Should I sell my car privately or to a dealer?

An honest comparison — money, time, risk and effort — so you can pick the route that suits you.

Money

A private sale can fetch more — sometimes a few hundred dollars, sometimes a couple of thousand on a desirable car. But the gap is smaller than the asking prices suggest, because private buyers negotiate hard, and you pay for the ads, the detailing and your own time. Count those and the difference often shrinks to very little.

Time and effort

Privately you write the ad, photograph the car, answer messages at all hours, meet strangers, sit through test drives and manage the paperwork yourself. In a regional market that can run for weeks. A dealer sale is one conversation: send the details, get an offer, drive in, get paid.

Risk

Private sales carry the risks nobody mentions until they happen: test drivers with no licence or insurance, payments that bounce or are reversed, and buyers who never transfer the registration so the fines keep coming to you. A licensed dealer sale removes all three — the payment is guaranteed, and the transfer is handled at the yard.

So which one?

If you have the time, enjoy the process and own a car with strong private demand, sell privately — but get a dealer offer first so you know your floor. If you want it done this week, safely, with the paperwork handled and the money in your account, sell to a dealer.

Keep reading

• How much is my car worth? →What actually moves the number, why online calculators disagree, and how to get a real figure.
• How to sell a car in Tasmania →The three ways to sell, the paperwork Tasmania actually requires, and how long each route takes.