Planning to sell your car? Maybe it’s time to upgrade to a new car or need something with more space or speed? Possibly you just need the money and letting go of the car is one of the best options. Whatever the reason is, one thing’s for sure – you want to get the most money possible when you sell.

Luckily these days, and especially in the HOT used car market, you have a lot of options when it comes to selling your car. Most of them are easy, convenient, and some will get you the most money possible. Gone are the days of putting up flyers or taking an advertisement section in your local newspaper’s classifieds.

From your local car traders and dealers to online car trading websites, we will help you decide between the three places to sell your car in the Pinellas County/St. Petersburg, Florida area.

In reverse order, here they are:

#3 Place to Sell your car: CarMax

One of the best places to sell any used car is CarMax. It offers fast and safe transactions. By simply entering a few key details on their website, you can get offers in minutes. You can either take the best offers you get or compare all the offers and decide within seven days. Once you’ve decided, schedule an appointment, or bring your car to the dealership for appraisal. As long as they are able to properly confirm the condition of your car matches what you’ve indicated online, you will get paid the agreed-upon amount.

There are just a few things you need to remember if you plan on selling to CarMax. The most important; bring the title or payoff information of the vehicle. You will also need to present a valid, current registration. The title holder/s of the vehicle will also need to present state-issued photo IDs as well as the keys, key fobs, and remove entry fobs.

Cons of selling to CarMax

• One of the biggest drawbacks to selling to CarMax involves the interaction with a professional salesman. Unlike selling private parties or to a car buying specialist, CarMax is also a car dealer. Their goal is to sell you car regardless of the vehicle you’ve brought to sell and they are very good at their jobs.
• Time matters
  CarMax is a high-volume car dealer. Depending on when you go and how busy they are, you may end up spending hours going through the process of both selling the car, and endless conversation with a salesman who’s certain they have your dream car somewhere on their lot.

Number two on the St. Petersburg car selling options list: Private Party

If you don’t mind posting your own ad and replying to inquiries yourself, then you might have better luck at selling your car to a private party through online marketplaces like Facebook or OfferUP. Most are able to get more money when selling this way. However, it is not without its own risk. After all, there are also lots of scammers online just lurking and waiting for their next victim.

But there are ways to help avoid getting scammed or getting less money when selling to a private party through online marketplaces.

For extra safety, you can choose to complete your private party transactions on police station parking lots. Most U.S. cities allow their citizens to do these to provide safe zones for person-to-person transactions and meet-ups of this nature. To avoid the hassle, get the other party to test drive the vehicle thoroughly before you list the car for sale. Often times you have become so used to your own vehicle that you don’t notice the quirks or potential red flags a new driver will find concerning.

Cons of selling via Private Party

• Haggler Piranha: With over a million people in the Pinellas County area there are hundreds if not thousands of people making a living simply buying and selling used cars. Those that don’t have well-established businesses (which is the greater majority of them) will be targeting anyone selling private party. How does this work? Really simply; these “haggle piranha” (yes, we coined that term right here and now) will reach out to you, not make any offer but instead ask when they can come to see the car. They will then take it for a really quick spin (sometimes they won’t even bother with a test drive) and then show you a nice pile of cash which is often about half what you’re asking for the car. If you’re smart, you will turn this offer down. However, many people fall victim to the quick cash and for those who don’t they’ve just wasted a chunk of time they’ll never get back and the next “haggler piranha” is still out there and will be targeting your inbox in no time. Good luck.

  On the flip side, if you can push through all the lowballers and wait it out, you will likely get the most money for your car when selling private party.

To read another article we posted on selling via Facebook Marketplace, check this out.

Best place to sell your car in St. Pete; OfferMORE

If you live in St. Petersburg or anywhere in Pinellas County, OfferMORE brings you a unique selling system sure to get you the best ratio of value to ease of sale. Specializing in fast and high appraisal vehicle purchasing, OfferMORE’s unique buying strategy is simple, yet highly effective. Here’s how it works: Take your car to CarMax, get a written appraisal, run, bring your vehicle and appraisal to us and we will beat the offer without trying to sell you a car in the meantime.

OfferMORE was established with the aim of giving people in Pinellas County more options when it comes to selling their cars. Our dealership is located minutes away from both CarMax and We Buy Any Car, making the buying process as fast as possible. We buy all vehicle makes and models including Audi, Chevrolet, BMW, Kia, GMC, Honda, Hyundai, Toyota, and many more.

You can also check out the current deals and incentives here.

Ready to sell? Start here.

*DISCLAIMER: OfferMORE will always beat the dealer offer however OfferMORE does retain the right to decline the purchase of any vehicle.