Nissan Versa Sold Quick

Just like our house, our car sold much faster than we expected. Within about an hour of posting it on Craigslist, someone arrived at our doorstep with cash in hand. We thought it would take a week or two. Here's how we did it.

That's about 800 pounds of bananas in my car, 17 crates,

from a Keep Austin Fed food rescue from Trader Joe's.
Unfortunately, I couldn't fit 8 crates, which got thrown
in the trash. Part of the reason we bought an
NV200 compact cargo van.

And by "we," I mean Denise. She took photos, wrote up a clever ad, and posted it on Craigslist. OK, I did play a small part. I looked up the fair market value on the National Automobile Dealers Association website. I plugged in our ZIP code, the car's make and model, and the odometer reading to determine a price -- $2,500.

Once the ad was posted, Denise started making a few adjustments, when she realized she accidentally included our home address. Just as she deleted our address, a car drove up and a man walked to the door. Denise intended to do the sale with me present because my beard and tattoos repel danger. Instead, I was at a bar with friends celebrating my two-weeks notice from work. My last day with Texas Department of State Health Services is scheduled March 15.

The buyer arrived with cash in hand and even had the paperwork all filled out. His wife saw the ad, loved Denise's description, and told her husband "I want this car." Minutes later, he drove away in the car that had served us so well over the years.

Kimbo enjoys road trips. A tarp protects the car's interior from his
fur and and rambunctious fun.

I was astonished when Denise sent me a photo of the money.

Such a quick sale (and the volume of e-mails Denise received from prospective buyers) tells me I priced the car too low. While I based the figure on the NADA's recommendation, I've had trouble selling my Nissan NV200. I'm about $3,000 underwater on this vehicle, so even though I was willing to eat about a $1,000 on the price, it still hasn't moved.

The plan for my precious compact cargo van is to pay it off once we sell the house, then price it at proper market value, probably around $12,000. Wish me luck. The demand for commercial cargo vans isn't quite the same as compact hatchbacks.

The spacious cargo hold of our NV200 suits Kimbo just fine.
Once we buy an RV, he'll have even more room. Spoiled dog!

We've been a Nissan family for the past 6 years. Our first was the 2008 Nissan Versa hatchback we just sold, which we quickly fell in love with. Not only was it reliable and comfortable, but it was the perfect car for hauling Kimbo around, doing food rescue and compost pickups, and picking up roadside junk.

Wanting to haul ever increasing loads led us to buy the NV200. It's also been fun to camp in, indirectly leading us to sell everything to buy an RV and travel full time.

Soon, everything we own will be with us on the road. I only wish Nissan offered an RV.