Resource Recommendations: How to sell a car?

[cameronbarker]

My spouse and I have owned a 1985 VW Westfalia since 2015. It was with us for the majority of that time in NYC and now out in Orange County, CA. We've really loved owning it but believe it's now time to sell it.


Neither of us have sold a car before. We'd love to learn how to sell a car like this. I wondered if there was a good series or service that you've found helpful when learning this process your self.

Thank you for your suggestions!

[campism]

Welcome. The Classifieds right here would be a good place to start. Take some good photos of your van and write up helpful notes and post. Good luck!
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'87 Westy in Wolfram Grey Metallic

[PDXWesty]

You can turn it over to a broker who would take part of the sale, or just post some ads on craigslist and The Samba. Easy Peasy
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89 Westy 2.1 Auto

[16CVs]

I would not sell it here, too much competition. This site is full of owners that already have a van and when they do buy we're all bottom feeders.

I'd put it on E bay classifieds or something like Auto Trader or a broker as stated.

You can list it here as well, but unless it's cheap you're going to sit on it.

Stacy
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1987 Syncro Westfalia Triple knob (bastard)
1989 Syncro Tristar Triple knob "Swedish"
2013 Jetta Hybrid a true "Zwitter"
Samba member # 14980
Call anytime number 650 722 4914 .
Keep Your van running and upkept tastefully for the love of the hobby.
Don't let your van end up in an "abortions" thread.

[markswagen]

you should list on your local craigslist also, doesn't matter where, the more places you list it the better chance you will have of finding it's new owner.
good luck with the sale
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markswagen {mobile mechanic} san diego area all early VW's cared for.

619 201 0310

[vanis13]

What do you want out of the sale?

Quick?
High price?
Easy?

Pick two and we can give more applicable suggestions.
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83.5 Westy with Subaru 2.5, 4 spd manual, center seat, COLD A/C on 134a!, Winter camp heated with an Espar B4 gasoline furnace

www.SuperVanagon.com - some stuff I make

[MayorMcCheese]

Facebook marketplace is probably the most popular. However if someone messages asking "is it still available" 90% of the time it means they accidentally sent you the default message and have no real interest.

I've bought and sold a few cars through Facebook and Craigslist without issue.

[MarkWard]

I watch for certain vehicles on the online auction site Bring a Trailer. If priced right or even better no reserve, vehicles sell in a week. You are getting world wide exposure to folks looking to buy. Of course there are squirrels, but the auction lasts a week. They also have a history of what vehicles sold for in the past.

That said, the classic car market is softer than it was 9 months ago. The #vanlifers have also started to figure out, the van life in a VW van is not for everyone. The vanagons still fill a niche.

Classified prices here, seem like the "I don't want to sell it" asking price. Perhaps listed high to solve some pressure from a spouse. Good luck with the sale. I have no affiliation with Bring a Trailer other than the time I waste there. I would not waste my time with Craig's list or ebay. Crazy F-ing people out there.
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[Mckinleyvillian]

I have bought and sold every vehicle i have owned via craigslist. I generally avoid dithering and nickel & diming. A hundred bucks doesnt matter to me, 500-1000, thats a little bit of a different story. choose three number$, what you really want, what you will take, and the absolutely lowest, wont go any lower $ that you will take. knowing you probably will have to work hard to grt back all you have put into, if you put a fair according to what people can afford in the world, not what the “market” says is correct, you will sell the van a lot faster.

Anyways, its important to know the vehicle youre selling. Whats been done, what it needs, what it does so that you can let the potential buyer know and answer questions.

When writing a bill of sale, in MA anyways, id write either “sale dependent on passing emissions” or “vehicle sold as is.” As is usually brings a lower price but makes for a quick sale. In CA, will your vehicle smog? That coule be a whole different can of worms, trying to sell and chasing a smog demon on an 85…

The old test drive… grt a copy of their license, insurance card, and make sure their vehicle is secured at your place. Gotta choose if they take a test drive with you or alone. With a vanagon, is probably go for the ride since its not a typical vehicle regarding steering, shifting, parking etc…

On the test drive encourage the potential buyer to really drive the rig. Town driving, freeway, etc.

Be honest, clean it up real well. Engine bay, wash/wax, oil change, interior, etc.

Cash is nice, cashiers checks are too. Avoid paypal, zelle, etc.
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so many roads i know
all i want is one to take me home

85 Vanagon GL 1.9 stick

[0to60in6min]

I've seen some FOR SALE flyers posted at my mechanic shop. Maybe you can do this at yours? (with his permission of course).

[SCM]

I was in your shoes too. Figuring out a way to find a buyer was actually the easy part. Learning what has to be done as far as title transfer, notaries, getting the money, etc. was foreign to me. Unfortunately, having only sold 3 vehicles in my 48 years of living and one of those to a friend, I'm still a bit clueless about it. Those things probably vary state to state too. I would contact your local vehicle registration department etc. to learn the ins and outs of that stuff.

As for advertising the van there's countless options.

On one hand, being old-school for my age, I would just put a for sale sign on it and park it somewhere local with lots of traffic, drive it around a lot, etc. One the other hand, I would never park my van overnight on a street so...

My few experiences using Craigslist to sell bicycles and snow tires have been such time wasters I would be hesitant to use it to sell a car. Stuff eventually sells but the ratio of scammers/clueless idiots to serious buyers is somewhere around 10:1 IME.

My recent purchase of a vehicle on BAT was such a smooth transaction, including having the vehicle shipped to my house, that I would strongly consider that as long as any of their fees are acceptable to you.
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'91 Westfalia GL Automatic (GTA "Turbo" Rebuild w/Peloquin) and 2.3L GoWesty Engine