Living Car Free - I have been trying to sell my car... INSIGHT NEEDED!

Any tips, info or encouragement will be much appreciated.

My add = http://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/car/704128535.html

It's truly a great deal, I have sold a few cars but this one (that I'm upside down on and want to sell really bad to be car-free) won't sell lol, go figure!

In my area it has the lowest price and the lowest miles it's insane... Even a couple hundred under the blue book private party value! Ahh! I really don't want to pay for an auto trader ad what are my options? It must be the color and that it is a manual :roflmao2:. Thanks everybody! My impatience is just excitement.

-Grant
P.S. Also, everything I have ever put on Craig's List has sold... I guess I just gotta chill school will be out for the kids soon maybe that will help!:rolleyes:

I'm going through the same thing! I have a car that's been on the craigslist for a month now with no interest.

It's low miles, great condition, GREAT fuel efficiency. I thought this thing would get snapped up. I'm listing it 800 below blue book value, too!

But nothing.

It's also manual. Can manual trans really kill all sales interest?

I'm edging closer to just going to carmax. They'll basically give you blue book trade in value.

Can manual trans really kill all sales interest?

How are you supposed to play with your mp3 player, nav system, and text message your friends if you have to worry about shifting your transmission, too? Geez. :rolleyes:

Does the warrantee have a time portion also? Like expires in Dec 09 even if you only had 14,500 miles.
It hasn't even been two full days so yeah you might need to wait.

I did a check on cars.com for used cars in the area up there and it seems you do have the best price at least compared to all the dealer used car listings there. No private sellers listings *shrug*
And when the heck did kias get so expensive?

Edit: Manual? Who the heck knows how to drive manual anymore. I certainly wouldnt' expect kids getting out of school to be much help. May take a little longer to find the right person who thinks they can drive manual.

Where's the bicycle rack? All serious motorists want a bicycle rack! ;)

I would try cars.com or autotrader also. CL is often for lower price buyers, hagglers and traders, IMO.

All good points... Thank you for the replies everbody!

Man... My warranty is even better than I thought. My god, it's 60,000 bumper to bumper, 100,000 power train and 5 years of roadside assistance. I added that! It will happen!

-Grant
P.S. It's also been up for about a month with the price dropping lower and lower... It will get re-posted again tonight :) ! I feel your pain burbanbiker! This has been the hardest part of going car frickin free hahaha!

KIA rightfully has a reputation for terrible gas mileage. Add in that it's a stick, and the average CL user won't bother to look. Try a newspaper ad.

(Yes, I can drive stick... no, I don't want a car again.)

This has been the hardest part of going car frickin free hahaha!

Truer words have rarely been spoken!

you waited too long. I sold my Forester a year ago, took me 1 week on CL and I got 95% of what I realistically hoped to get for it. With a buyer on the hook, it was better to take the bird in the hand than pay another years registration fees (not refundable once paid, not even pro-rated). That was with gas at ~ $3 such that a "compact SUV" was in the sweet spot of the market.

you waited too long. I sold my Forester a year ago, took me 1 week on CL and I got 95% of what I realistically hoped to get for it. With a buyer on the hook, it was better to take the bird in the hand than pay another years registration fees (not refundable once paid, not even pro-rated). That was with gas at ~ $3 such that a "compact SUV" was in the sweet spot of the market.

http://blog.nopdesign.sk/en/wp-content/uploads/2006/12/orly-mini.jpg

yea i think your problem is that its a manual KIA. If it was me i think id spend the 9k for an older higher mileage honda, but thats just me. I dont think Kias are high on anyones list of cars they would want to buy. Personally if I dont care what kind of car i drive and just want the best deal then i think the kia would be a really good deal. have you ever thought about selling it to a dealer?

yea i think your problem is that its a manual KIA. If it was me i think id spend the 9k for an older higher mileage honda, but thats just me. I dont think Kias are high on anyones list of cars they would want to buy. Personally if I dont care what kind of car i drive and just want the best deal then i think the kia would be a really good deal. have you ever thought about selling it to a dealer?

For the record there is no Carmax in WA or OR, damn (although they will probably just try to give you trade-in value anyway)...

Good thought drafters65, one dealer basically said they would buy it for trade in value AKA $7,500. Unfortunately I won't be able to get out from under it for awhile then (don't have that much money to cover the difference). I will most likely have to keep making payments and ride it out. I really want to cut my losses. Damn manual KIAs! A good car if you want to keep it until it dies :)!

On the other hand I should call around, who knows... I do think the dealers are selling them for 10 - 13k but they can do financing and I can't. I imagine that is what allows their cars to sell.

