When selling your car, you have three options: trade it in at a dealership, sell it yourself, or use Honest Car Payment’s C2C program. Before selling, cancel GAP insurance or service plans to keep refunds. Trading in is easy but gives you only 40-45% of what the dealer will sell your car for. Dealers can trick you, tweaking contract numbers. They might offer $10,000 for your car but raise the new car’s price by $10,000, called “stealing the trade.” They focus on monthly payments to hide the full contract. Few rules control trading in, so trained dealers can profit as much as you allow. Selling yourself on sites like Cars.com, CarGurus, OfferUp, Autotrader, or Facebook Marketplace gets more money, but you handle scammers and paperwork. Honest Car Payment’s C2C, with 847 Google reviews and a 5-star rating, uses CARFAX, provides paperwork, certifies buyers, and handles DMV and loan payoffs for a safer, higher-paying sale. This post explains these choices, dealer tricks, steps to keep your car’s value, and Google reviews for each website.
Trading In: Easy but Less Money
Trading in means giving your car to a dealership when buying a new one. It’s quick—you get a price and leave. But dealers offer low prices to cover costs and profits, giving you only 28% of a $7,000 car’s value or 40-45% for nicer cars. Selling yourself could get 33-68% more.
| Choice | Trade-In at Dealership | Selling Yourself | Honest Car Payment C2C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Money You Get | 40–45% of dealer’s sale price | Full private sale value | Way more than dealer |
| Ease | Very easy: One visit | Hard: Listing, buyers, paperwork | Easy: Handles paperwork |
| Time | A few hours | Days to weeks | A few days |
| Tax Savings | Lowers new car tax (most states) | None, but more money | None, but more money |
| Risk | Low: Dealer does everything | High: Scams, fake buyers | Low: Buyers checked |
Why Trading In Can Be Tricky
Few rules control trade-in prices, letting dealers set them freely. Some laws stop bad tricks, but trade-in prices are loose. Dealers are trained to win deals, unlike most people.
How Dealers Trick You
Dealers push monthly payments so you miss the contract’s total cost. They use a “four-square” sheet—new car price, trade-in, down payment, monthly payment—to confuse you. “Stealing the trade” means giving your trade-in price but raising the new car’s cost. If you owe money on your car, they might “pay it off” but add it to the new loan.
Selling Yourself: More Money, More Work
Selling on sites like Cars.com, CarGurus, OfferUp, Autotrader, or Facebook Marketplace can double or triple a dealer’s offer. These don’t provide buyer-seller paperwork, so you handle documents like the title yourself. Google reviews as of August 12, 2025:
- Cars.com: Instant cash deals or private listings ($4.99 for 30 days); no paperwork. Google Reviews: ~1,200 reviews, 4.3 stars, liked for ease, some note old listings.
- CarGurus: Instant offers or $4.95 private listings; no paperwork. Google Reviews: ~1,500 reviews, 4.4 stars, praised for pricing, some find it clunky.
- OfferUp: Free local listings, scam risks; no paperwork. Google Reviews: 1.9 stars, 174 reviews (Bellevue, WA), criticized for poor service, scams.
- Autotrader: Instant offers or private listings, safe payments; no paperwork. Google Reviews: ~1,000 reviews, 4.3 stars, liked for pricing, some note high fees.
- Facebook Marketplace: Free listings, no car buyer protection or paperwork. Google Reviews: Part of Facebook, millions of reviews, 4.0 stars; mixed due to scams.
Note: Reviews may change. Check Google Business Profiles for updates.You get more money but deal with scammers, fake buyers, and paperwork.
Honest Car Payment’s C2C: Easy and Safe
Honest Car Payment’s C2C gives more money than dealers, safer than selling alone. It has 847 Google reviews, 5-star rating, uses CARFAX, and provides paperwork.
- Checked Buyers: Buyers’ credit is verified.
- Fast Sales: Two test-drives on a Saturday, 90% chance one buys.
- Paperwork Done: They provide paperwork, handle DMV, loan payoffs.
- You Control: Keep your car, set price, pay a fee.
- Honest: CARFAX and 5-star rating from 847 reviews.
- No Tricks: Straightforward, unlike dealers.
Steps to Keep Your Car’s Value
- Cancel GAP and Service Plans: Before selling, cancel GAP insurance (covers loan shortfalls) and service plans (like warranties) to keep refunds.
- Call Your Dealer: For a Hyundai, ask, “Will you buy my car without me buying?” Get their offer. A $40,000 Tucson from two years ago might get $17,779-$21,000 due to 30% value loss.
- Compare Offers: Check other dealers and sites like Carvana or CarGurus.
- Choose: If dealers offer low (like $21,000), sell privately for $28,000 or use C2C for more with paperwork.
Tips to Beat the Dealer
- Check Value: Use Kelley Blue Book or Edmunds.
- Compare Offers: Get dealer and online prices.
- Price Separately: Settle new car price first.
- Check Total Cost: Ignore monthly payments; read the contract.
- Bring Papers: Have title, ID, registration, or let C2C handle it.
Conclusion: Be Smart to Get More
Dealers take advantage with few rules and better negotiating skills. They hide tricks like “stealing the trade” with monthly payments. Trading in is fast but pays less. Selling yourself or using Honest Car Payment’s C2C—with CARFAX, paperwork, and 5-star rating from 847 reviews—gets more money safely. Cancel GAP and service plans, compare offers, and choose wisely to keep your car’s value.
Footnotes
- Cars.com offers instant offers or private listings ($4.99 for 30 days); no paperwork.
- Cars.com has ~1,200 Google reviews, 4.3 stars, liked for ease, some note old listings.
- FTC’s Used Car Rule stops some dealer tricks.
- Honest Car Payment has 847 Google reviews, 5 stars.
- Honest Car Payment’s C2C uses CARFAX, provides paperwork, certifies buyers, handles DMV, loan payoffs.
- High demand raises car prices.
- 2023 Hyundai Tucson trade-in value: $17,779-$30,469, average $18,813.
- C2C gets thousands more than dealers.
- CarGurus has ~1,500 Google reviews, 4.4 stars, praised for pricing, some find it clunky.
- OfferUp has free listings, scam risks; no paperwork.
- Facebook has millions of reviews, 4.0 stars; Marketplace mixed due to scams.
- CarGurus offers instant offers or $4.95 listings; no paperwork.
- Autotrader offers instant offers or listings; no paperwork.
- “Stealing the trade” raises other costs.
- Facebook Marketplace has free listings, no car protection or paperwork.
- Trade-in process has few rules, “wild wild west.”
- Trade-in offers: 28% for cheap cars, 40-45% for others.
- Kelley Blue Book, Edmunds show car values.
- Dealers offer low prices for costs, profits.
- Selling yourself gets 33-68% more.
- Dealers push payments to hide details, negotiate better.
- OfferUp has 1.9 stars, 174 reviews (Bellevue, WA), criticized for service, scams.