A private car sale doesn’t have to be a headache. With the right tools and approach, you can pocket more cash than a dealer trade-in would get you.
Let’s walk through the steps involved in selling your car, and the tools and tricks that make the process safe and convenient.
Your certificate of title is the most important document related to your vehicle. It proves you’re the vehicle’s legal owner, and after you transfer it to the buyer, it will prove they are the new owner.
If you’re unsure where your title is, now would be a good time to dig it up. You won’t be able to sell your car without it. At the time of sale, you and the buyer will fill out the title and sign it.
Vehicle titles vary from state to state in the formatting and info they require, but most states have required fields for the following:
If you filed your title away years ago and can’t find it now, you’re not alone. Many people make the same mistake, and every state has a process by which a vehicle’s registered owner can request a replacement.
Title replacement often takes a couple of weeks, so start the process well in advance.
If your state requires a separate odometer disclosure form, download it in advance from the DMV website and have it ready.
A vehicle history report is optional. It may help your car sell by giving buyers peace of mind about its history. Here’s why it’s a good idea:
When you use DealNow to sell your car, the buyer can request a vehicle history report via our integration with AutoCheck. Alternatively, you can be proactive and run the report yourself. Whether you initiate it or the buyer does, our integration makes the report as easy as a couple of clicks from your DealNow dashboard.
Of course, you want to get the most money possible for your car, but you also want it to sell.
It’s about finding that sweet spot where you maximize your return without deterring potential buyers.
Online valuation tools such as Kelley Blue Book, NADAguides, or Edmunds give you a range of realistic values based on your car’s condition, year, make, and model.
Based on the suggested range of one of these valuation tools, you’ll decide whether to price your car at the upper end, lower end, or right down the middle. Need to sell fast? Aim low. Want top dollar? Go high and wait for the right buyer. And, if you want to maximize speed and profit, shoot for the middle.
A clean car always sells for more than one that’s dirty and unkempt. Imagine two identical cars—the same make, model, year, mileage, and condition. The only difference? One is freshly cleaned, while the other looks a bit icky. On average, the clean car will sell faster and command a higher price.
Give your vehicle a thorough cleaning, inside and out. For maximum effect, get it professionally detailed. Replace worn wiper blades. Touch up small paint chips.
Take high-quality photos for use in your listing (next step). Capture multiple angles of the exterior and interior. Be transparent by including images of any imperfections; honesty builds trust with potential buyers.
Unless you have a friend or family member eager to buy your car, you’ll need to find a buyer. Most sellers opt to list their car online, because of all the exposure and reach that online listings receive.
Regardless of which online site you choose to list your car, you want your vehicle’s listing to catch the eye of potential buyers. Think of it like a dating profile for your car.
Here’s how to make your car stand out:
There are so many websites to list your car for sale online. Many of them are free. Depending on your bandwidth, you can create a listing on one, two, or many sites. Let’s look at some of the types of websites available for selling your car online.
With the exception of PrivateAuto, online listing sites lack transactional features to get the deal done quickly and securely. Most of them force you to expose sensitive info, lack built-in funds transfer methods, and take a painfully long time to get your car sold and get you paid.
After you’ve connected with a buyer, invite them to your DealNow dealroom for a secure, fast, intuitive sale. Here are the issues you’ll encounter with online car listing websites, and how DealNow solves them:
| Issue | Online Listing Sites | DealNow Solution |
|---|---|---|
|
Scammers |
Unvetted, no way to tell who’s a scammer and who’s not. Scammers use aliases to avoid getting caught. |
Buyer verification shows you that you’re dealing with a real person, operating under their actual identity. |
|
Tire-kickers |
People who can’t afford to buy your car waste your time. |
Fund verification shows you that your buyer is serious. |
|
Personal info |
Lack of secure messaging options exposes your personal contact info to strangers when you exchange phone numbers and email addresses. |
Secure in-app messaging protects your contact info and routes all communication through the DealNow app. |
|
Test drive scheduling |
Back-and-forth coordination of the test drive wastes your time and exposes your contact info. |
In-app scheduling makes coordination a cinch. The buyer selects from your preset availability and the test drive is scheduled. |
|
Trust problem |
The buyer doesn’t want to pay until they get the car; you don’t want to release the car until you get paid. |
Instant funds transfer and 2-party signing of a bill of sale protect both parties and overcome the catch-22. |
|
Bill of Sale |
It’s inconvenient to print double copies of the bill of sale, remember to bring them to the meet-up, and fill them out correctly. |
A digital bill of sale for your state, with a guided walk-through for both parties—prompts you to verify important info, and both parties sign. |
|
Funds transfer |
Incumbent payment methods are slow, expensive, risky, inconvenient, inadequate, or all of the above |
Receive any amount of money instantly, any time of day, any day of the year. Secure, intuitive, and fast. |
Whether you found your buyer on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace, finish strong with DealNow. It’s the smart way to close your private-party car sale.