I just can't polish this turd any harder, better break down and go autotrader. At least that way a Craig's Lister will call hahaha!

Just for the commiseration: Today I submitted an offer request from caroffer.com. They crunched the numbers and offered me... 600 bucks for my 2001 Saturn SL2. Blue book is 4800. So I guess their formula is (Blue Book - 84.5%) = CarOffer.com!!

I'm going to aggressively drop my asking price on craigslist. Hopefully you and I can do better than 600 bucks!

Just for the commiseration: Today I submitted an offer request from caroffer.com. They crunched the numbers and offered me... 600 bucks for my 2001 Saturn SL2. Blue book is 4800. So I guess their formula is (Blue Book - 84.5%) = CarOffer.com!!

I'm going to aggressively drop my asking price on craigslist. Hopefully you and I can do better than 600 bucks!

Hahaha:roflmao2: that is great my friend... I guess I'll go ahead and skip caroffer.com? With every payment I'll lower her down. Just glad I'm not alone in this endeavor! :thumb:

Just for the commiseration: Today I submitted an offer request from caroffer.com. They crunched the numbers and offered me... 600 bucks for my 2001 Saturn SL2. Blue book is 4800. So I guess their formula is (Blue Book - 84.5%) = CarOffer.com!!
Commiseration offered here...similar thing happened to me recently, except it was a condo instead of a car...

1. Its a Kia
2. It's $9000

Unless it is cheap enough to pay cash, someone is gonna have to finance it. If I were going to finance $9000 on a used car (used car financing is generally more expensive than new) I would pony up a bit more and get a brand new Honda Fit for around $14k and get near 40mpg. And it is a Honda.

-D

Commiseration offered here...similar thing happened to me recently, except it was a condo instead of a car...

Ok, I will quit whining now! :D Thanks Platy,

-Grant

Might try getting rid of any words that might turn someone off. Even if they are important -- like manual tranny.

Also could be that there are less people able to finance or get a refi on the mortgage. I was able to refi recently and my wife bought a 2004 HONDA ODYSSEY EXL from two dudes that where breaking up. They each had to kick in $1200 in addition to what she paid to get free of the vehicle!

For the record there is no Carmax in WA or OR, damn (although they will probably just try to give you trade-in value anyway)...

Good thought drafters65, one dealer basically said they would buy it for trade in value AKA $7,500. Unfortunately I won't be able to get out from under it for awhile then (don't have that much money to cover the difference). I will most likely have to keep making payments and ride it out. I really want to cut my losses. Damn manual KIAs! A good car if you want to keep it until it dies :)!

On the other hand I should call around, who knows... I do think the dealers are selling them for 10 - 13k but they can do financing and I can't. I imagine that is what allows their cars to sell.

I just can't polish this turd any harder, better break down and go autotrader. At least that way a Craig's Lister will call hahaha!

Maybe you could just leave it parked in a bad neighborhood with the doors unlocked and the keys in the ignition... Or maybe come to screeching halts at empty crosswalks in heavy traffic.

I think the wording of the ad is obnoxious. Too many exclamation points, FEATURES IN ALL CAPS, etc.

Your price is right (right smack in "excellent" in Kelly Blue Book), you've got the maintenance records, and, frankly, I'm surprised that a manual tranny might be such a downer (they're really not difficult to drive, and are slightly more efficient, too).

I just don't think that anybody's buying a car now.

I just don't think that anybody's buying a car now.

FOR THE WIN!

The reason for the over indulged ad is so that I don't get the "Hey what color and year is your Gray 2006 Kia Spectra?" phone calls. :roflmao2: Anyone who has had any Craig's List or Classified ad experience knows what I'm talking about.

Guess I better go buy a full-face helmet and some driving gloves... The Spectra is going off roadin! :D

Yeah, maybe I should see how my Saturn fairs as an amphibious vehicle by driving it into the bay and then file an insurance claim if my optimistic estimates of its ability to float and drive on water is wrong.

You never know, it might BE amphibious and then I can up my asking price. ;)

...so that I don't get the "Hey what color and year is your Gray 2006 Kia Spectra?" phone calls.

OMG! I just got one of these calls for the first time!! Someone called and asked "Hi I'm calling about the 2001 Silver Saturn 5spd Manual" is that automatic or stick shift?

I said "stick shift"

And she goes "Oh okay because it doesn't say in the ad."

I had to bite my tongue and move along in the conversation. I'll forgive her if she buys my car.

OMG! I just got one of these calls for the first time!! Someone called and asked "Hi I'm calling about the 2001 Silver Saturn 5spd Manual" is that automatic or stick shift?

