Guides / Buying and selling
Selling or trading in your car
Your current car is often the biggest bargaining chip you have. A few quotes and a bit of preparation can make a real difference to what you get.
What to know
- Know its value
- Check estimates from several valuation sites and look at local listings for similar cars.
- Get more than one offer
- Get written offers from more than one dealer or buying service before you accept a trade-in value.
- Keep it separate
- Negotiate the price of the car you're buying before discussing the trade-in, so one doesn't hide the other.
- Prepare the car
- Clean it, gather service records and the title, and fix small inexpensive things.
- Private sale safety
- If you sell privately, meet in a public place, take payment you can verify, and follow your state's title transfer rules.
Questions to ask
- Is this offer good if I don't buy a car from you?
- How do you handle the payoff if I still owe money on the loan?
Where to check
- Your state DMV
- Title transfer and bill of sale requirements.
General information for US drivers, not financial, legal or mechanical advice for your situation. Consumer protection, title and lemon laws vary by state. The Nickel Stretcher isn't paid by any dealer, lender, insurer or brand mentioned here.