How to Sell a Car in Texas
Are you from Texas and need to sell your car fast? Well, it may be hard to give up your ride, but this is it. You are at the point where you have to move on and sell your car, and if you are from Texas, or for that matter any state, we can help show you how to do it. Whether you are selling a 1965 Ford Mustang Convertible or a 2011 Chevy Colorado Monster truck, we can help you sell it fast at Hotrod Pitstop.
Did you know that in the state of Texas 94.8% of residents have cars and trucks with around 2.3 cars/trucks per household? Now as you let that statistic marinate, with more than twenty-two million cars and trucks registered in the state of Texas in 2022 alone, and more than 4.5 billion dollars that the state of Texas pulled in for registration fees, one can assess that there is a huge market for car buying and selling in Texas. With that demand not halting anytime soon, we would like to walk you through the most important steps of how to sell a car.
Let us dive right into my 6 steps to make you a great car salesman. How To Sell a Car:
STEP 1: FIX MINOR UNDERLYING PROBLEMS | CLEAN YOUR CAR | TAKE PICTURES
We need to fix any minor issues with a car that are the most cost efficient and ones that do not empty the weight of your pockets. Most people would roll their eyes and skip this first step without a second glance. However, we here at Hotrod Pitstop want you to get the most cash return possible out of the vehicle you are selling. After all, either this vehicle has spent time with you, and you have spent hours making sure this well-oiled machine function like the beast you bought it as, or this car flipping transaction is your financial gain, so you want to present it as the best possible buy in the entire world.
Make sure the turn signals are working properly and old light bulbs are replaced with new ones. That new fuses are installed if there is any electrical not working properly. Of course, the oil change should be up to date along with things like the brake pads changed and tires rotated. Most of these are your basic needs when maintaining a vehicle and most of these tasks and parts are very inexpensive. I do not believe it is financially intelligent to fix any and every major problem with the car but be prepared to take those deductions into account when selling your vehicle. Remember this article is How to Sell a Car, not Make My Unrealistic Goals Possible. Please be realistic with the value you are asking for and the value that is offered to you for the car. We can’t imagine that you could sell a car for $15,000 dollars if the engine has issues.
Last but not least, make sure your car is clean! We cannot stress this enough! If your car is dirty and smells like cigarette smoke with stains all over the seats and carpet, you can forget about getting top dollar for your car when you sell it. If you don't want to personally get out your water hose and cleaning bucket to do the job, we recommend taking your car to a professional detailer and having them clean it from top to bottom, inside and out. Have them shampoo the carpet and clean the upholstery so the inside of the car smells nice and fresh. Also, a good wax job can go a long ways when it comes to making a good impression. Remember, people are visual! If your car looks great inside and out, you increase the odds of selling it to the first person you show it to. If you are posting the car for sale online, make sure you take good pictures of the car inside and out. Take as many good quality pictures as possible and always include the engine bay and pictures of the trunk.
STEP 2: FIND THE VALUE OF YOUR CAR
This is a very important step towards selling your car. If a How to Sell a Car book was written many would place this rule as numero uno, number 1. Many people may overlook doing their research on the particular vehicle they are selling, or they decide to set a price based on what they think the vehicle is worth. This rarely may work on impulse if someone is desperate, but for the seasoned buyer or the buyer who knows what he or she is looking for, they will want to know where the price information came from and if you cannot provide that information, as a seller you may lose the very miniscule leverage you had to begin with.
The proper way would be to search up your car's worth online at Kelley Blue Book, and or to get a backup quote or two from a dealership. That way if a seller asks you about the price, you are asking for you have the information to back you and the leverage is on your side with the ball in your court.
STEP 3: LIST YOUR VEHICLE IN AN AD WITH THE VEHICLES HISTORY
How to Sell a Car 101: You cannot sell a car without an advertisement. Think about it this way. We want people to buy your car. If we do not tell people the car is for sale, then how can we expect to sell the car if we do not tell anyone. The more people we are able to get to see that the car is for sale, the higher the percentage the car will be sold sooner rather than later and at the price we have set the car sale for. There are many reputable online sources that can help with selling your vehicle such as Hotrod Pitstop and although it is not mandatory to add your car's history, it will dissolve much doubt to a buyer if you have that information available. You can gather your cars history from CARFAX.