I said "stick shift"

And she goes "Oh okay because it doesn't say in the ad."

I had to bite my tongue and move along in the conversation. I'll forgive her if she buys my car.

HAHAHA YEAH! I feel your pain once again... I have had some even worse calls! Like, "How much are you asking?" I tell them and then they say, "wow that's a lot" and I think to myself, did you even read the ad?

I put no solicitors too cause I've gotten about five calls from companies/people who will "sell my car fast for me" and "already have a buyer lined up" if only I pony up $200 - $1,000 for their ad or hook-up! Scammers... :roflmao2:

The reason for the over indulged ad is so that I don't get the "Hey what color and year is your Gray 2006 Kia Spectra?" phone calls. :roflmao2: Anyone who has had any Craig's List or Classified ad experience knows what I'm talking about.

:roflmao2:

You know what I mean, though, right? There's "highly informative", and then there's "over the top", like you'd see in those locally-produced used car lot commercials with the hyperactive salesman wearing a ten-gallon hat. ;)


Guess I better go buy a full-face helmet and some driving gloves... The Spectra is going off roadin! :D

NOW you're talkin'. If you gotta have a car, but don't need it for everything, might as well have fun with it. :thumb:

http://scca.org/hub.aspx?hub=2

I see the ad is off craigslist now. Did you sell it? Or are you just lowering the price again?

My only suggestion is to be patient, and eventually it will sell, but maybe not for the price you want. But i guess you already know that.

[QUOTE=BarracksSi;6818482]:roflmao2:

You know what I mean, though, right? There's "highly informative", and then there's "over the top", like you'd see in those locally-produced used car lot commercials with the hyperactive salesman wearing a ten-gallon hat. ;)
QUOTE]

You got those in DC too?? My God they're annoying!!!

Actually, around here, there's not a cowboy hat to be seen; crooked ballcaps, on the other hand...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=nzS9SxDLFlk

;)

Just for the commiseration: Today I submitted an offer request from caroffer.com. They crunched the numbers and offered me... 600 bucks for my 2001 Saturn SL2. Blue book is 4800. So I guess their formula is (Blue Book - 84.5%) = CarOffer.com!!

Sounds like dealer prices. I had a neighbor who in the '90s had a cherry '66 Chevy Impala with less than 100,000 miles on it. A literal little old lady one owner car with a V8. Any low-rider would have paid handsomely. The dealer offered her $200.00 for it as a trade-in. What a shame. She probably could have gotten $4-6K for it on the open market. :eek:

Don't use cars.com unless you buy their premium package for $60.00. If you do that you ABSOLUTELY MUST ask for a refund at the 90 day mark if your car doesn't sell. They get around their refund offer (if your car doesn't sell there) because they won't honor it after 114 days. They require you to send your request in writing via the mail AND they still can refuse to refund your money. They are a dishonest site and I won't use them again.

My 2007 Honda Fit Sport Automanual with only 2200 miles was on their site 204 days before it sold. The buyer was someone who saw the for sale sign on it in front of my apartment. I got more responses from people just seeing it parked there than from cars.com.

Only 8 people have contacted me from that national site. Only two were even in the ballpark of the actual value.

My car was loaded and it is a hard to find car because Honda isn't shipping enough of them to the USA. Dealers are asking for as much as $3000.00 over the list price.

My point is that even as far back as six months ago people were cutting back on spending money for expensive things. Fortunately you are not selling an SUV.

The whole time my car was on Cars.com it was also on Craigslist. Nobody contacted me from that site either. I only wanted the private party value listed in the Kelly Blue Book. I did get close to it but still not as high. Had I held out for the full price it might have taken another month or two.

Six months ago a local auto broker said they could get me $14,000.00 for it. Jerks. They also wanted me to pay them $600.00 for the privilege of screwing me. That price was a thousand dollars less than the trade in value. Knowing that, I will never use auto brokers either.

The lesson you have learned is to always factor in resale value into the equation when buying a new motor vehicle.

Don't use cars.com unless you buy their premium package for $60.00. If you do that you ABSOLUTELY MUST ask for a refund at the 90 day mark if your car doesn't sell. They get around their refund offer (if your car doesn't sell there) because they won't honor it after 114 days. They require you to send your request in writing via the mail AND they still can refuse to refund your money. They are a dishonest site and I won't use them again.

My 2007 Honda Fit Sport Automanual with only 2200 miles was on their site 204 days before it sold. The buyer was someone who saw the for sale sign on it in front of my apartment. I got more responses from people just seeing it parked there than from cars.com.

Only 8 people have contacted me from that national site. Only two were even in the ballpark of the actual value.

