Selling a car to someone who will be absent?

I don't mean to sound rude, but this looks like a sucker move to me.

Meet the buyer at your bank. Then, they hand you cash, then you hand them the keys & the title to the car. Then before they leave & are still in the bank with you, deposit the cash in your account so there is no "accident" in the parking lot.

In NO WAY accept payment by mail unless the delivery of the car is two weeks AFTER you receive the payment, and the check has cleared your account. Even cashiers checks/money orders, etc., can be fakes so don't be fooled into thinking anything is secure. If this is what happens, then only after the check has cleared, you can hand the title to a third party, just make sure that you add in the buyer's name & address (not the person picking it up) on the proper line. Write in the miles as of that date as well to cover yourself.

Make sure you have all of the buyers' instructions in writing or email, and keep those for your records. Make sure you get a legal bill-of-sale (often at Office Depot type of store) and fill out. Get a photocopy of the buyer's driver's licence and that of the person picking up the car.

I would even require the buyer to get a notorized power-of-attorney for the person picking up your vehicle as well (this lets the 3rd party legally sign the bill-of-sale for the buyer).

If the buyer is unwilling to do ANY of these items, then don't sell him/her the car. The risks are too much to take.

holy junk that sounds like a scam!! I bet you're getting more money than you thought the car was worth, aren't you... maybe he's even sending a bit extra, so you can pay the moving man? of course you get to keep the rest. Is it $3000 even? Is it in postal money orders? Is the check local?

Have the bank confirm that the check is good. Explain to the teller the situation, they can check it out for you.

Tell them they can pick the car up 14 days after the check clears.

If the deal falls through you're probably better off!

At the very VERY minimum tell them that the police will be there during the pick up, just to confirm your safety (girl thing)...DO call the police and arrange this, they'll be on fraud alert too!

Hold on to the title for 14 days and then mail it off - do NOT give it away until you're SURE its not fraud.

are you sure this isn't a scam? Be sure the check or money order is valid. Do not pay the shipping cost out of the check mailed to you. This may be a legit transaction but this is also the premise of a common scam.

http://fortmyers.craigslist.org/cto/1236997579.htm...

This is how the scam works:

You list a car for sale on craigslist, ebay... A buyer contacts you and says they are interested in the car. They will pay what you are asking and live a long way off. They will arrange shipping and send someone to pick the car up. Sending (check, money order...) . They will send extra to pay the shipper. You deposit the check or money order in your account. Shipper picks up the car and you write him a check and sign over the title. The car is gone. The money order comes back as counterfiet after a couple of weeks and the bank takes the money back out of your account. Your car is gone. The money for the shipper is gone. You have lost all of the money in your checking account...

If you provide your full information full name, full address... You have also set yourself up for identity theft.

If they can send someone to tow it away, they can send cash.

Don't trust their check.

You can sign it , hand it over, and trust them to take it in right away and have it transferred into their name (and out of YOUR name) I don't recommend it. but you can certainly do it.