Make sure when listing your car for sale the most important information needed will be the Make, Model, Year, Odometer Reading, Condition, Cost, and lastly, your up-to-date Contact information. This will make your How to Sell a Car model go from rookie to professional status overnight and save you a ton of headaches.
STEP 4: HAVE YOUR CAR INSPECTED
Now, we want to always have the car inspected by the state, however the buyer would also want an inspection of the vehicle done by a mechanic of their choosing. This fee is paid for by the buyer so as a seller the most difficult task at this stage would be to agree on a mechanic with the buyer, but if this does not affect the car or seller asking price it should go over very easy and would hasten any sell of your vehicle.
STEP 5: FILL OUT THE TITLE AND COMPLETE A VEHICLE TRANSFER REGISTRATION
Remember this is How to Sell a Car. This may be the most important step. Your Title and the forms filled out are legal documents. Take your time at this step. We would not want you to void a sale at this point. How To Sell a Car formula survives here! Form 130-U should be attained for the application of a Texas Title/and or Registration for the buyer. Once you fill out the back of your title, they can move forward with filing for a new title and registration. It will be signed and filled out by the seller as well along with the price and odometer reading.
On the back of your title make sure all handwriting is legible and names are signed true and in the correct spelling. Pay attention to what each line asks for. If multiple sellers are on the title, remember, after or only one seller needs to sign. If and/or are on the title, then both need to sign. Any lien holders would sign off at this point as well. Any discrepancies can lead to days of future headaches, and this is a critical step in the How to Sell a Car list of things to do, ok. Once here the rest is a breeze.
Did you know that in the state of Texas 94.8% of residents have cars and trucks with around 2.3 cars/trucks per household? Now as you let that statistic marinate, with more than twenty-two million cars and trucks registered in the state of Texas in 2022 alone, and more than 4.5 billion dollars that the state of Texas pulled in for registration fees, one can assess that there is a huge market for car buying and selling in Texas. With that demand not halting anytime soon, we would like to walk you through the most important steps of how to sell a car.
Let us dive right into my 6 steps to make you a great car salesman. How To Sell a Car:
STEP 1: FIX MINOR UNDERLYING PROBLEMS | CLEAN YOUR CAR | TAKE PICTURES
We need to fix any minor issues with a car that are the most cost efficient and ones that do not empty the weight of your pockets. Most people would roll their eyes and skip this first step without a second glance. However, we here at Hotrod Pitstop want you to get the most cash return possible out of the vehicle you are selling. After all, either this vehicle has spent time with you, and you have spent hours making sure this well-oiled machine function like the beast you bought it as, or this car flipping transaction is your financial gain, so you want to present it as the best possible buy in the entire world.
Make sure the turn signals are working properly and old light bulbs are replaced with new ones. That new fuses are installed if there is any electrical not working properly. Of course, the oil change should be up to date along with things like the brake pads changed and tires rotated. Most of these are your basic needs when maintaining a vehicle and most of these tasks and parts are very inexpensive. I do not believe it is financially intelligent to fix any and every major problem with the car but be prepared to take those deductions into account when selling your vehicle. Remember this article is How to Sell a Car, not Make My Unrealistic Goals Possible. Please be realistic with the value you are asking for and the value that is offered to you for the car. We can’t imagine that you could sell a car for $15,000 dollars if the engine has issues.
Last but not least, make sure your car is clean! We cannot stress this enough! If your car is dirty and smells like cigarette smoke with stains all over the seats and carpet, you can forget about getting top dollar for your car when you sell it. If you don't want to personally get out your water hose and cleaning bucket to do the job, we recommend taking your car to a professional detailer and having them clean it from top to bottom, inside and out. Have them shampoo the carpet and clean the upholstery so the inside of the car smells nice and fresh. Also, a good wax job can go a long ways when it comes to making a good impression. Remember, people are visual! If your car looks great inside and out, you increase the odds of selling it to the first person you show it to. If you are posting the car for sale online, make sure you take good pictures of the car inside and out. Take as many good quality pictures as possible and always include the engine bay and pictures of the trunk.
