Best site to sell a used car?

February 18, 2010 4:36 AM

Oh lord, won't you help me sell a Mercedes Benz?

What's the best web site to sell a kinda cool, somewhat vintage, used car? I have a late 80's Mercedes convertible that needs to go. It's a nice car, but certainly not a show car; however, I don't think it really fits on Craigslist. I've browsed Auto Trader classics and the ads seem to be mostly from dealers; same with ebay. What sites do you recommend? Before I plunk down $$$ for advertising, I want to make sure I get wide exposure on a well-known website and sell the thing quickly.

(and no, I'm not trying to sell the car here on askmefi)

posted by rtodd to grab bag (8 answers total)

Every brand- or model-specific forum I have ever looked at has had an active buy/sell section. The advantage there is that you are selling to the already-converted. I mean, they wouldn't be members of late-80s-Benz-convertibles.com if they weren't fans of the cars. Bonus: they are usually free to join, though you may need to put in a little time to establish a track record as a non-scammer before selling the car.
posted by Forktine at 5:12 AM on February 18, 2010

What about the item makes you think it doesn't fit on Craigslist..? A buddy of mine has selling things down to a science and Craigslist is always his first stop, no matter what the item is. He even listed a show-quality Corvette once. You never know who's watching.

I suppose before eBay, but after (or in lieu of) Craigslist, I'd try putting a classified ad in the local paper, putting up some fliers at work and supermarkets and stuff, and/or finding an enthusiast forum online and posting about it there.
posted by Jinkeez at 5:13 AM on February 18, 2010

Definitely Craigslist, I also had luck selling a 72 Triumph TR6 on ebay motors, but craigslist will give you much better results than any of the pay to place sites.
posted by zeoslap at 6:05 AM on February 18, 2010

Craigslist. A 300SL is not a rare classic that only appeals to a narrow group of people unless it is an ultra-low mile pristine cream puff.

You can also try something like mercedesforum.com or benzworld.com. But Craigslist is how I'd start.
posted by paanta at 6:36 AM on February 18, 2010

If I was looking for a specific vehicle, I would start at Hemmings. I think you can do a Print/Web combo ( pics on the web) for under $50.
posted by lobstah at 7:23 AM on February 18, 2010 [1 favorite]

There was a ultra-rare, $500,000+ Porsche 959 on Craigslist the other day. You'll be fine there.
posted by hwyengr at 7:56 AM on February 18, 2010

Not long ago, I was shopping for a relatively rare vehicle (about as rare as a 300SL, anyway). And the thing is, I was looking everywhere--newspaper classifieds, Auto-Trader-type publications, enthusiast forums, Craigslist, eBay... well, you get the drift. If I were selling instead of buying, I'd start by placing an ad in every free venue available, then, if that didn't work, moving on from there.
posted by box at 8:22 AM on February 18, 2010

Start with Craigslist and your local paper. Post paper flyers in bars near you that have classic car nights (google classic car nihgt mycity or something like that).
posted by WeekendJen at 9:07 AM on February 18, 2010