Selling a used car

[MCBTunes]

I have a 2002 Sebring Lxi Convertible that I want to sell but I was wondering about a few things. It has a relatively ugly crack in the windshield and the upper control arm bushings on all four(but especially the front wheels) squeek pretty bad. I've looked into it and the windshield will cost me $300 and to get the bushings changed I am looking at just under $1000. Now are these kinds of things that I should fix or would prospective buyers kind of think they are minor issues and for a sub $10000 car not really a big deal?

Up here the car is worth about $9000-9500 I would like to not put more money into it... but if these are major selling points I guess I have too. I'd like to get close to the $9000 for it.

[Trevorus]

I don't really think that car is worth quite that much with that much needing done. If the bushings need replaced, there is probably a bit more than that needing done... How many miles?

People will be much less likely to spend that much on a car with a broken windshield.

[gold_member_321]

Originally Posted by Trevorus

People will be much less likely to spend that much on a car with a broken windshield.

+1, aesthetics are a huge part of a car sale/worth.

[Brad Johnson]

If you can. fix it first. It's a major handicap otherwise. Also having something that needs to be repaired can be a seen as an indication that you didn't keep up with maintainence otherwise. True or not.

It's all about first impressions. If you haven't yet, get the car detailed or at least cleaned and waxed if it needs it.

[MCBTunes]

Yeah the car has been cleaned/detailed/waxed, and had fluid changes. I'm getting the windshield done tomorrow. And I am still going to think on the bushings, I want to sell it this month to take advantage of the summer months.

[hbarcat]

Whenever I buy or sell a vehicle I always type up a receipt and make two copies which are each signed by the buyer and the seller and which spell out any issues that may possibly be safety related or value related or which may possibly be a cause of contention at a later date. This covers your butt and it also does the same for the other party at the same time because it forces him to really think about all the terms in the transaction before he commits.


SAMPLE

I "hbarcat",(seller) do hereby sell
my 2003 Chevy Camaro
Vin# 123456789809887765654434
with 118,244 miles
to "Richard P Head" (buyer)
on this date, July 10, 2008,
for the sum of $7,300

The sale is entirely AS-IS
with no refunds

I have disclosed all known issues
with the vehicle which may be related to
safety or value to the buyer to the best of my ability.

All responsibility for determining purchase
value of the vehicle is entirely up to buyer

Known issues:
rear tires worn and should be replaced
rear passenger side running light not working
A/C needs recharging



Buyer_________________

Seller_________________

[Bob Lee (QSC)]

It's always a good idea to fix up a car that you want to sell. It's usually not possible to make the car quite like new, and that might not even be advisable to try if the cost can not be reasonably recovered in the selling price.

Nevertheless, there are some possible repairs that, even though you might not recoup their cost, will tend to make selling the car much easier. That has some value to you, the seller. It could make the difference between selling the car reasonably quickly and selling it finally after several months to the 56th person who trudged out to see it.

[Bob Lee (QSC)]

Originally Posted by hbarcat

Whenever I buy or sell a vehicle I always type up a receipt and make two copies which are each signed by the buyer and the seller and which spell out any issues that may possibly be safety related or value related or which may possibly be a cause of contention at a later date. This covers your butt and it also does the same for the other party at the same time because it forces him to really think about all the terms in the transaction before he commits.


SAMPLE

I "hbarcat",(seller) do hereby sell
my 2003 Chevy Camaro
Vin# 123456789809887765654434
with 118,244 miles
to "Richard P Head" (buyer)
on this date, July 10, 2008,
for the sum of $7,300

The sale is entirely AS-IS
with no refunds

I have disclosed all known issues
with the vehicle which may be related to
safety or value to the buyer to the best of my ability.

All responsibility for determining purchase
value of the vehicle is entirely up to buyer

Known issues:
rear tires worn and should be replaced
rear passenger side running light not working
A/C needs recharging



Buyer_________________

Seller_________________

Very good advice.

[Stumbo]

Sounds like you should shop around for better pricing on the maintenance.

Windshield cracks will not pass Vehicle Code - gotta be replaced.

Bushing squeaking mean that they probably need some grease. Do they have grease fittings. Maybe do some research on how to solve that problem. For a 6 year old car to be all "sqeaky", maybe they need some lubrication only.