My car was loaded and it is a hard to find car because Honda isn't shipping enough of them to the USA. Dealers are asking for as much as $3000.00 over the list price.

My point is that even as far back as six months ago people were cutting back on spending money for expensive things. Fortunately you are not selling an SUV.

The whole time my car was on Cars.com it was also on Craigslist. Nobody contacted me from that site either. I only wanted the private party value listed in the Kelly Blue Book. I did get close to it but still not as high. Had I held out for the full price it might have taken another month or two.

Six months ago a local auto broker said they could get me $14,000.00 for it. Jerks. They also wanted me to pay them $600.00 for the privilege of screwing me. That price was a thousand dollars less than the trade in value. Knowing that, I will never use auto brokers either.

The lesson you have learned is to always factor in resale value into the equation when buying a new motor vehicle.

Yeah! Leson learned! Thanks for the story my man... Harsh! I'll keep her parked and up on CL, that is the best I can do until it's paid off or low enough for someone to buy it lol. :thumb:

Hmmm... Maybe I should stay in the auto game and get a crazy gimmick goin, I'm already good with these ABC & !!! you should see me in real life hahaha!

Reminds me of the mattress ranch guy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebpXOMCYBhk&feature=related *Shudders* :twitchy:

Just a quick update... Since Friday I have had 4 phone calls, an almost buyer (his financing didn't come through), a couple "stop and check it outs", 2 emails to check the VIN number and one of those guys claims his bank needs it to see if he can get financed. Anywho... With all the interest in the last couple of days I'd say I'm getting in the ballpark! Cheers,

I didn't see your ad but you mentioned the Kia Spectra. I rented one of those in 2005 and liked it. Since it is a four cylinder motor it will sell much faster with todays higher fuel prices. You should ask each person who calls what they are driving now. I bet many of them are truck and SUV owners looking for more affordable transportation.

The people who bought my car did ask me to fax a copy of the title to their bank so that they could prepare the financing. I know you don't have the title to your car. The VIN could be used by people to check with CARFAX to learn of any accidents and other title information. Don't worry about it. Anyone who wants the VIN of any car just needs to walk up to the windshield to read it.

Good luck.

More good new... A family came and checked out the KIA. They have approved financing and everything! There bank printed us up a buyer/sellers agreement and now I am basically waiting for there bank to cut my bank a check and switch titles. Ahhh! I'm soo close! WOO-HOO! I’m loving exclamation points right now!!!!!!

-Grant
P.S. www.zombiehunters.org (http://www.zombiehunters.org/) = plug to a cool non-profit, charitable, disaster preparedness, zombie movie club I am in (no political or religious affiliation). Totally off topic but it felt right lol... Must be my excitement!

OMG! I just got one of these calls for the first time!! Someone called and asked "Hi I'm calling about the 2001 Silver Saturn 5spd Manual" is that automatic or stick shift?

I said "stick shift"

And she goes "Oh okay because it doesn't say in the ad."

I had to bite my tongue and move along in the conversation.

And the answer would have been "It also doesn't say in the ad what a ... yada yada yada... wonderful car it is. Shift the subject over to one of the good points and move along. :D

It's official! I am car free! Thanks for inspiring me and listening to me moan! How invigorating, a huge weight has been lifted off of my shoulders! I am very happy! The gentleman drove off about 10 minutes ago! Score one for our side!

I also gotta plug the book "How to live car free and live well"

Cheers,

:beer: Yay, Grant! Now, lets direct our energy towards burbankbiker...

Why thank you miss Donna!

Yeah! Go burbanbiker! Go! I am definitely sending some positive energy his way!

WHOAH!! I logged on to post my "I SOLD MY CAR" comment to this thread and I found 1.) A very nice showing of positive support and 2.) Success for Grant as well!!!

We're free!!

For about 30 seconds as I watched the car drive away I had a panic of anxiety. Was I doing the right thing? What if I need my car? But then reality returned and I remembered that I've been living car free (with a car parked) for almost 3 months now and haven't needed it once. And I've got city-car-share programs if I need them.

Waking up today after selling last night I just felt so good about it. And I got a phone call today from a company wanting to sell me extended warranty coverage for my vehicle and it was so great to say "no thanks, I don't own a car."

Congrats to you, Grant, and to everyone on this thread who've been so positive for both of us. And anyone reading who's considering it, I can give my full endorsement of selling the car. The liberation is exhilarating!

WHOAH!! I logged on to post my "I SOLD MY CAR" comment to this thread and I found 1.) A very nice showing of positive support and 2.) Success for Grant as well!!!

We're free!!