STEP 2: FIND THE VALUE OF YOUR CAR
This is a very important step towards selling your car. If a How to Sell a Car book was written many would place this rule as numero uno, number 1. Many people may overlook doing their research on the particular vehicle they are selling, or they decide to set a price based on what they think the vehicle is worth. This rarely may work on impulse if someone is desperate, but for the seasoned buyer or the buyer who knows what he or she is looking for, they will want to know where the price information came from and if you cannot provide that information, as a seller you may lose the very miniscule leverage you had to begin with.
The proper way would be to search up your car's worth online at Kelley Blue Book, and or to get a backup quote or two from a dealership. That way if a seller asks you about the price, you are asking for you have the information to back you and the leverage is on your side with the ball in your court.
STEP 3: LIST YOUR VEHICLE IN AN AD WITH THE VEHICLES HISTORY
How to Sell a Car 101: You cannot sell a car without an advertisement. Think about it this way. We want people to buy your car. If we do not tell people the car is for sale, then how can we expect to sell the car if we do not tell anyone. The more people we are able to get to see that the car is for sale, the higher the percentage the car will be sold sooner rather than later and at the price we have set the car sale for. There are many reputable online sources that can help with selling your vehicle such as Hotrod Pitstop and although it is not mandatory to add your car's history, it will dissolve much doubt to a buyer if you have that information available. You can gather your cars history from CARFAX.
Make sure when listing your car for sale the most important information needed will be the Make, Model, Year, Odometer Reading, Condition, Cost, and lastly, your up-to-date Contact information. This will make your How to Sell a Car model go from rookie to professional status overnight and save you a ton of headaches.
STEP 4: HAVE YOUR CAR INSPECTED
Now, we want to always have the car inspected by the state, however the buyer would also want an inspection of the vehicle done by a mechanic of their choosing. This fee is paid for by the buyer so as a seller the most difficult task at this stage would be to agree on a mechanic with the buyer, but if this does not affect the car or seller asking price it should go over very easy and would hasten any sell of your vehicle.
STEP 5: FILL OUT THE TITLE AND COMPLETE A VEHICLE TRANSFER REGISTRATION
Remember this is How to Sell a Car. This may be the most important step. Your Title and the forms filled out are legal documents. Take your time at this step. We would not want you to void a sale at this point. How To Sell a Car formula survives here! Form 130-U should be attained for the application of a Texas Title/and or Registration for the buyer. Once you fill out the back of your title, they can move forward with filing for a new title and registration. It will be signed and filled out by the seller as well along with the price and odometer reading.
On the back of your title make sure all handwriting is legible and names are signed true and in the correct spelling. Pay attention to what each line asks for. If multiple sellers are on the title, remember, after or only one seller needs to sign. If and/or are on the title, then both need to sign. Any lien holders would sign off at this point as well. Any discrepancies can lead to days of future headaches, and this is a critical step in the How to Sell a Car list of things to do, ok. Once here the rest is a breeze.
Also, if a title is lost Form VTR-34 is available as well, which is a certified copy of the title which can be acquired for a small administrative fee and your signature. Lastly, complete a Vehicle Transfer Notice. If anything is done with your car after it is sold, this covers you. The Department of Motor Vehicles will have the information updated in their records as your car being sold. We wouldn’t want any toll violations or criminal acts befalling us once the car is out of our possession. I don’t look good in orange!
STEP 6: REMOVE REGISTRATION AND PLATES
We have made it! How to Sell a Car steps 1 through 6. We are at the last step. Now that the money is in our bank account, don’t rush to the nearest auto website, unless it’s Hotrod Pitstop of course. No, hit the brakes. In the How to Sell a Car model we cannot forget to take off your registration sticker or plates. The registration sticker and plates are not transferred. We wouldn’t want anyone doing anything crazy with our plates, and for the registration, just hit the edges of the sticker with a blade and it should come right up.
I do hope this article will help you in more ways than one. Please, if you have any questions we are here to answer as well. We hope you enjoyed this article of, How to Sell a Car, and for any further questions, it’s always easy to go to your Department of Motor Vehicles website.
