Recently, we found ourselves needing a new car to replace our trusty 2007 Honda CRV. After browsing the market, we settled on a 2013 Toyota Venza – a new used car to fit our needs. When it came time to deal with our old CRV, the question arose: trade it in, as I had always done, or sell it privately? In the past, trading in was my go-to method. It was simple and quick, and with older cars boasting high mileage, the thought of fixing them up and selling privately seemed daunting.
However, my wife had a history of successfully selling her cars privately before we met. Encouraged by her experience, we decided to take the plunge and sell our CRV ourselves. I must admit, I was skeptical about the potential return. Despite the CRV being in good condition and looking fantastic after a professional $250 detailing, I had low expectations, thinking maybe we’d get around $3,000. My wife, however, suggested we could aim for $7,000 or even $8,000! I was floored. Could a 9-year-old car with 140,000 miles really fetch that kind of price?
To my surprise, a quick online search revealed that similar Honda CRVs were indeed listed between $7,000 and $10,000, depending on mileage and condition. These vehicles really do hold their value!
To start the selling process, my wife listed our car on Carsoup.com. The listing fee was $29. I wasn’t involved in the listing process, so I’m unsure of the exact duration or any upgrade options. Over a two-week period, our Carsoup listing generated only two inquiries and one test drive. Frankly, the slow pace was making me anxious. I was eager to reclaim garage space and be done with the whole car-selling endeavor. It wasn’t as disruptive as selling a house, but still, it was an ongoing inconvenience.
Feeling impatient, I decided to broaden our reach and listed the CRV on Craigslist and Autotrader. Craigslist is free, while Autotrader had a $75 listing fee. Autotrader also offered premium listing upgrades for an additional cost, but I opted for just the standard $75 listing.
I created the Craigslist and Autotrader listings on a Monday evening. Listing on Craigslist took about 20 minutes, and Autotrader took around 30 minutes to complete.
The results were immediate and dramatic. Within the first twelve hours, I received six inquiries from Craigslist! One response came so quickly after posting that I initially dismissed it as a system test and almost ignored it.
Ultimately, we sold our car to one of those initial Craigslist responders. He came for a test drive on Tuesday at noon and immediately put down a $500 cash deposit. (Aside note: he was a genuinely nice person, and we enjoyed meeting him). Inquiries continued to roll in throughout Tuesday afternoon.
On Wednesday, my wife accompanied him to the DMV to finalize the title transfer. He paid the remaining balance in cash – eight crisp $100 bills. And just like that, the car was sold. It took less than 24 hours on Craigslist, we received essentially our asking price, turned away several other interested buyers, and had a pleasant interaction with the buyer – all for free!
So, what’s our recommendation based on this experience? I’m sure platforms like Carsoup and Autotrader are effective for many sellers. However, in our specific case, Craigslist proved to be exceptionally successful. Perhaps I’m mistaken, but it seems many buyers are comfortable purchasing reliable, moderately priced vehicles directly from individual sellers on Craigslist. Maybe higher-end, more expensive cars are better suited for specialized automotive listing services? Further research might provide more insights, but honestly, I don’t feel the need to delve deeper after such a positive Craigslist experience.
Have you sold a car on Craigslist or any other online service? What was your experience like? How long did it take to sell? We’d love to hear your stories!
