Has your car been involved in an accident recently or do you own a car that is near death? Maybe the cost of repairing your vehicle is so painful that you don't have the stomach to see the bill. It's probably safe to say that most people know that a car is never the same after being involved in an accident and if the car hasn't been taken care of then there could be very serious mechanical, electrical, and safety issues. Maybe your car was a victim during last summer's hurricane and floods or was it completely totaled and now, after the insurance has settled your claim you are ready to rid yourself of the headaches.

Many times, if a car is an older one and it has been wrecked, the cost of repairs is typically the responsibility of the owner and so insurance usually won't cover it. In other cases, maybe you only had liability and not full coverage then in this case the insurance company pays nothing towards the repair even if the accident was the other driver's fault.

If you want to maximize your return of what is left on the value of your vehicle, be prepared to do some homework. To begin, you want to obtain the Carfax report which is to say that you want to have independent proof of the history for your car for the perspective buyer. Gather and collect up all the repair work that has been done as well and if you've had any after-market upgrades, include the receipts for the equipment too. Sometimes, as new car owners, we splurge a little by installing new sound systems and, in some cases, whole entertainment centers for our cars too. Regardless, you will need to furnish the vehicle identification number (VIN) to the Carfax site and it would be a great idea if you kept the number handy so that you can complete the car title transfer and include the mileage too. The VIN is located on the driver's side of the dashboard closest to the windshield usually. Alternatively, you can check your auto insurance policy as well. The VIN is 17 characters long and never contains the letters, "I,""O,"and "Q" in the number. You can also contact companies like MillMotors.

To be certain that no adverse information is attached to your car's history, you may want to verify and ensure accuracy with data on the national insurance crime bureau regarding VINs. There have been more than a million cars reported damaged from former hurricanes and flood so you want to be certain that you know the score when dealing with your car and its history.

You should try to determine the worth of your vehicle by visiting Kelly Blue Book (KBB.com) and checking with other community-based sources of cars for sale so that you can focus on the optimal price given what's in demand both in terms of the vehicle and current market demands for your locale. Cars will vary in regards to how well they maintain their value historically; it's just the supply and demand economics at work. Sometimes, people become more interested in certain aspects of car ownership. For example, for a while you might have noticed that air bags were very popular while further in the past it was the anti-lock breaking system or ABS and most recently the gas mileage was the hot button issue for buyers in the market.

Another step to include may include having your vehicle inspected by a professional mechanic. Just like a dealership, you can have a checklist, of which there are many on the Internet, and have the mechanic sign off that those items have been verified.

Make sure that you make additional copies of all of your documents. For example, you may have a lien against your car or you own it by proof of the title. Make copies and ensure that a set of all related documents are available for the potential buyer. This also includes having an audit trail of all repairs that have been completed over the years too. In this way, the buyer will be certain that you've maintained the vehicle and that you've followed the manufacturer's schedule. If you have an inspection done, you may not have the money or time to have all repairs done and that's OK. Instead, this list will also serve as a reminder for the new owner so that you are ethically passing on all known issues and ensuring that he or she understands the condition before making the purchase. You should be mindful of the car's mileage because the more miles a car the more difficult it will be to sell it and its value will be much less.

When a car or truck has sustained serious damage to the undercarriage or auto body, the vehicle will never be the same as it was when first purchased. You can ensure that all manufacturer recalls or defects that do not necessarily warrant a recall but nonetheless have other issues that you as an owner should be made aware. You can visit recalls.gov or NHTSA.gov (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) for recalls or deficiencies. One affective recall event is the latest one which involved the massive Takata airbag recall which involved more than 34 million cars within the United States alone.

The vehicle selling process can be daunting and frustrating at times. It means having to entertain many phone calls and emails from those who may have only a slight interest in your car so be prepared for all types of people. The process of selling or buying can be best understood from various web-based web sites such as Edmunds or DMV.com.

As a buyer or seller, be aware that some people are becoming victimized by fraud due to these sales and false claims of vehicle protection programs (VPP). Basically, there are some unscrupulous people who are attempting to sell vehicles which they do not own. Let the Latin phrase, "Caveat emptor" be stated as a warning to all.