I'm not sure how it is in your neck of the woods, but where I work, we get Monday off for that all important and meaningful Columbus Day. The great thing about holidays, other than not working of course, is that many auto dealerships use the holidays to have great sales. In fact, according to this article, all holidays have been co-opted by businesses for the purpose of making money.  Columbus Day is no different, obscure as it is.  Here is what the article has to say regarding the day named after the famous explorer:

Columbus Day is another holiday that has been siezed upon by car dealerships, who are always on the lookout for excuses to run a sale. Regular TV viewers can probably recite the myriad “Columbus Day sales event” ads they hear on the days leading up to and following the holiday, which was intended as nothing more than a day to reflect upon the man who first sailed to the New World. Exactly what this has to do with buying or selling cars, we may never know.

I'll tell you what it has to do with buying or selling cars: people don't work on Columbus Day, and are more apt to go shopping when they have a day off.  It's that simple.  So, if you need a new car, or want one really bad, take your day off, go to your favorite dealership, and see about getting an auto loan for that new Prius you've been eyeballing. 

We always talk about buying used cars, but what about getting rid of them?  What are your options for selling or trading?  

Before doing anything, you need to determine the Kelly Blue Book value of your vehicle.  You will see there are three different values for each vehicle: retail, trade-in, and private party.  You are going to get the most money for private party, and least for trade-in.  At the same time, trade-in takes the least amount of work, while private party car sales can be a soul sucking misadventure if things don't go well. Knowing the blue book value will help you set your expectations for the journey ahead. 

With that in mind, here are some options for you:

1. Trade-in at a dealership - if you have a car you don't want, then why not trade it in at the dealership towards another vehicle? Yes I know you still have a used car on your hands, but its a NEW used car, and that will at least give the illusion of happiness until your kid pukes in the back seat and breaks it in.  Beware though, dealerships are notorious for not giving you top dollar on your trade-in.  Afterall they are trying to sell just like you are.  
2. Sell at CarMax - CarMax boasts that they will "buy your car even if you don't buy ours."  I can dig that.  Its basically a convenience issue.  From the website, "Setting up an appointment isn't necessary, and we'll appraise your car for free in as little as 30 minutes. Each appraisal is backed with a written offer that stays the same, even if you don't buy a car from us." This is nice indeed.  See how their appraisal process works.  All of this is nice, but like the trade-in option above, don't expect to get full value for your vehicle.  My buddy visited CarMax and was offered 2k less than what he sold it for privately. 
   
3. Craigslist - Craigslist is great because it is free and there is tons of exposure, which means potentially more buyers at YOUR price. The problem is that its free and there is tons of exposure, which means potentially more work for you. Selling anything of value on Craigslist is a jailbreak, and a car is no different. People come out of the woodwork wanting to come by (or say they are coming by and not show up), test drive the vehicle, ask questions that you don't have the answers to, possibly scam you, and haggle like nobody's business. This can all get pretty exhausting, and after a few no shows, insulting offers, frustrating questions, and strange text messages from people who don't speak English, one wonders whether or not its worth the extra cash to put up with all of this. This largely depends on what kind of person you are. My wife loves the adventure, but frankly it makes me want to take a nap.
   

Selling a car is an adventure. There is a spectrum that features convenience and less money on one end and hard work and more money on the other.  You will have decide which one fits your personality. 

Black Friday is the time of year for amazing deals in the area of electronics and other consumer goods.  But did you know that this was also true of automobiles?  Check out this article.  I realize that black Friday has passed, but you still might find some great deals out there. 

 Having just been through the title transfer process myself, I wish I would have seen this.  There is so much confusion about the entire process, that many people end up with the responsibility of paying for tickets that aren't theirs, simply because the title of the car is still somehow in their name.  Don't get caught in this and lose hundreds of dollars.