Selling a car online

Thinking of selling my car online, locally. Just trying to figure out logistics and safety... how does it work with someone test driving my car? Do I take a photo of their license the way you would at a dealer? Do I need to add them to my insurance for the test drive?

Meet a public location?

Once sale is agreed (done), do I take off plates and give them the car and title, or keep the car and wait til they register it in their name, so I'm not liable for anything until they register? Haven't done this in ages and just want to be sure I'm not leaving myself open to any weird issues...



lukeysboat said:

Thinking of selling my car online, locally. Just trying to figure out logistics and safety... how does it work with someone test driving my car? Do I take a photo of their license the way you would at a dealer? Do I need to add them to my insurance for the test drive?


Meet a public location?


Once sale is agreed (done), do I take off plates and give them the car and title, or keep the car and wait til they register it in their name, so I'm not liable for anything until they register? Haven't done this in ages and just want to be sure I'm not leaving myself open to any weird issues...

I can answer the second part. Collect money, sign over title, they go to DMV and get new title and bring back to you, remove plates, call your insurance company remove car from insurance. 


I sold a reasonably priced older minivan through Maplewood Online in less than a week.  Buyer was from Maplewood, and he left his kid with me for the test drive, so I knew he'd come back. Just saying...  



finnegan said:

I sold a reasonably priced older minivan through Maplewood Online in less than a week.  Buyer was from Maplewood, and he left his kid with me for the test drive, so I knew he'd come back. Just saying...  

I don’t know, with some parents.....


I have sold cars like this, and I have asked for a signed paper before the test drive. "  I am buying this car for x dollars, pending the test drive.  If there is an accident I understand that I have bought the car."

  I don't know if that would hold up in court, but it made me feel better.



FilmCarp said:

I have sold cars like this, and I have asked for a signed paper before the test drive. "  I am buying this car for x dollars, pending the test drive.  If there is an accident I understand that I have bought the car."

  I don't know if that would hold up in court, but it made me feel better.

I don't believe that would hold up in court. Because of the accident, the pending test drive would not have completed.


Regarding safe meeting place, Summit police offers there lot as a meeting place.

Take a still photo of the buyer and immediately forward it to your home computer. Also, maybe video the interaction so as to get a sound recording.


My biggest concern would be a person buying a used car but gets into an accident before transferring title. That is why the sound recording.




Make sure that you draft up a bill of sale stating that the sale is "AS-IS".  You don't want to be sued because the transmission failed a few thousand miles down the road (happened to me - judgment for me because of the "As-IS" in the bill of sale).

Link to sample bill of sale follows:  https://www.dcu.org/pdfs/billofsale.pdf  Please note, sample bill of sale includes an AS-IS declaration.    Finally, get a photo of the buyer's driver's license so that you can be sure that you are not part of an identity fraud scam (incorrectly identified buyer with no driver license, or suspended driver's license, buys car in the name of an individual with a clean driving record).  You should maintain these documents for a least three ("3") years (personally I would put them in my permanent file).



The one time I sold a used car, after we had exchanged money and paperwork I took the plates off and the guy loaded the care on a trailer and left.

I wouldn't let the person leave with your plates still on the car.  Meet them at the DMV to exchange car, money, & paperwork.


A Craigslist ad brought out some strange car buyers. I listed my car, which had relatively low mileage. I got emails from two people with serious interest, mixed in with 10+ people offering ridiculously low amounts for it, and telling me it would never sell for the full price I was asking for.  (In the end, a relative let me know they wanted it, so I didn't end up with strangers test driving it).



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