6 Tips to Sell Your Car Safely
Meeting potential buyers and dealing with them financially always comes with a horror story or two—and your buddies made sure to describe both to you in detail the minute you put your ads out. But there are steps you can take to help sell your car safely. Selling your car doesn’t have to be a terrifying situation, though. Knowing how to handle contacts and what to watch out for will help reduce your risk and put you in better control of each meeting or test drive.
Always try to talk to interested parties over the phone before you meet with them. While you’re talking, don’t get so caught up in the fact that you found a buyer that you miss any warning signs the person is showing. Listen for hesitation or unclear answers. Ask for the person’s full name and see how he or she responds. See how interested the person seems about the car’s details.
If you don’t have a good feeling after talking to a potential buyer, don’t set up a meeting. Selling a car safely is most important and you’re not obligated to sell to anyone, so don’t put yourself in a possibly dangerous situation if you sense that something is off. There will be other customers.
Never meet someone alone, and this advice applies to women and men. Take a friend, or family member along with you, and meet your contact in a public place (like a mall parking lot) during daylight hours. You can even opt to sell your car safely by choosing a location where surveillance cameras are present.
Before you hand over your keys to a stranger for a test drive, ask for his or her driver’s license and make copies of it before giving it back. To make this easier, ask for the copy ahead of time or plan to meet near a public library or another facility with an accessible copier. Or make use of modern technology and snap a picture with your smart phone.
If you’re not going to be accompanying the buyer on a test drive, you might want to check to see what your insurance policy says about the situation. Covering yourself for unaccompanied test drives might be a good idea. Call your insurance agent with any questions that come up.
After you sell your car, file a “release of liability” form as soon as you possibly can. You can do this with the registry of motor vehicles. Filing takes away your responsibility in the case of a crime associated with your car.
These tips will help you to stay safe while selling your car. Its easy if you know how to handle situations with strangers.
