclosure of any issues. Saves everyone lots of hassle.

Also, on price, if looking for over blue book, you'll wait a LONG time to sell it, if at all. Price it fairly, and you'll get calls.

 

[eljefino]

Used cars have a crazy demand right now. You can accidentally price too low and sell in two hours. You can test the waters with a slightly high price then go down from there.