Auto City Wants Your Car

If you have a car you no longer need, we’ll buy it from you outright. Or you can trade it in towards the purchase of another car. Either way, we make the process as easy, fast, and fair as possible.

TRADE-IN

If you’re looking to trade-in your vehicle towards the purchase of another, Auto City is a great choice. We’ll give you the fairest trade-in value you’ll find anywhere, and we make the appraisal process easy, fast, and transparent.

We’ll offer you a fair and competitive value for your trade.

Our appraisal process is easy, fast and transparent.

Trade it and forget it. We’ll take your car AS IS and handle all paperwork.

SELL

If you’d rather just sell your car to us outright, we’re happy to offer you a stunning array of benefits:

We’ll take care of all the paperwork for you, even if you’re missing the title or registration.

You won’t have to worry about making any pre-sale repairs because we’ll take care of those as well.

Forget the stress and time it takes to sell your car yourself. No annoying phone calls, meeting strangers or wasted time.

Here are some of the common questions people ask when they’re
thinking about selling or trading in their vehicle:

Do you accept trade ins?

Yes! If you have a car you want to replace, we would be happy to take it as a trade. Do you want to know the tradein value of your existing vehicle? Please fill out a short form to tell us abut your vehicle and we will quote you a fair and competitive price. It’s that easy!

Will you buy my car if I do not buy yours?

We would love a chance to purchase your vehicle! In fact, one of our major sources of inventory are the cars we buy from the general public. Auto City is not only one of the best places to buy a car, we are are also one of the best places to sell your car! Our appraisal process is easy, quick, fair, and transparent, and our offers are very competitive. Why else would you sell your car to us? Besides, who has the time it takes to sell a car on your own? With Auto City, you don’t have to worry about posting ads, answering phone calls, or meeting strangers. You also won’t have to do any pre-sale repairs or a smog check. We’ll take your car AS IS, issue you an immediate payment, and take care of all the paperwork. We will even give you a complimentary ride to anywhere in San Diego County
you need to go after the sale! Have a car to sell? Tell us about it!

Should I trade in my car or try selling it on my own?

The reality is that you’d probably get the most out of you car by selling it privately. However, selling a car on your own takes time and effort, and can also be unpredictable and stressful. Posting ads, answering phone calls, test drives, waiting around for a buyer to come up with a payment or arrange a loan – who has time for all that?
Depending on the condition of your vehicle, you also may need to do some repairs in order to sell it for a decent price. And if something goes wrong after the sale, you may have an unhappy buyer to deal with. At Auto City, there is none of that! You still get a fair and reasonable value for your trade without the hassles and risks of selling it yourself. We’ll take your car AS IS and take care of all the paperwork. Do you have a car to trade in or sell? Trade it in to Auto City!
To learn more about your options, please read our blog post: Should You Trade in Your Car or Sell it Yourself?

If I trade in my car, do I need to notify the DMV?

You do not have to. We handle all the paperwork!

Can I trade in or sell a car that is not paid off?

Yes, you can. If you want to sell your car and it is not paid off, we will pay you the agreed price less the outstanding balance on the vehicle, which we will send to your lender. If there is negative equity in the car (the value of the car is less than the loan balance), then the difference between the agreed-upon price and the outstanding loan balance has to be paid to Auto City at the time of sale. If you want to trade in a vehicle that is not paid off, the process is similar. We will apply the agreed-upon trade-in value towards your new vehicle less the outstanding balance of your loan. If there is negative equity, it may be rolled into a new loan (contingent on lender
approval) or paid to Auto City.

I have an offer from somewhere else. Can you beat it?

Our offers are very aggressive and competitive, so if you have an appraisal from a different dealership or a car buying service, chances are good that we can beat it! Please tell us about your vehicle and the offer to beat and we will do our best to beat it.

I am missing my title and/or registration. Is this a problem?

There is no problem if you are missing your title and/or registration as long as your vehicle is registered and titled in California. However, for out-of-state cars, the title is required.

What if I have negative equity in my car?

If you want to sell your car and you have negative equity in it (the value of the car is less than the loan balance), then the difference between the agreed-upon price and the outstanding loan balance has to be paid to Auto City at the time of sale. We will then pay off the lender on your behalf. If you want to trade in a vehicle with negative equity, it may be rolled into a new loan (contingent on lender approval) or paid to Auto City.

What do I need to bring with me to sell or trade in my vehicle?

Please bring the following: Your driver’s license or valid ID, title and/or registration if available, keys, and any service records available. If the vehicle is not paid off, please have your lender’s information and your pay off amount handy as well.

Do I need to smog my car to sell or trade it in?

There is no need to smog your vehicle if you are planing to trade it in or sell it to Auto City.

What do you do with cars that you buy or take as trade-ins?

We keep the best vehicles to recondition and sell from our lot and wholesale the rest. In fact, one of the major sources of our inventory are the cars we buy from the general public. Please check our inventory page to see our current selection.