r/carselling

I am looking to sell a 2005 Honda Civic; ~190k miles but in good repair. It runs well, but it has a few cosmetic defects here and there- a small dent in the rear bumper and a few places where the paint is scratched/flaked off. The biggest paint problem spot is the raised part of the dent on the rear bumper, where the paint is pretty much completely scraped off in about a 1/4cm spot. The car's not rusting, but these spots keep it from looking really nice.

A professional paint job would cost more than the selling price for the car.

Is it worth trying a DIY ~$500 paint job before selling it? The main reason is that I worry I won't even be able to find a buyer with the paint chips.
Or do you think a buyer would be willing to overlook the cosmetic defects, and be willing to take on the option of giving it a makeover once they own it?

I'm hoping to sell it on the low end of its KBB value for the area, around $2,800, to account for the cosmetic issues and for the fact that I serviced it myself (so the buyer won't be able to see a CARFAX service history, just my personal log of repairs/maintenance). Am I more worried than I need to be about its "curb appeal?"

(note: I've never sold or traded in a useable car before, and this is only the second one I've owned; last one I drove until it totally died, and was towed away)

**Edit: Glad I asked! The chipped paint will stay as it is.

I have a 2014 Ford Escape 99k miles, that we think has a blown headgasket. It started shaking and went into limp mode. The code reader says “Internal Control Module Torque Calculation Performance” “Throttle Actuator A Control system -STUCK OPEN”
Shops around us aren’t open on weekends, so we’re left to google for a couple days and plan on getting a new car.
In that planning, selling this would help with scrounging up a down payment, but I’ve put it into different car buying sites and I’m seeing wildly varying results.
Hoping someone might have a realistic sense of what anyone might pay for it.
In the Philadelphia metro area if that makes a difference.

We bought our 2018 Volvo six months ago with about 63k miles on it from Carmax. It has been in the shop a lot and we’ve decided to sell it now at 69k.

The best price we found online was with Carvana. They said they did an odometer check and the title is showing $90k!!

I’m not sure what this happens or what it means. Did Carmax lie when they sold it to us? Is Carvana getting bad info? Where do we go from here?

We have a 2014 Chevy cruze 1.4L turbo with 90k miles (that I've been wanting rid of for years but... I digress lol).

We've put $1400 into it in a month. Alternator (something fell off? Idk I'm not a car person) some sensors, valves, fixed and recharged the A/C because somehow whatever was loose had that all messed up, too. That was $800. Got it back and the check engine light was flashing. It went back, codes said turbo so we had the turbo replaced as well as the thermostat housing and a couple other little things. Another $600.

It still isn't running well and there are lots of noises lol. Our mechanic had us come out, showed us what else was going on. Now it's the intake manifold and water pump. My mechanically inclined family members agreed. We were quoted around $1000 to fix it.

It KBBs for 5-6k in good running condition. We are buying a new car tomorrow and plan to sell this one. What would you consider a reasonable price to sell it for? There's a lot of "car" people around here who would probably take on the project. We're open to buying the parts, too and throwing those in?

I just have no idea where to even start. Thanks!

Sorry I dont have pictures, but it has 6600 idling miles and 10000 driving hours 159k miles. Some of the front and back bumpers paints chipped. But it drives smooth, shifts well, and the engine doesn't sound bad. Do yall think this is a good deal, or is it too many hours/miles to be buying?

Hi everyone,

I have a 2023 Hyundai Tucson Limited with about 29,500 miles. The car is in excellent condition — almost like new — with no exterior or interior damage. It runs perfectly with no mechanical issues (engine, brakes, etc.), has a clean CARFAX, and is fully paid off.

I received instant offers from CarMax ($24k) and Carvana ($25k), which feel a bit low for the condition and trim level of the car. I only have about a month to sell it, so I’m looking for the best way to maximize value while still keeping the process relatively quick and seamless.

What would you recommend?

Thank you!

My husband passed away a few years ago. He had a project truck that a friend of a friend is helping me sell. I want to make sure I compensate him fairly for his time and effort.

He spent about an hour at my house taking photos and determining the truck’s value. He placed an ad on Facebook Marketplace and managed all inquiries. The ad was up for about 24 hours when an interested buyer contacted him. He met the buyer at my house (with me present), showed him the vehicle, and helped me agree to the terms of the sale.

He will also be coming to help with finalizing the sale and help get the truck and parts on the trailer.

I estimate his total amount of time spent helping me will be between 7-10 hours total over a 10 day time span. I have already given him $200 for his time and help but plan to give him more when I have the payment from the buyer. What would be a fair amount to give him? I was thinking another $300 to make a total of $500. Is that enough? Should I make it $1000 total? The sale price for the truck is $4800.

When I paid him the first $200 he said I didn’t need to pay him and that he just wanted to help out because of my situation. I couldn’t tell one part from the other and had no idea what to do or how to sell my late husband’s half put together project, and no family to assist me. However, I am very grateful for his help and want to make sure I compensate him fairly.

I would really appreciate your advice.

This was my first car and it hurts a bit to sell, but my interest have shifted. It's a 2014 Dodge Charger AWD SXT (yes, a V6 unfortunately) with 160,000 miles.

2 sensors are currently bad but I can likely solve that. I'd say the exterior and cabin are above average. Tiny rust spot above the windshield and dash is starting to curl on the windshield edge, but most everything else is great.

I'm in no rush to sell and would appreciate any and all advice, such as where to sell!

*Additional Notes:

There were only two previous owners. Exterior is dark grey with a blacked out grille. Heated seats, wheel, and mirrors, backup camera, and Uconnect.

2006 G35 Coupe, 132,xxx miles, vdc light, has small rust spot on rear fenders from being scratched by previous owner, 02 code, thermostat code, dash is cracked, manual mode is out, its just a bunch of very little quirky problems, 19in wheels, all the gadgets n shi, moonroof, seat controls, etc. front bumper has a scuff or two, I imagine who ever buys it is gonna throw a cooler looking bumper on anway tho. no ticks or knocks, motor is strong, and trans shifts smooth, just replaced rear main seal, just could use a little tlc, no real scratches anywhere else on paint, just brush scratches from car washes (previous owner) cant put pics of the car here wich is kinda dumb