Best way to sell a Car/Truck?

[jays68yak]

OK I have been trying to sell my truck for the past few months. I have it on like 20 different boards like this one, in one of the local car mags, and had it on ebay once. I have had a few calls, but not a single person come down to look at it. WTF am i doing wrong? I know its not a perfect truck and im not trying to sell it as one. Here are the specs:
For Sale 1994 GMC Sierra SLE Ext Cab K2500
- 5.7 Liter V8 with a K&N air filter
- Rebuilt automatic overdrive tranny with 20,000+ miles
- 14 Bolt Rear end w/ 2” lift blocks, Front bars have been tightened
- 4 wheel drive
- Axp 157,000 miles
- Aftermarket brushed grill insert
- Viper 550ESP Alarm with Remote start
- Kenwood cd player
- Bed liner with bed rail covers
- Power drivers seat
- Power windows
- Power steering
- Power brakes, front calipers have been replaced with bigger piston ¾ ton units
- Power locks
- Cruise control
- 16.5 “ Eagle alloy wheels with 33x12.5x16.5 BFG Mud tires (Apx 30,000 miles on tires, going to need new ones soon)
- Setup for towing, has a class 3 hitch, 7 pin connecter with electric trailer brake controller in the dash.
- Tilt wheel
- Air conditioning
- Recent tune up (cap, rotor, and plugs)
- New Battery
- Have new pads for the front and new oil filter

Asking $6,500 OBO


Stuff that I know needs to be fixed. Drivers side mirror has 2 chips in it, you can still see out of it just fine. Passanger side seat doesnt always slide and lock. Check engine light comes on, says it is running lean, but it runs fine and I have changed the o2 sensor. Drivers side fender has a nice dent in it, passanger side right before rear bumper has a dent in it. Needs new tires.

All that isnt too much in my book to fix, i just dont have the money to put into the truck, as paying the $300 a month for it now is killing me. What should I do to make this thing sell quicker? I cant really go too much lower then the asking price cuz that what I owe on the loan. Blue book is around $7500-8000 in its shape. Carfax returned a clear history. What else is there to do?

Thanks
Jason

[tom hand]

Right now the economy is so bad that everybody and there brother has a car for sell...and most folks are short on cash so they can't buy them. The only way you will sell it right now is to come down on the price.

[jays68yak]

to what?

[old Rusty C10]

is it possible you could take the fender off and make it look better by pushing the dent out? and is there any way to make the other dent look less by pushing it out?
do you think you could afford to put on a set of used tires? maybe get em at a scrap yard?
lastly is this truck clean? if you show off a truck thats dirty and ratty looking most people assume that its been taken care of ****ty. While im aware that an older truck fades etc there are still products that make older trucks look decent ( especially if its oxidated paint or just dull) you need to address issues like peeling paint or clear coat
change the mirror glass its only like a eight dollar investment, but to an unmechanical eye it looks like some cheap ass owns the truck and dont take care of it
also is this truck some kind of oddball color like puke green?i wouldnt even look at the truck if it wasnt a normal color
also you cant go by what the book tells you; this is summer time and two wheel drive trucks sell faster cause you dont need 4wd trucks in summer.. once winter starts setting in, people want 4wd for plow trucks and all
for a 94 truck in my area in shape similar to what you describe ( im in central NJ) i can find one for between $4500-5000, and you dont say whether thats a long or short bed, im assuming its a shortbed, which in my eyes makes it harder to sell cause alot of contractors need long beds cause sheetrock and plywood comes in eight foot lengths.
i really dont wanna sound like im tearing your truck to shreads, but im just being honest as i see it..please dont take offense at anything ive said. also try posting pics and if ya want post a pic here and ill try to critique more
good luck selling the truck tho

[Zumo]

Try Autotrader. I was getting calls for weeks after the car was sold.

[smokekiki]

I disagree with the economy part.My wife is a controller for a Ford dealer.They are very busy.The interest and rebates are so good right now that every one is coming in and buying new.The dealer she works for sells 10 trucks/suvs for every car.They can't sell used cars,unless they are low miles and excelent shape.Every thing else goes to auction.Take a look at www.kbb.com will give you an idea what the "value"of the truck is.

[wild4wheels]

The incentives available on new cars and trucks have turned the used market into crap. It's tough out there right now, I have sat on vehicles for up to six months waiting to sell. (Hint-never buy a car or truck to "flip" that does not have A/C!)

I have had my best luck detailing the piss out of it, (even if you have to pay to have it done) parking it on a busy street-in an upscale neighborhood with for sale signs on it, rich folks are always looking for cheap-$2K to 5K cars and trucks for their kids.

You have to be careful, don't price it TOO cheap or they will think something is wrong with it. You can always come down on price, not up. I typically will price a car at about $200.00 BELOW loan value. That way you and they KNOW there will not be a problem financing, they think they are getting a really good deal, and you still make money if you bought it right. I make a little "window Sticker for it with ALL info on it including book values, what it need etc. Cuts down on people pestering you if they have no interest in a car with more than 100K miles on it.

Sorry so long but..one more quick note..take the average value of both the Kelly Blue book and the NADA book to determine your price.

Hope that helps!

