The five ways to sell a car
Buys cars that don't run or are wrecked
- Car Emptor
- Yes
- Dealer
- Sometimes
- Private sale
- No
- Junkyard
- Yes
Free towing
- Car Emptor
- Yes
- Dealer
- No
- Private sale
- No
- Junkyard
- Sometimes
Typical time to sell
- Car Emptor
- 1 to 2 days after you accept
- Dealer
- Same day
- Private sale
- Weeks
- Junkyard
- 1 to 3 days
Haggling
- Car Emptor
- None
- Dealer
- Bundled into the deal
- Private sale
- Lots
- Junkyard
- Some
No strangers test-driving your car
- Car Emptor
- Yes
- Dealer
- Yes
- Private sale
- No
- Junkyard
- Yes
Title paperwork handled for you
- Car Emptor
- Yes
- Dealer
- Yes
- Private sale
- No
- Junkyard
- Sometimes
How you're paid
- Car Emptor
- Cash or check at pickup
- Dealer
- Credit toward a car
- Private sale
- Varies, scam risk
- Junkyard
- Cash, by weight
Price basis for a clean, running car
- Car Emptor
- Wholesale value
- Dealer
- Wholesale, set against your next car
- Private sale
- Usually highest
- Junkyard
- Scrap weight
The right choice depends mostly on your car's condition. A three-year-old SUV with clean history is worth the effort of a private sale. A twelve-year-old sedan with a bad transmission is not, and most private buyers won't touch it.
Private sale
Selling to another driver through a marketplace listing usually gets you the most, because you're charging what a dealer would charge on its lot. In exchange, you handle everything: photos, the listing, messages, test drives, payment checks and the title transfer.
- Best for: clean, running, desirable cars when you have a few weeks
- Watch out for: fake payments, overpayment scams and test-drive theft
- Tip: meet in a public place, accept cash at a bank or a verified transfer, and sign nothing until the money clears
Dealer trade-in
Trading in is the most convenient option if you're buying another car from the same dealer, and in many states the trade-in value reduces the sales tax on your new car. Trade-in offers are usually the lowest for a running car, and they can get folded into the price of the new car so it's hard to see what you got.
Online instant cash buyers
Online buyers give you a price from a short form and pick the car up. Some only want late-model, clean cars, and others, including Car Emptor, buy any car in any condition. You won't get full retail, but you avoid the work and risk of a private sale, and damaged or non-running cars often fetch more than a dealer or junkyard would pay.
No obligation.
Auctions and junkyards
Public auctions can work for unusual cars, but fees and no-sale risk add up. Junkyards and scrap yards buy anything, usually by weight, and many charge for towing. If your car still has working parts, compare a junkyard quote against an instant buyer that values parts too. Our junk car value guide shows how scrap prices are calculated.
Which option pays the most for your car
| Your car | Likely best price | Fastest |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 years old, clean title, runs well | Private sale | Instant buyer or dealer |
| 5 to 12 years old, some wear | Private sale or instant buyer | Instant buyer |
| High mileage or needs repairs | Instant buyer | Instant buyer |
| Damaged, wrecked or totaled | Instant buyer or salvage buyer | Instant buyer |
| Doesn't run, or only worth scrap | Instant buyer that values parts | Instant buyer or junkyard |
- Likely best price:
- Private sale
- Fastest:
- Instant buyer or dealer
- Likely best price:
- Private sale or instant buyer
- Fastest:
- Instant buyer
- Likely best price:
- Instant buyer
- Fastest:
- Instant buyer
- Likely best price:
- Instant buyer or salvage buyer
- Fastest:
- Instant buyer
- Likely best price:
- Instant buyer that values parts
- Fastest:
- Instant buyer or junkyard
How much less does a quick sale cost you?
The gap between a private sale and a fast sale is real, but it's often smaller than people expect once you count the costs of selling privately. Listing fees, a detail, a pre-sale inspection, small repairs a buyer insists on, and the time you spend answering messages all come out of the private-sale price. So does the risk of a buyer backing out after you've turned down other offers.
For a newer car in demand, the private-sale premium can still be worth chasing. For an older car, a car with a warning light, or one you need gone this week, the convenience of a firm offer and a free pickup usually wins.
How to compare offers fairly
- Describe the car the same way to every buyer: same mileage, same damage, same title status.
- Ask whether the offer is the amount you'll be paid, or whether towing, title or processing fees come out of it.
- Ask when and how you're paid, and whether the price can change at pickup and why.
- Check how long each offer is good for. Ours lasts seven days, which gives you time to compare.
- Look at the final number in your hand, not the headline quote.
Selling a car with problems
Dealers and private buyers mostly want cars they can drive away. If yours has a failed transmission, flood damage, a salvage title or a loan bigger than its value, your realistic buyers narrow to cash buyers, salvage auctions and junkyards. Our pages on damaged cars, cars that don't run and cars with a loan explain how each situation is priced.
Frequently asked questions
How do I negotiate a better offer for my car?
Get two or three offers on the same day with the same description, then ask the highest bidder to confirm the price in writing. Fix cheap problems first, such as a dead battery or missing paperwork, and gather service records. With a cash buyer, the best lever is an accurate description, since a car that matches it keeps its price at pickup.