Call Jerry at 415-374-4848 who can assist with presale instructions and then you can click to list your vehicle

Check out the dates of the cars that just sold here and be part of what's happening now. Yours may be the one they choose.

We take care of the DMV release of liability and DMV's website now has a virtual title transfer option No DMV crowds to worry about.

Call Jerry at 415-374-4848 who can assist with the following presale instructions:

before your car arrives

We have to make sure you are not wasting your money and occupying a space someone else could use if your car doesen't have a good chance to sell. Price, condition, your ability to respond to reasonable offers and work with us to get your car sold are the factors we look at in order for us to display your car for a sale. Read each of the steps, below, make some notes, and then call Jerry at 415-374-4848 who will guide you through everything so time and unecessary effort is not wasted.

step 1: do you have all your paperwork?

Call us and have the title, current registration, current proof of insurance, current smog and other information we may request faxed to 510.277.0653 or scanned and emailed to buggybankdocs@gmail.com. Keep it on file and note the location you will keep it stored at home. This way you will know for sure where your title is so that its readily available to present at the final sale. If there is an "and" or a "/" between your name and other names on the title, bring the other co-owner(s). We'll need the VIN # to get a vehicle history analysis that is required and performed by us when you sign in to make sure that the vehicle does not have any title problems or hasn't been in any major accidents. Buyers will also have access to the same information so you'll need to have the answers for questions they might ask.

step 2: is it ok mecanically?

Be sure your car is in very good mechanical condition prior to your car's display to avoid costly repairs that may be needed to finally complete a sale. If you are unsure of your car's condition arrangements can be made for SafeBuy or any other mobile mechanic to evaluate it's condition ahead of time. call Jerry at 415-374-4848 to make those arrangements. Some cars with normal wear and tear issues can sell as is, while others need repairs to sell. Sometimes you can allow for the cost of poor condition in your advertising or you can negotiate it, but as time moves on and it becomes obvious that buyers are turned off by it, or just don't want to deal with it, you may have to have it repaired. We'll consult with you on what is needed and what is not. The increase in value can usually offset the cost of repairs. You may not want to put more money into repairs, but it makes no sense to waste your money trying to sell when your car's condition would be turning off buyers.

step 3: do you have a marketable price?

Aggressive pricing and fast action is required in order to effectively sell your car in today's market. Pricing high and playing the waiting game often backfires and results in your car outliving it's welcome on the market. Once you are in this situation, it usually only gets worse. Brokers, lie in wait, hoping to take advantage of you as your situation becomes desperate.

Don't get excited about Kelly Bluebook pricing for dealers. If you want a rude awakening ask a dealer what he will pay for your car without a trade-in involved. High pricing can result in no sale or a very long time to sell. If you later lower your price, the prospect you had may have bought another car or may say "Oh, yeah there's that high-priced car I saw last week.", and he doesn't even look to see if you've lowered your price.

Also, it rarely matters how much you have put into a vehicle or how much a good friend says it may be worth. We all value the extra goodies we have invested and hate to give up our cars at any price, but buyers may not care to pay for the extras you value. To base your pricing decisions on this criteria is to invite a high degree of failure to sell in any reasonable length of time or at all. Having said that, there are exceptions. Check with Jerry because buyers may value some extra goodies in a camper, for example.

We assist in getting you off to a good start with a great price. We will review and interpret the local and regional sales statistics that apply to your car. The "Sold List" of our website is a really good place to see for yourself by viewing the number of days cars are currently taking to sell. By paying attention to the success rate of cars selling within 1-7 days compared to the drastic difference you'll notice with the cars that approach the end of the contract time and tend to become desperate to sell. You can get a good idea of what your chances are and see the importance of pricing aggressively from day one. While there are no guarantees, we will find the best local market value range and within that range find prices you can choose from that has a good chance to attract buyers while being fair to you and honor your personal considerations as much as possible. First impressions are important.

step 4: is it ready to be displayed?

Your vehicle needs to be emptied of personal belongings and filled with gas. If we are picking up the car from your home, prepay an extra $20-$30, or whatever it takes and we will fill it for you on the way to Buggy Bank. As a Buggy Bank customer know that you and your friends can call in and we will arrange the best customer-recomended, high-quality, on-site or at-home detailing by Auto Presentation Details at a low price. No need to waste your time and money elsewhere. Also each vehicle must be sterilized with the use of a virucidal treatment. APD is prioviding this at no additional cost.

step 5: does it need to be smogged?

