I'm getting ready to buy a new car, but I'm having trouble getting what I would consider fair value for my trade-in. I know dealers make more on trades than on new car sales, and I know they take on some risk in accepting my trade, having to fix it up, etc. but the offers I'm getting aren't anywhere close to what I think I could get selling it privately. I don't have a problem with holding onto the car for an extra month or two waiting for a reasonable offer, so rather than give my car away and leave a few grand on the table, I'm thinking about going the private sale route.

I'm just wondering if anyone has any tips on a successful private auto sale. I know how to avoid scams, not to give them the keys until I have a cashier's check in my hand, etc. but I'm talking more about what sites to use, how much to invest in fixing it up, etc. Do I spend money on getting it detailed? Do I fix the 3" crack in the front bumper cover? Or just sell it as-is and let the buyer deal with it? Does anyone really buy cars off of Craigslist anymore? What about EBay? AutoTrader's "$50 ad that runs until it sells" seems like a good deal, does anyone have any experience selling there?

Nothing wrong with handing over the keys without taking cash or cashier's check. Just don't sign the ownership/title over until you have payment.

If they take off, then the car is stolen and you can settle it out with your insurance company. That might be a positive in some circumstances.

Here in Canada Kijiji and Autotrader are THE sites to use. Both are free for basic ads.

With regards to the rest, it all depends on what the com parables are selling for. There's no sense in putting anything into a car you're only going to get 1k for. But if it's something that can make the difference between $15 and 17k then it's worth considering. Look for a good return on the investment you'll put in. Like 3-4x IMO.