Autotraded

 


And thus, the Beetle exited our world in the same manner that it came in seven years ago… strapped down on a trailer, heading to a buyer sight unseen.  

I’ve bought and sold a lot of cars in person-to-person sales. In my younger years, it was via a paper published full of ads (no news stories) every week in central Missouri called the Ad Tracker. I always paid and received cash. 

Later, it was Craigslist. Then Facebook Marketplace took over. But when I went to sell the Corvette last summer, it found that Craigslist still exists, and it doesn’t have much on it. So when I advertised the Corvette on it for all of $5, it was noticed immediately and sold right away. 

Several years ago, I got into motorcycles. I would buy one that was priced undervalued, ride it for a while, then sell it for a little more than I paid for it. I did this more than a dozen times. I finally gave up riding, right around the time Facebook Marketplace started having more scams than buyers and sellers. 

The Beetle sold via Autotrader. This was interesting because the buyer was from the far reaches of Tennessee and bought the car without coming to look at it. This also meant the transaction wasn’t going to be in $100 bills. I used Autotrader’s Private Seller Service. 

This took a leap of faith on my part. I know Autotrader has been around forever and is a huge online car advertising service, so that helped. I had to give them access to my online banking, so they could deposit money into my account. This meant actually providing it with my login and password. This made me a little nervous. It would have made me very nervous if I actually had any money in that account. 

Before receiving any money, you sign your title and FedEx it to Autotrader, along with some other documents, including one that you have to get notarized, which gives Autotrader Power of Attorney over your vehicle. Again, stretching my trust in online transactions, but I proceeded. 

Today, the money hit my bank account just like they said it would. The Beetle was purchased as a first car for a 16-year-old by his grandmother. I think he’s going to love it.

Photo courtesy of Arthur Erb.

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