When buyers start contacting you, you’ll need to assess who is legitimate and who isn’t. Here are your goals in the screening process:
Some common tactics for weeding out bad buyers include:
When you use DealNow to close your transaction, you’ll enjoy verification of buyer identity and buyer funds. It’s all part of our streamlined process that keeps you safe and saves you a ton of time.
Once you’ve found a serious buyer, it’s time to arrange a test drive. Here’s how to do it safely and efficiently:
With DealNow, you set your preferred location and available times. The buyer schedules the test drive and you get a notification. No back-and-forth needed. All you have to do is show up and close the deal.
After the buyer has driven and inspected the car, it’s time to close the deal. The vehicle closing starts with both you and the buyer signing an official bill of sale.
DealNow provides an official bill of sale for your state. You each sign it electronically. This action gives the buyer confidence that they can safely pay you (savvy buyers are hesitant to send money before getting the car, and you’re rightfully hesitant to sign over the title before getting paid). They’re backed by a legally binding document with your signature.
A bill of sale is required in 16 states and is a really smart idea in all 50. It memorializes the terms of the transaction to protect both parties in the event of future disputes. Here are the details included in most states’ bills of sale:
You and the buyer will each verify all of these details before signing the bill of sale in the DealNow app. Each of you will get an instant notification that the counterparty has signed, and you’ll be legally protected to move to the next phase of the deal.
After the bill of sale is signed, it’s time to get paid for your car. Before DealNow, this was easier said than done. It turns out there haven’t been a lot of great ways to move a large sum of money between two strangers.
To overcome the security risks of other payment methods, some sellers turn to escrow services, but these are expensive and time-consuming.
DealNow gives you escrow-like safeguards in an intuitive mobile app. It’s instantaneous (you get the cash in your account the instant the buyer releases it to you), it works any time of day every day of the year, and it’s super secure. Funds are held in an FDIC-insured account with easy off-ramping to your regular bank account, and there are no limits on the amount you can receive.
After you’ve been paid, sign over the vehicle title and hand over the keys.
Here’s an overview of the title transfer process:
Note: Some states require notarization of the title transfer process.
After transferring the title, remember to:
After you’ve signed over the title, the vehicle is no longer yours. Your work is almost done.
A release of liability form protects you from the repercussions of any actions the buyer takes with the car after the sale. If the buyer forgets or intentionally avoids registering the car in their name, you won’t be held responsible for financial and legal damages. If they get in an accident while your name is associated with the car in DMV records, the release of liability will absolve you.
Check your state’s DMV website to find out how to file a release of liability form. You can usually submit this form online, but make sure you understand the submission deadline; most states require filing within 5–30 days of the sale.
Pro tip: Submit your release of liability form before canceling your auto insurance.
DealNow gives you self-serve technology for every step of the private party sale.
Here’s how simple it is to sell a car with DealNow:
Our instant, intuitive tech solutions enable on-the-spot deals and put you in control. Ready to sell your car with less hassle and more security? Give DealNow a try. It’s the smarter way to handle your private car sale.
The safest payment method when selling a car is DealNow. Unlike physical cash (which can be counterfeit or stolen) or checks (which can bounce), DealNow facilitates instant, verified transfers of any amount directly between buyer and seller.
DealNow’s platform ensures secure transactions by:
With DealNow, you get the immediacy of cash with bank-level security. Funds are held in FDIC-insured accounts with easy offboarding to your regular bank.
To get the most money for your car, sell it privately instead of trading it in at a dealership.
Here’s why:
While selling privately requires more effort, it typically yields 15–25% more than a trade-in. Research your car’s value, create a compelling listing, and be prepared to meet with potential buyers to maximize your return.
It feels a bit weird to receive a large amount of physical cash, right? You’ve got to count it, you’ve got to verify that it’s not counterfeit, and you’ve got to get it to your bank without losing it or being robbed.
Instead of physical cash, get paid digitally. It’s cash to your bank account. DealNow is as immediate and certain as physical cash, without all the risks. It’s the best way to get paid cash for your car.
A bank transfer is a fairly secure way to pay for a car, if you don’t mind some inconvenience and the exposure of your banking info to the seller. For a more convenient, instant, and intuitive way to send cash, use DealNow.
Generally, you’ll get the best price for your car by selling it to a private buyer rather than trading it in at a dealership. Private buyers typically pay more because dealerships need to factor in their profit margin when making trade-in offers.
To maximize your selling price:
DealNow is the safest payment method for the buyer as well as for the seller. It allows buyers to verify the seller’s identity and confirm the title is clean. It protects them with a legally binding bill of sale, countersigned by the seller, so they are safe to release payment. Because the seller receives funds instantly, they sign over the title on the spot and drawn-out deals are a thing of the past.
DealNow is the easiest way to close your own vehicle deal, anytime. It’s the safe and simple way to avoid fraud, sign documents, and instantly transact, all in one app.
