I had a very similar experience to Chris when selling my '02 Cooper...I put that car up everywhere and ended up with a grand total of 5 attempted scams. I got the best results from Craig's List as well...which is free while the others just proved to be the biggest waste of money. The problem I encountered was that I was getting calls, but it seems that people want to be awfully picky when buying a used Cooper. Like they would be really overly disappointed when I told them the seats weren't leather. I'm sorry, but if you want to get REALLY specific with your options, the best route is to just order a new one to your specs.

In the end I actually ended up selling the Cooper to Carmax. I did the transaction today. It was completely no hassle, they give you a free appraisal and you have 7 days or 300 miles to decide whether or not you want to take it. The salesman I had was awesome and was telling me that I got a better price than most cars would because they are so popular right now.

I got enough for it that I was able to pay the car off and pocket $1K. I probably could have made more if I had held out for a private party buyer, but in the end the fact that I was saved all the stress is totally worth it. :smile:

Good luck!!

 

Carmax did not work for me. My dealer and Carmax both offered $18,500 for my '04 MCS on a trade. I sold it privately for $21,900 cash. I pocketed $3,700!

 

Thanks! Glad you cleared out ahead. I'll likely talk to them as there's a large lot here in Charlotte and the MINI dealer here doesn't do Used. I suspect it will fall somewhere between dealer trade-in and what I'll likely get direct, but hey! If they'll give me what I'm seeking, it'll be gone gone gone!

MINISteve

 

Great numbers indeed! All ports in astorm, so I've got a bit o' time. The Convertible is just being built... it'l be a few more weeks til delivery.

MINISteve

 

No biggie, unless you're upside down on the loan and have to throw in some cash to sell your car! That shouldn't happen with Minis unless you have a high interest rate and or a very long term loan, with little or no down payment.

Otherwise, it's a routine bank transaction for the buyer's loan to pay off any balance you owe on the car and the title gets transferred to the buyer's bank until the buyer pays it off. If the buyer is paying cash, his cash is used to pay off the balance. and then he gets the title directly. This does require a measure of trust between the buyer and seller so it's often more comfortable for both parties if the buyer gets a loan through a well-known lending institution, even if it's just for a day.

Minis really do have great resale value!