I've sold lots of used vehicles over the years in all kinds of economies and the one thing that sells them fast and for top dollar is having them in full retail condition. No damage, no rust, no major paint flaws and spotlessly clean. Everything must work. The buyers pool may be small right now but it is not zero.
I very recently sold 2 of my vehicles, both in perfect condition and prior to sale spent a week on each one detailing. Fixed all paint chips, buffed and waxed, detailed engine bays etc. If you're going to try for top dollar they'd better look perfect. I wrote my ads carefully explaining how over the years I kept them up with the intent of keeping them forever. I made sure my ads were 100% grammatically correct, an ad that looks like a grade school dropout wrote it loses credibility. Since both vehicles were perfect I didn't need to put in things like "It just needs" or "as is typical with these", I could honestly put "Everything works". 100% rust free is also a good selling point on these.
Even though I expected to wait weeks or months in this economy, the results were I sold them both for more than full retail, each one to the very first person to show up. One sold in less than 24 hours and the other sold in 8 days. The pickup sold for thousands over high retail, the car for several hundred over high retail.
There are some buyers out there, you are looking for the ones with cash who have been patiently watching for what you have. A hard to find cream puff may sell for well over book to someone who really wants it. Here in the Southwest the older a truck or 4x4 becomes, the less applicable book prices become.
I very recently sold 2 of my vehicles, both in perfect condition and prior to sale spent a week on each one detailing. Fixed all paint chips, buffed and waxed, detailed engine bays etc. If you're going to try for top dollar they'd better look perfect. I wrote my ads carefully explaining how over the years I kept them up with the intent of keeping them forever. I made sure my ads were 100% grammatically correct, an ad that looks like a grade school dropout wrote it loses credibility. Since both vehicles were perfect I didn't need to put in things like "It just needs" or "as is typical with these", I could honestly put "Everything works". 100% rust free is also a good selling point on these.
Even though I expected to wait weeks or months in this economy, the results were I sold them both for more than full retail, each one to the very first person to show up. One sold in less than 24 hours and the other sold in 8 days. The pickup sold for thousands over high retail, the car for several hundred over high retail.
There are some buyers out there, you are looking for the ones with cash who have been patiently watching for what you have. A hard to find cream puff may sell for well over book to someone who really wants it. Here in the Southwest the older a truck or 4x4 becomes, the less applicable book prices become.
I think a lot of stuff is sit