As the owner of the vehicle you must ultimately provide the buyer with a valid smog inspection certificate if it's 4 years old or older. In order for the new owner to register a vehicle, it must have been smogged within the past 90 days. We can make arrangements to have it picked up while it's here anytime prior to the sale however, the sooner the better so you can advertise "smogged and ready to go".

step 6: be available for offers

Nothing can kill a potential sale quicker that not being reachable and available when a buyer wants to make an offer. Leave with us your cell phone, home phone, business phones and email addresses. Tell us if you are going out of town or any circumstance that might jeopardize your sale.

step 7: stay on top of it

Right after day one call in every other day to see if you should adjust the price, change the advertising, or make a repair. The majority of sales happen within the first weeks when marketable and in great condition (see the sold list 1-day, 2-day etc. sales through the 1st, 2nd week etc. to verify this).

step 8: battery health

Long stays with no test drives can result in dead batteries. Having to pay for insurance, registration, etc., are problems you can avoid by having the best appearance, condition, and marketable price, moving your sale right along. Hopefully you are on top of it and it sells while buyers are looking at the most recent cars.

step 9: kinds of offers

When you get reasonable offers that aren't quite what you expected, don't shoot yourself in the foot by nit picking over small amounts. Try not to be upset or indicate your extreme displeasure with a "low-ball" offer. Tell the buyer "if that is your best offer you may later accept it, but you want to see if there are higher offers while you still have time on the lot". There are some who "low-ball" so that you will explain why it has the value you place on it. Once they understand the value they may actually buy it for your asking price. Still others feel the need for some token negotiation to save face with their family or friends. If you are uncomfortable with the buyers approach let us know and we will intercede for you.

step 10: where to conclude the sale

Unless we recommend that the final paperwork should be handled at a bank or other institution due to special circumstances, make sure your buyer meets you at Buggy Bank to complete your sale. We take care of the DMV release of liability and DMV's website now has a virtual title transfer option By phone or at our office, we will effectively and safely guide you during these final critical steps. There are some sad stories out there and you don't want to be one of them.

Just Sold

Image
Vehicle Date Sold
2003 Toyota 4RunnerLimited SUV 4D
2003
Toyota
4RunnerLimited SUV 4D
3/17
2010 Honda Accord CrosstourEX L SUV 4D
2010
Honda
Accord CrosstourEX L SUV 4D
3/17
2011 Toyota PriusTwo Hatchback 4D
2011
Toyota
PriusTwo Hatchback 4D
3/15
2006 Pontiac VibeSport Wagon 4D
2006
Pontiac
VibeSport Wagon 4D
3/15
2011 Toyota CamryHybrid Sedan 4D
2011
Toyota
CamryHybrid Sedan 4D
3/12
2009 Toyota PriusHatchback 4D
2009
Toyota
PriusHatchback 4D
3/10
2009 Honda Civic Hybrid Sedan 4D
2009
Honda
Civic Hybrid Sedan 4D
3/8
2012 Toyota Prius cFour Hatchback 4D
2012
Toyota
Prius cFour Hatchback 4D
3/2
2012 Mercedes GL 550 4MATIC SUV 4D
2012
Mercedes
GL 550 4MATIC SUV 4D
3/1
2015 Mazda 3i Sport Sedan 4D
2015
Mazda
3i Sport Sedan 4D
3/1
2011 Toyota PriusThree Hatchback 4D
2011
Toyota
PriusThree Hatchback 4D
2/26
2010 Volkswagen Golf Hatchback 2D
2010
Volkswagen
Golf Hatchback 2D
2/25

frequently asked questions

What is the display fee?


Our fee is still $550 for 5 weeks of regular display service. Ask about our 60-day concierge service which includes a full Detail, a Sterilization, a Mechanical Pre-inspection, Enhanced Security Measures, frequent Multiple Ad Campaigns and High-Visibility exposure with a photo of your car in the Buggy Bank Showroom on our front page.

What are my chances to sell?

Over 90% of the qualified vehicles we list do sell within the initial contract period. If yours does not sell within that time Even though your car is off the lot, we will generally continue to advertise, scheduling appointments for test drives, mechanic's checks, and final sale assistance at no extra charge until your car is sold. Cars in good condition below $3,500 fall into the "very affordable" category. Somehow at Buggy Bank they have been selling for more than standard market values. Our fee of $550 for these cars can be said to be more and more "absorbed" as the standard market value becomes less. So don't assume that our fee is percentage-wise too high for your lower priced car. But be advised that your car has to have been well maintained and in great condition like all other cars to sell here or sell elsewhere for that matter. Bring it in and we'll let you know if it's price and condition meets marketable standards. If we don't think it has a good chance to sell, we are not interested in taking your hard earned cash.

