How I Sold My 11 Year Old Car For a Profit

Mr. STS and I spent a year in Syracuse, New York. This was a big deal for Floridians like us. For one, we had never lived through a REAL winter. We had planned on sharing one car, but had no idea that a rear-wheel drive (RWD) in the snow was a no-no. Luckily, a colleague of Mr. STS’s landed a job in Florida and didn’t need his winter-appropriate SUV anymore. It was a 10-year-old Suzuki SUV. The colleague sold it to us for $700 cash. (Our RWD car sat in the garage for half of the year, because that’s how long it snowed.)

When April came around and the snow started to let up, I began my search for someone willing to buy our now 11-year-old SUV. Dealerships would not take it, because it was over 10 years old. They said the chances of them selling it for a profit would be extremely low.

Okay, so maybe I can post the car on Craigslist or drive around with FOR SALE written on the rear windshield.

Nope, couldn’t do that! The SUV had started making weird jerking movements when switching gears. Was it the transmission? We are not car-people and had no idea why the car was jerking. But I was sure no one would buy a jerky car!

I needed a Plan C.

Have you ever seen those signs that say “We Buy Junk Cars!”? I never thought about calling those places, because I didn’t think my car was junk. I thought “junk car” meant no longer running, banged up doors, and rusty all over. But I was running out of options. I called one place and the man asked me how much I wanted for the SUV. I told him $1,000. He agreed!

I wondered whether I could sell it for more than $1,000. I told Man #1 that I would call him back after discussing with Mr. STS. Really, I was buying myself time to see if I could get more for the SUV. The answer was no. No one else could even give me close to $1,000. I called Man #1 back and it was a done deal!

So, essentially, we drove a car for free all winter (well, we paid for insurance) and sold it for a profit. Don’t be like me and overlook these “We Buy Junk Cars” companies if you ever need to sell an older car. These companies will buy cars in good condition (that are too old for dealerships to sell) and either auction them off or strip and sell the parts.