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CARPARTY

The process

How CarParty works.

CarParty is where a private seller lists a car, a buyer agrees to buy it, and a participating dealership hosts the handoff. Money and the title move only after both parties meet, the car is inspected, and identities are confirmed.

For sellers

List a car for $250, with unlimited reposts for one full year. You are charged $500 up front; $250 is refunded when the sale completes on CarParty. A longer listing often brings a higher price, so use the year if you need it.

You can list at auction, at a reserve auction (a hidden minimum you will accept), at a fixed price with no negotiation, or at a fixed price or best offer.

What you do

  1. List the vehicle in one of the four formats above.
  2. Review offers and accept one.
  3. Set a date with the buyer and CarParty to complete the sale.
  4. CarParty dealer checks your ID, your information, and the title.
  5. Let the buyer test-drive and inspect the car.
  6. Dealer technician does a mechanical inspection on vehicle while you wait.
  7. Dealer inspects IDs, title, and produces transaction documents for you to read and sign.
  8. Upon agreement from both parties, the dealer takes the title and prints a bill of sale for both of you.
  9. You are mailed a check or will receive a direct deposit for agreed upon amount.

If the buyer refuses to finish because the description was inaccurate or a mechanical fault is found, the buyer’s deposit is refunded, a report notes that the sale did not complete, and you can repost the vehicle.

Trade-ins

One of the best things about buying from a dealership is the trade-in tax benefit. CarParty takes your car as a dealer trade-in, which may make you eligible for that benefit when you buy a replacement from CarParty or a participating CarParty dealer.

To use the trade-in credit, you and your buyer must agree to complete the sale at the participating dealer that is selling the replacement you want. You reserve that vehicle with a deposit, and the dealer holds it. When your car sells to the private buyer, the dealer takes it in as the trade-in on the replacement.

What you do

  1. Choose the replacement you want from CarParty or a participating CarParty dealer.
  2. Agree with your buyer to complete your sale at the dealership selling that replacement.
  3. Reserve the replacement by paying a deposit. The dealer holds the vehicle.
  4. At the sale of your car to the private buyer, the dealer takes your car in as the trade-in and applies it to the replacement.

If the sale falls through

One exception: if the buyer refuses to finish because the description was inaccurate or a mechanical fault is found, the buyer’s deposit is refunded, a report notes that the sale did not complete, and the seller can repost the vehicle. If the sale is not completed for any other reason, or is completed outside CarParty, both the buyer and the seller forfeit their $500 deposits.

After a completed sale, the buyer leaves with the keys and a bill of sale, and the title is mailed. The seller leaves with a copy of the bill of sale and is paid by mailed check or direct deposit.