Later,

Wild

[casey]

It almost sounds like in theses tough economic times your a little over priced, so if your stuck on your price than you'll have to take oldrustyc10's advice and try to put the truck in alittle more presentable shape

[jays68yak]

http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/bc/jas...=/94+GMC+Truck
theres a pic to some pic of anyone wants to see them.

where can I get the mirror piece? Just any old glass shop? the whole mirror from a junk yard goes for $50.

[krue]

Try autozone for a glue in mirror glass. I bought one for my S-10 there for around $10

[Alexis]

It's pink and silver :p Well try 6300. You got to make the price seem good. Also I would try auto trader. you can run a ad in it till the day it sells. You also need to compare other trucks of the same year and model to it to make sure your not kidding the market.

[jays68yak]

Its been in truck trader. Im thinking about putting it on traderonline, looked into it this morning before i posted this.

There are truck that go for less and there are ones that go for more. I think its just a price game right now. It goes down $300 a month. so maybe next year it will be sold.

[jays68yak]

Originally posted by Alexis
It's pink and silver :p Well try 6300. You got to make the price seem good. Also I would try auto trader. you can run a ad in it till the day it sells. You also need to compare other trucks of the same year and model to it to make sure your not kidding the market.

oh its pink like your big truck.
Na its red a silver for those of you who are color blind.

[Alexis]

Originally posted by jays68yak

oh its pink like your big truck.
Na its red a silver for those of you who are color blind.

I knew that was coming.

Well how much are you willing to let it go for? How much would you want someone to pay to get if off your back. I know your trying to get a reasonable settlement for it but sometimes it the emotional stress it puts on you that get relieve thats worth more.

[ChevLoRay]

I sold a '69 SWB Chevy, via TruckTrader.com, in less than 24 hours to a guy who drove 6 hours to see it, and then drove it home to Ft. Worth....for cash....the only way to sell.

I agree with those who say that current economic conditions are your problem. Rebates, 0% interest, etc., makes it hard on us "common" folk who have to buy used.

Do you know anyone at a car/truck lot that will let you park it for a consignment sale? It didn't work when I needed to sell my CR-V, last August, but it was worth a shot. However, if you have to drive it, you can't park it for consignment, can you?

Does California law allow you to drive it with "For Sale" signs on it? I had "For Sale" on my old '63 Falcon 2-dr wagon, and got pulled over by an Arkansas State Trooper.....he wanted to know how much I wanted for it! So, I just added the price, and didn't get stopped anymore.

Good luck. It sucks to need to sell and not have a market. One good reason to stay with the 67-72's.....which are "hot" right now. Toyota is another thing to stay with....if resale is in your mind when you buy. Not that I don't like Chevy, 'cause I DO! I just like Toyota, too.

[oldsub86]

Sad but true - the best way to sell fast is to sell cheap.

If you can afford to hang on for your price, then wait it out. Sometimes just driving around with a "For Sale" sign in the window or parking it in a busy location with a "For Sale" sign and a phone number will find you the right person.

A realtor friend says "people buy lipstick" meaning that it won't matter much what is wrong with it if it looks really nice. Try to fix the obvious defects as best you can without spending more than you will get back.

[jays68yak]

Originally posted by ChevLoRay
I sold a '69 SWB Chevy, via TruckTrader.com, in less than 24 hours to a guy who drove 6 hours to see it, and then drove it home to Ft. Worth....for cash....the only way to sell.

Do you know anyone at a car/truck lot that will let you park it for a consignment sale? It didn't work when I needed to sell my CR-V, last August, but it was worth a shot. However, if you have to drive it, you can't park it for consignment, can you?

Does California law allow you to drive it with "For Sale" signs on it? I had "For Sale" on my old '63 Falcon 2-dr wagon, and got pulled over by an Arkansas State Trooper.....he wanted to know how much I wanted for it! So, I just added the price, and didn't get stopped anymore.

I think older cars and trucks are easier to sell, there is a bigger market for cars that people can customize or relive their past with. Even tho you wont get your money out of those either, but there is a lot better market and they are cheaper and easier to work on.

I can park it on one lot and they will take care of sellign it, but that cost $500 weather they sell it or not.

I have a shoe polish for sale written on the back windo with my number. I get calls once in a while. One guy pulled me off the freeway to check it out. Said he knew it ran well cuz he couldnt catch up to me.

Originally posted by Alexis


I knew that was coming.

Well how much are you willing to let it go for? How much would you want someone to pay to get if off your back. I know your trying to get a reasonable settlement for it but sometimes it the emotional stress it puts on you that get relieve thats worth more.

Lowest I can go right now would be $6000, thats with me paying 600 out of my pocket. Registration is due in a month, which means I have to smog it (which I have to do anyways) and pay the $200 registration. So I guess that would be $6200 is the lowest. Next weekend it will prob be $6000 cuz I have to make a payment. Im just chasing my payments like I have been for the past few months (Ive been trying to sell it for since before I got the suburban, like 9 months or something) At first I knew it was high, thats what I aws asking this, cuz im lost as to why it doesnt sell.

[john]

That mileage doesn't help. I went through the same thing with a s-10 blazer with high mileage I ended up dropping from $6500 to $4300. The interior and exterior were like new,but the mileage scared everyone off. I think the auto trader will get the most exposure for it. Good Luck. John