Selling or Trading Your Car Privately vs To A Dealership

Everyone wants to get the most out of their vehicle when it’s time to trade or sell and with the rising cost of pre-owned cars, now might be the best time to do so. You could try to sell the vehicle privately or take it to a dealership to sell or trade for a new model. There are benefits to both options, so let us help you figure out which option is best for you.

Privately Selling Your Vehicle

Privately selling your vehicle could get you the most profit. With a private sale, the customer isn’t looking to acquire the vehicle to turn it and resell it like a dealership is. This means that you could get more for it since the customer doesn’t have to keep profit margins in mind. Selling privately means that you can field multiple offers and accept the highest amount. You won’t have the same level of negotiation available when going through a dealership.

Selling privately means that you will also have to dedicate more time to the task. You will have to create listings for your vehicle to attract buyers, keep constant contact with potential prospects, meet with prospects for test drives when they’re interested, and also take care of the process of transferring over ownership to the new person. This means making sure that you have the title and that you’ve disclosed the vehicle’s history prior to the sale.

Selling/Trading To A Dealership

Unlike with a private sale, a dealership needs to keep profit margins on a vehicle when they acquire it. This means that you may not get as much money for it as you could with a private sale. However, the advantage of doing business with a dealership is that it’s much more convenient for you as the seller. You won’t have to field prospects, take care of the titling and maintenance, take customers for test drives, etc. You can take care of everything at the dealership, and they can assist with some of the more complicated steps.

Depending on your state, you can also get possible tax benefits. Some states offer a trade-in tax exemption if you buy a car and trade yours in. Instead of being taxed on the full purchase amount of your new vehicle, you’ll only be taxed on the amount remaining after the value of your trade is taken out.

With either option, you’ll have to do some research to figure out how much your vehicle is worth. There are many tools online that you can use. More conveniently, if you go through our trade portal, our sales managers will provide you with a free, no obligation appraisal. You’ll also want to clean your car and make it look it’s best to ensure that you get the best offer. No matter which option you choose – a private sale or dealership trade/sale – Perfect Auto Collection is here to help you every step of the way to make sure you have all the knowledge and information you need.

What people say about us

Trishinda S.

Todd Long was extremely professional & knowledgeable about the vehicle that I was interested. He was very patient on explaining the needed details... on the Bentley Continental GT…even provided the CARFAX. He the went the extra mile to virtual show the vehicle and ensure my experience was very satisfying. He has been great on following-up to ensure everything is locked-in and total satisfaction.read more

Sol C.

Love the selection these guys have to offer! Todd was great help as well as everybody else I spoke with. Will be shopping here again🤩

SSOLD REALTY G.

What an amazing team to work with. We highly recommend working with TODD, so make sure to ask for him! We are out of state and this man did any and... everything we needed him to, including a very detailed overview of the car via FaceTime. Good people, good help, couldn’t ask for more!!⚡️ Thank you sir!!😉read more

Prestige Pro P.

Recently traded in my vehicle + purchased a vehicle! Todd was awesome to work with! The whole staff + the owner was very friendly. They gave me a... great price for my trade in + made our deal happen fast and efficient. Can't wait to buy another car from Perfect Auto Collection!read more

Drew C.

I was shopping for Mercedes s65 amg dealing with Todd Long he was an amazing sales person and definitely went way out of his way to help me out... doing everything virtual so I’d never have to leave the house giving me the 360 view of the vehicle on FaceTime(which was awesome, also answered every one of my 1000 question’s) and appraisal for my car the whole 9. Unfortunately I end up buying the Mercedes from a different lot due to the amount of owners on the one they had available but if they had the vehicle that I bought at their lot Todd is the man to go to!!!! definitely highly recommend,very professional and very punctual. Thank you so much for your time and wish you nothing but the best my friend take care. Hopefully you can help me get my wife’s car in the near future. Thanks again🙏-Andrewread more

Matthew B.

Richard got me in car I loved not just wanted . He walked me around the whole collection with knowledge on most aspects of everything I was asking... about . Tod also helped me out big time. Very pleasant place with amazing staff . Highly recommend.read more

Xavier B.

Had a great and pleasant experience working with Todd over at Perfect Auto Collection. Made my first out of state car buying experience a breeze. He... video called me and showed me all the ins and outs of the car I chose. Also pointed out any, if any, imperfections. I’d definitely recommend him and the rest of the team at Perfect Auto Collection to anyone who’s in the market! 10/10!!read more

Chris C.

Working with the Perfect Auto Collection team was an awesome experience. I live in Illinois and travel for work but Todd Long and team helped me... purchase an amazing car. I would definitely recommend Perfect Auto, Todd, and Mike. I will be buying from them again. Thank you Perfect Auto Collection!read more

Adam B.

I bought my car from Perfect Auto Collection in Sept. '22 and could not have been happier. I was hesitant to buy a car (the most expensive I've ever... owned) sight-unseen from 700 miles away, but Todd and the team made the whole experience flawless. From our video walkarounds to coordinating financing, text updates to shipping, everything went quickly and smoothly. Todd had great follow-up, and I honestly feel like the experience was better than I had when shopping locally. And when the car arrived.... just wow. It was everything it was represented to be and literally better than I expected. And while I won't be in the market for another car anytime soon, when the time comes, PAC will be the first dealership I call!read more

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