What services am I paying for?

1. Preparation of your car's ad and photo on our website and other places with our concierge service.
2. Coverage - Our new mobile friendly website attracts thousands of buyers from a wide geographical area
3. Display of your car to the hundreds of prospective buyers that pass by our lot every day
4. Vehicle market analysis with local sales data to effectively price your car for a sale
5. Experienced and friendly staff to assist with the info you need to stay on track for a sale
6. New targeted, more effective, secure, web ad and walk-around videos, more secure monitored test drives and on-the-lot mobile mechanic's checks by appointment.
7. Weekly car wash service

Does what I pay include website advertising?

If you choose the consierge service, yes. Otherwise we provide you with a free web hosting page that contains a picture of your vehicle and its descriptive information along with your advertising are on the for sale page and in the recent cars section of the front the front page. Concierge cars remain on the top of cars shown on the front page. We may recommend other internet advertising or listing services based on your special needs. There is no extra charge for these services because they cannot be guaranteed.

Do we post ads with other Internet services?

Unless you choose the Concierge Service, it is your responsibility to post and publish information about your vehicle on other sites. As a courtesy, we will do whatever we can to assist you on any site we are familiar with. To save time and provide consistant advertising, you can copy the information from your free web hosting page to other web advertising sites. For example, with craigslist, you might copy and paste the title (basic description), the included, the extras and your own advertising into the posting screen. You also might include words that contain a link to your page here, such as, "To see a photo, my most recent price, my title history or to find out how to test drive my car, click on [http://buggybank.org/carNNNNN.html]", where "NNNNN" is your contract number. This is basic information. Liven it up if you can making sure there isn't any questionable embelishment.

What attracts people to our website?

Our new mobile-friendly Buggy Bank web site is now getting over 1,000 visits from individual internet browsers per day. Over 20,000 people are finding us on google during this period. We are probably the only website that actually lists the SOLD price as well as the asking price and a local market value on our Sold Vehicles list. Whether you are interested in buying or selling, this public information is helpful and attracts many more people to our website.

When should I bring my car in to sell?

There is never a bad time to sell. Good or bad economy, season, or weather. People always need cars at a reasonable price.

What happens when I bring my car in?

Whether we pick it up or you bring it in to Buggy Bank and sign-in your car, we'll first do a "walk around" inspection and record the condition of the exterior, interior and engine. We will take a photo of your car for your free Buggy Bank internet web-hosting page. We will ask for and record your current registration, insurance and we assist by presenting you with local market statistics, and other factors that may have a bearing on your car's ability to sell in today's market. Depending on the year, make, model, price range, condition and your particular needs, we will do our best to present you with an advantageous way to market you car. Allow 30 minutes to an hour for this process. Be sure to put your title and registration in a safe place that is easy to remember and or make a note to yourself as to where it is located.

What can I do while I am waiting for an offer?

Normally nothing except being available to answer calls from us or an interested buyer. The buyer will usually make an introductory call to ask a few questions and see if you are both on the same page. We will assist the buyer with their due dilligence tasks before they call with a final offer to buy. Depending on your situation, plan or special needs, we will professionally handle the inquiries (or forward them directly to you), assist your buyers with their on or off-the-lot examinations, mobile mechanic's inspections and test drives appointments. Stay in touch and make sure our calls are answered. Call in once a week yourself to get an activity analysis from one of our staff members. Double-check with us to make certain that your vehicle has been smogged and has no liens or encumberances. Delays like this can easily kill a sale. The smog can can be done once your car is here. A local shop will pick it up and deliver it back here after the smog.

What happens when someone wants to buy it?

Once a buyer has done the research at Buggy Bank and wants to make an offer, we will tell him or her to give you a call. If a diagnostic or "Mobile Mechanic's Check" is requested, you will give your approval to us and we'll make secure arrangements by appointment. If all checks out well for the buyer, and he wants to proceed, then you would both come to Buggy Bank. We'll take care of the DMV release of liability and DMV's website now has a virtual title transfer option. By phone or at our office, we will effectively and safely guide you during these final critical steps. There are some sad stories out there and you don't want to be one of them. One more thing . . . Be sure to bring your title and current registration!

What should I tell the buyer to bring?

Tell the buyer to bring a cashiers check for the purchase of your car.


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(510) 848-3015