Overhaulin'

How do avoid getting ripped off when I sell my car?

Hi all, I am selling my car on my own, and I'm a bit worried that I could get ripped off with a bad check. I was thinking about asking for cash only, or have the person accompany me to the bank to cash their check, but I worry this may push people away because it's an inconvenience. Any tips on how to protect myself while avoiding a hassle?

Public Comments

1. Going to a bank shouldn't be viewed as a hassle. Its protection for you and the buyer. If they don't want to go to a bank, chances are they want to rip you off.
2. Check online for car dealers selling the same cars, and used, so you can base your price off of their price. I guarantee you won't be ripped off then. http://www.carprice.com/compare-cars
3. The safest way is to deal with cash only. If you really want to do checks, make sure you don't take checks after the banks close for the day. Fraudsters usually hassle sellers to accept checks later in the day or during weekends. Never hand over your keys or title until the money is with you, either in hard cash or as an approved amount sitting in your bank account. Trust your gut feelings, if you don't feel right about a deal, call it off... your instincts are your best friends. And people will not go away if they understand that you're only trying to protect yourself... only fraudsters will! Trust me on this, I was lucky to get rid of two potential fraudsters while trying to sell my car just by taking these simple measures. And remember, no Western Union... never! Good Luck!
4. When you make an appointment to turn over the car to the new owners just tell them you want cash, cashiers check or money order.
5. Don't worry about pushing people away. If they are legitimate, they shouldn't mind you going with them to get a cashier's check.
6. You shouldn't take a personal check. It's pretty easy to make a fake cashier's check too, I guess. Maybe you shouldn't take that either. I don't think too many people would really mind if you want to go to the bank. You can go to jail for writing bad checks, so most people who have a job and live in a house somewhere wouldn't dream of doing that to you. It costs too much. So if you're a judge of character, you can also spot the good checks that way.
7. I sold my first car myself just 3 months ago and had exactly the same question. I don't know how you are advertising your sale; I put an ad online and you wouldn't believe how many suspicious offers I received. Some people wanted to buy it without even driving it or bargaining and were offering ready cashier's checks. It really freaked me out, thus I started stating firmly: cash only or we go to the bank together and do funds transfer. Trust me, if a buyer is genuine and has nothing to hide, he/she will agree with no fuss - they will understand your worries and will cooperate.
8. check on the net for prices and then tell that you are only going to sell it at that price. if they agree tell them cash only, but make sure it is real.