How Selling Your Car to a Dealer Makes You Brilliant

Who has time to sell your own car on Craigslist? First you have to wash the stupid car, take pictures of it, fumble with uploading the images, and write a coherent ad with your precious cel phone number included.

Don’t forget spell check so you don’t look like an idiot to the bigger idiots that are about to call you. Then wait for the fun to begin.

Your prospective buyer will fall into these distinct categories:

-The Endless Texter: If their HOUSE WAS ON FIRE they will not pick the phone or make a voice call. You know the type, they will send you endless texts with stupid questions and if you dare try to call them three seconds after one of these texts they WILL NOT PICK UP.

-The “What’s your last price?” Guy: Before they even SEE they want to know is the cheapest you will sell it for.

-The “How much down payment do I need?” Guy: Yeah right, like you are going to finance some deadbeat you don’t even know.

– The Annoying Guy Who Can Hardly Speak English: You try bravely and politely to understand him but the few words can make out are irritating.

-The “Ridiculous Low-Ball Offer” Guy: You are asking a fair price of $5,000 for your Toyota and he offers you 800 bucks just to see what you will say.

-The “Information Seeker”: This guy wants everything, CARFAX emailed to him, all service records, how many owners, where did the car live since it was born, etc.

-The “Curbstoner”: This one is serious folks. California is the only state which allows a private seller to hand his title over to the new owner thus relying on the new owner to transfer the car into his, the new owner’s name, in a timely manner. A curbstoner is an unlicensed dealer who exploits this loophole by purchasing your car, holding it for awhile, even driving it around under your name and then reselling on Craigslist it to a third person. This leaves you liable for parking tickets, toll booth violations and red light camera tickets. They will be friendly, persuasive and tell you it is for their sick aunt who needs a car to get to her chemo treatments or some other cock and bull story. The only way to prevent this is miss a day of work, escort the new owner to the DMV and watch with your own eyes as the transfer is being made.

The “Appointment Setter”: You are a busy person, you have a lot going on in your life. Plus, you are an honorable person who shows up when you say you will. The guy doesn’t show up, his phone is in deep radio silence, you have rescheduled your entire day and this guy doesn’t even have the courtesy to call you to let you know.

Why put yourself through all this? Sell your car to Dennis Buys Cars. We will pay you the highest price possible and will beat all written offers including Carmax. We truly enjoy buying and selling all types of cars; classic cars, late model Hondas and Toyotas, trucks and even motorcycles! We are a licensed and bonded California dealer and are well into our second decade in the same location.

Dennis Goddard: So Craig, tell us about this car you’re selling today.

Craig: It’s a 2004 Mini Cooper which was my wife’s car and I brought here to Dennis Buys Cars to avoid the hassle on Craigslist with strangers knocking on my door and all that stuff.

Dennis: So you felt it was more convenient to sell it to a dealer rather than trying to sell it yourself.

Craig: Exactly. Just to avoid the hassle of strangers coming to my house and people calling me while I’m at work and things like that.

Dennis: How did you find Dennis at Dennis Buys Cars?

Craig: I work right down the street and I drive by here a lot saw that they had a lot of cars here and I thought I would come here, learn more and get a price quote and see what they would give me for my car.

Dennis: Great so our signs here on Venice Blvd seem to be working.

Craig: Yes, very well exactly.

Dennis: What was the best part of your experience here at Dennis Buys Cars?

Craig: I thought everybody was real honest and fair. I feel I got a good deal. Probably maybe could have gotten more on Craigslis but for the convenience I think I got a fair price for my car.