For about 30 seconds as I watched the car drive away I had a panic of anxiety. Was I doing the right thing? What if I need my car? But then reality returned and I remembered that I've been living car free (with a car parked) for almost 3 months now and haven't needed it once. And I've got city-car-share programs if I need them.

Waking up today after selling last night I just felt so good about it. And I got a phone call today from a company wanting to sell me extended warranty coverage for my vehicle and it was so great to say "no thanks, I don't own a car."

Congrats to you, Grant, and to everyone on this thread who've been so positive for both of us. And anyone reading who's considering it, I can give my full endorsement of selling the car. The liberation is exhilarating!

FOR THE WIN! Amen my friend, thank you and congrats as well!

Sweet! :thumb:

It would be interesting if you guys put the amount you were paying in car payments, minimal maintenance (even without driving it) into savings for a time. I was at the free day of the Towards Carfree Cities Conference (http://www.carfreeportland.org/program/) on Tuesday and attended a panel discussion about families going car-free or car-light. I got the impression that many families are reluctant to get rid of the 2nd car out of fear and habit. If there were some real numbers associated with keeping a car (even if it's barely driven), that might be the tipping point for some people. I've got this suspicion that reducing cars to one per family could nudge some income levels into a place of greater economic stability.

I mean, carbon footprint and such is all well and good - but money is a huge motivator. People are often blind to the expenses that nickle-and dime them. I think we need to take the blinders off when it comes to the cost of owning cars - especially during a recession.

Sweet! :thumb:

It would be interesting if you guys put the amount you were paying in car payments, minimal maintenance (even without driving it) into savings for a time. I was at the free day of the Towards Carfree Cities Conference (http://www.carfreeportland.org/program/) on Tuesday and attended a panel discussion about families going car-free or car-light. I got the impression that many families are reluctant to get rid of the 2nd car out of fear and habit. If there were some real numbers associated with keeping a car (even if it's barely driven), that might be the tipping point for some people. I've got this suspicion that reducing cars to one per family could nudge some income levels into a place of greater economic stability.

I mean, carbon footprint and such is all well and good - but money is a huge motivator. People are often blind to the expenses that nickle-and dime them. I think we need to take the blinders off when it comes to the cost of owning cars - especially during a recession.

I couldn't agree with you more... I consider myself somewhat of a hippie and all that Jazz but the money was and very well should be the motivator IMO.

For me (on an annual average for maintenance, gas, licensing, insurance and the PAYMENT) I will be saving at least $527 dollars a month!!! :love::roflmao2::thumb: It most definitely feels like a large raise!

I consider myself lucky, I am a young entreprenuer who lives 2.5 miles from his place of business and doesn't have kids (someday). Maybe I won't be car free forever but who knows? I can see where it may not work for many people. You must really ask yourself if it is possible, people seem to throw out too many excuses. I think it can work for at least 50% of us. Another factor is that even if you are physically capable of it, are you ready for the confusion/rejection/social stigmas of the public, maybe even your friends and family. There is a lot more than meets the eye, it is a big decision!

The time is now and I am relishing in it, truly living in the moment! Besides, this will get me even closer to my next goal... Home ownership :twitchy:! Ahh! Zero down is a bit trickier these days :rolleyes:!

I mean, carbon footprint and such is all well and good - but money is a huge motivator. People are often blind to the expenses that nickle-and dime them. I think we need to take the blinders off when it comes to the cost of owning cars - especially during a recession.

Well, whatever gets counted up, don't let it leak onto Craigslist while people are trying to sell their cars.. lol

For me (on an annual average for maintenance, gas, licensing, insurance and the PAYMENT) I will be saving at least $527 dollars a month!!! :love::roflmao2::thumb: It most definitely feels like a large raise!
That's $6324 per year. In 5 years with no interest, that would be $31,620 and 20% of a $160,000 mortgage. Not much money given current housing prices in our region, but it certainly isn't peanuts, either. :)

For other people, it could be what gets them out of consumer debt - and keeps them out.

precisely!

Well, whatever gets counted up, don't let it leak onto Craigslist while people are trying to sell their cars.. lol

I just sold my car so it is easy for me to say but... I just assume let it leak, people know but they just don't want to know, you know :D?

Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you see it) there are a ton of people set in there ways and the CL is the new cool way to find a "bargain". If I could do it on my upside down KIA, ANYONE COULD DO IT! Changing minds is tricky (especially about car free livin) there will always be a buyer. I tried to remember what P.T. Barnum said :o when I felt down about the rig not selling.

By the way it was off and on the CL for about six months the price lowered each time I made a payment! On another note, every single thing I have ever put on Craig's has sold. It's wild, I thought the car might be an exception.