How to stay safe when selling your used car in Ontario

How to stay safe when selling your used car in Ontario

Posted on May 13, 2022

The Ontario used car market is on fire, it is a seller’s market, and you stand to generate a good profit by selling your used car, but you need to be aware of the risks. We are going to show you the safest way to sell your used car in Ontario.

Getting your used car ready to sell

The first thing you will need to do is get your used car ready to sell. Most first-time sellers overlook an important step is having the car professionally detailed.

This detailing will make your car look like its best. Remember that most buyers make their initial buying decision on what they see; no one wants to buy a car that looks dirty and poorly maintained.

Since we just touched on maintenance, you should put together the service record of your used vehicle.

This may sound complicated, but a service record is just a collection of receipts for all the work that was performed on your vehicle.

If you have this in place, it shows the car was properly maintained and helps give you leverage when negotiating the highest possible price. Potential buyers may try to make a lowball offer without the service record.

The best places to advertise your used car in Ontario

The Internet has countless websites where you could put your car up for sale, Craigslist may seem like a good option, but it is not.

There are many scammers who go to Craigslist; instead, consider using AutoTrader and Kijiji Autos as places to put your used car up for sale.

These platforms attract a large number of Canadians who are actively looking to buy a car, so you are getting a great mix of quality and quantity potential buyers.

How to reduce the risk of being scammed

You need to incorporate some best practices when selling your used car. First, never put any personal identifying information on your advertisement.

Scammers can use it to try and steal your identity. When using an online platform like AutoTrader, stick with their internal messaging service, so you do not give out personal information like your phone number or email. Let the buyer come to you first.

When interacting with potential buyers, insist on meeting with them in person. If the buyer is not willing or able to meet in person, you should not deal with them.

A major red flag is a car buyer that doesn’t want to meet in person; everyone wants to do a test drive before buying a car.

A safer, easier way to sell your used car

There is a safer and easier way to sell your used car for cash. Reach out to your local car dealership and have them buy it.

The first thing the dealership will do is assess the overall condition of the car to calculate what it is worth in the current market.

After the dealership has established the value of the car, they will make a cash offer. You are under no obligation to accept the offer, but if you do, then you get paid. This is by far the easiest and safest way to sell your used car in Ontario.

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