The Lasso Blog
June 11, 2024
Avoiding Fraud and Why to Sell to a Dealer (With These Tips)

Dive deep into the benefits of selling your car to a dealership, tips, and how to maximize your deal.

In this article, we're diving into why dealers are eager to buy used consumer cars, how you can position your car to get the best deal from them, and why it's beneficial for both parties.

Why Sell Your Car to a Dealer?

When considering selling your car, you typically have three options:

  1. Sell it to a dealer.
  2. Sell it privately to another individual.
  3. Trade it in at the dealership where you’re buying your next car.

At The Lasso, we've helped over 25,000 people list their cars, giving us extensive insights into why people prefer different selling methods. One common reason why people come to us to sell their car is due to the lengthy process of selling their car privately. Dealing with numerous potential buyers, coordinating test drives, and handling countless inquiries can be exhausting.

The Convenience of Dealerships

Dealerships handle the entire process of selling a car every day. They're experts in navigating the complexities of paperwork and legalities, ensuring a smooth transaction. While it might take a few hours at the dealership, selling your car privately can take much longer due to the myriad of questions and potential obstacles you might encounter.

The DMV also provides dealers with special treatments and preferences to expedite paperwork, making the process significantly faster for car sellers.

Perhaps most important, selling to a dealer eliminates the risk of fraud. Dealerships are highly regulated businesses with stringent licensing processes. This regulation provides a layer of security that you don't get when selling privately. Private sales can expose you to fraudulent buyers who might provide false information, bounce checks, or fail to follow through on payments.

Security and Paperwork

Dealerships have entire departments dedicated to handling the paperwork involved in car sales. They ensure that everything from the title transfer to the bill of sale is managed correctly and efficiently. This professional handling provides peace of mind that private transactions often lack.

Even the most questionable dealership offers more protection than a shady private sale. Dealerships are bound by contracts and legal requirements, offering recourse if something goes wrong. In contrast, resolving issues with a private buyer can be far more challenging.

Benefits for Dealers

Dealers constantly need to replenish their inventory, and consumer-owned cars are typically reliable with good quality. While they can acquire cars from auctions, these often come with additional fees and uncertainties.

When dealerships buy used cars, it can also lead to other profit avenues, such as selling warranties, servicing vehicles, and financing. This diverse income potential motivates dealers to take on the heavy lifting of the transaction process.

Flexibility and Options

Dealers can offer solutions for situations like negative equity, where you owe more on your car loan than the car's value. They can roll the negative balance into a new loan, making it easier for you to transition to your next car. This flexibility and support are unavailable in private sales.

Ultimately, selling your car to a dealer is faster, more secure, and less hassle. You avoid the complexities of paperwork, the risk of fraud, and the need to meet strangers in potentially unsafe locations. When you list and sell your car at thelasso.com, you can get multiple offers from hundreds of dealers in 24 hours, without ever leaving your house.

Sell your car faster with multiple offers

Let top dealerships compete for your car.