i'm selling my used car and dont want to get ripped off?

Question

i'm selling it to a private party, i.e., a complete stranger who answered the ad i placed. in cases like this, what is the best way to accept payment? asking the buyer to pay $10000 in cash seems a bit implausible, but i'm afraid that if i took a check and it then bounced, whoever "bought" the car would be long gone. how should i go about this?

Answer 1

Certified/ cashiers check AND do not forget to write down his address, name etc on the DMV form and make a copy and turn it in to the DMV, AND look at his I.D to verify it.

VERY IMPORTANT!

I can tell you horror stories of what happened to ME once when I didn't do this. I started getting handicapped parking tickets in the mail, and I could not produce the name of the buyer. It took a year to get it all cleared up.

Answer 2

Anyone who has a valid $10,000 check can certainly get the cash. However, you could go with the buyer to the bank to be sure the check clears before you hand the title over, if that's the route you wanna take. Whatever you do, don't accept a post-dated check. That's just plain gullibility.
With all that said, there's nothing implausible about getting the cash, unless the "buyer" doesn't really have the money in the first place.

Answer 3

Have him get the check certified, that way it's guaranteed.

Or ask for a money order.

You do not want the guy to bring around $10k in cash.

Answer 4

get a cerftified / cashiers check as payment. make sure it's not a bank of timbuktu type of check. try to get the buyer to pay you with a check from a bank with branches locally. if he likes the car, take him to the bank and cash the check.

Answer 5

Get a money order as payment and transfer the title so you don't get hit if he does something in the car to get a ticket.

Answer 6

get a cashier's check. Don't accept a money order, personal check, etc.