How my 13 year old granddaughter helped me sell a car
Recently I decided it was time to sell my home and move to a retirement community. The community I chose provides transportation to all of its residents, and because I don’t drive much anymore that meant I also had to sell a car. This is no easy task because I hadn’t the slightest idea how to sell a car in the first place.
Lucky for me my granddaughter did. She had recently done a report in school about the convenience of online services so she had done some independent research on online services that simplify everyday life.
The process
Instead of going to a dealership and haggling with used car salesmen, or placing an ad in the newspaper and haggling with independent buyers we sat down in front of her mother’s computer.
At first I was skeptical, how can an online service truly know what a car is worth, much less make it easier to sell a car? But my granddaughter insisted that she knew what she was talking about, so I took her word for it.
Ever the efficient typist she quickly pulled up one of the many online services and went straight to their brief online form. It asked a few simple questions about the car and promised a quick reply with an obligation-free quote.
A few minutes later the phone rang and it was the service, the appraiser on the line was polite, knowledgeable and efficient. He asked us a few more questions and quickly came back to us with an obligation-free quote that in my opinion was fair.
He then asked when it would be convenient for an appraiser to come see the vehicle for a physical inspection. I was shocked! They would come to me? I was expecting to have to take the car somewhere and have someone follow me to take me home afterwards. No such inconvenience!
We scheduled a time that afternoon and not only was he on time but he was professional and kind. To sell a car can be an emotional thing, especially when it has been in my possession for such a long time.
He gave it a through once over and within half an hour came back to us with a written cash quote. This was a pleasant surprise, I was expecting a check in the mail or something to that effect.
Not only did he offer me cash, but he also offered to take care of the change of title, smog certification and any other bothersome DMV paperwork involved in the sale. I was flabbergasted to have someone come to me and be so helpful in the process.
Needless to say, now I agree with my granddaughter when she says that the easiest way to sell a car is online.