My car doesn't run...now what?

If you are trying to sell your car, and it doesn't run, you can still get cash for it. It will really help, though, if you know what's wrong with it. If you are trying to sell a car and you just tell the buyer that it doesn't run and you don't know why, you could hurt yourself two ways. First, if it is something simple and the buyer sees how to fix it for like $100, he may offer you $1000 less than it's worth. Conversely, if he has no idea what is wrong, he is going to offer even less because he has to cover his potential loss if it is a HUGE repair. Either way, you are getting less than you should.

If the repair will cost you $250 at Sears, Midas or another local chain store, you can be sure that the buyer can get it done for about $150 tops at his own garage. Be willing to deduct the cost of the repair, as well as the "unknown" factor when negotiating. Sometimes, when a car sits for too long, it causes other repairs to be necessary, so it is helpful to know how long the car has been inoperable if possible, and to share this information with the buyer so you get a fair and honest appraisal of your vehicle.