Selling your car is tricky if you are under a time constraint. Not every dealership will buy a vehicle outright. Selling your car privately is not always the best option either if you need the money sooner rather than later. It takes time to list, and it may even cost money depending on the outlet. From there, it’s hoping the interested buyers are willing to pay you a fair price (if they contact you at all).
We recently spent some time learning about Wheelzy, an online platform that pays cash for vehicles. Their website offers a convenient option for those who need to sell their car but are pressed for time, or don’t want to deal with the hassle of selling it themselves. On average, Wheelzy customers receive their cash payment in 24 to 48 hours.
Wheelzy will also purchase a vehicle regardless of the condition, which is ideal for those who feel like their car is starting to “nickel and dime” them.
Affiliate Disclosure: Automoblog and its partners may be compensated when you inquire about the services below.
How it Works
First Steps
On the Wheelzy homepage, you will enter the make, model, and year of your vehicle, along with your name and contact information. After clicking the “Get Offer” button, enter the vehicle’s mileage and condition.
The condition assessment is straightforward. The drop-down box asks if there is any damage and where approximately it is located. Just select from the choices available, or you can indicate “no damage” if your vehicle is in good shape.
You can also just give them a call at (855) 971-1920 and talk to a customer service rep who will walk you through the process.
- Pro Tip: Have your VIN handy. While you can go through the initial process without your VIN, it’s best to include it right away. Your VIN will ensure the best possible quote for your vehicle.
Wheelzy Contacts You
After you have entered your information, a representative will contact you via phone to discuss the cash offer. When we submitted one of our vehicles for a cash offer, we missed the first call. A short time later, we received a courtesy text and email from the Wheelzy rep. It let us know they had received our information and to call them back at our convenience.
- Pro Tip: Keep your reference number handy as you go through the process. We wrote ours down and stuck it to our laptop.
After You Accept the Cash Offer
This is where Wheelzy stands out, especially if you need to offload your car quickly. Once you agree on a cash offer, Wheelzy will send a free tow truck to your location. Same-day pickup is also possible, depending on a driver’s availability. Wheelzy operates in all states and zip codes and follows strict social distancing guidelines during the pick up process.
The towing fees are taken care of in advance by Wheelzy, and the driver does not try to haggle with you upon arrival. Once the cash offer is agreed upon for your vehicle, it stands. The tow truck driver is only there to haul your vehicle away, not convince you to take a lower offer. Similarly, Wheelzy handles all the paperwork associated with the sale. If you are selling your vehicle to Wheelzy, you do not need to contact the DMV at all.
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Best For Fast Cash
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Great customer reviews, free vehicle removal nationwide, and fast cash all within 48 hours. If you’re in a time crunch or have a car in bad shape, Wheelzy is a great choice. |
Comparing & Contrasting
When we entered our 2004 Toyota Corolla LE, we received an instant offer on the Wheelzy website of $464. Our older Corolla had 160,000 miles, plenty of interior wear after 16 years, and some minor damage on the front left side from a rake and shovel that fell in our garage during a bad thunderstorm. These last few Michigan winters had also taken a toll on the lower body. Mechanically it was mostly alright with no check engine lights or serious leaks. Still, after 16 years, it was time to figure something else out.
For comparison sake, we ran the Kelly Blue Book numbers, listing the car in fair condition. The average trade-in value was $1,577, while the average private party value was $2,612. Admittedly, this is a great deal higher than our offer from Wheelzy, but their offer was instant and in cash.
While we could have played the waiting game and hoped a private buyer would bite at around $2,000, we didn’t have that kind of time. Likewise, we were somewhat skeptical that any dealer would value our Corolla at $1,500 on a trade-in. In our experience working for dealer groups, sometimes your trade-in is under the book value; other times, it’s over what the book says. There are other variables that dealers take into account, including what the local market conditions are.
That said, it’s possible our Corolla could have netted us $1,500 (or maybe more) from a local dealer. However, that would have required us to trade it in for another car, which is not what we were looking to do. We simply wanted to offload it and do it rather quickly.
In addition to Kelly Blue Book, we also ran some numbers on our Corolla through Edmunds.
We would say our 04 Corolla was between Rough and Average, given the 160,000 rounds on the odometer. Again, these numbers are higher than Wheelzy’s offer, but that’s also assuming we could get the dollar amounts listed here on our own.
Edmunds and Kelly Blue Book are two of the best resources for consumers, but they are guides, not actual offers. Dealers and private buyers are not obligated to match Edmunds or Kelly Blue Book. By contrast, Wheelzy quotes are upheld from beginning to end.
Should You Take Less Money?
Based on the Edmunds and Kelly Blue Book numbers, we left a sizable amount of money on the table. We recommend carefully evaluating your situation if you are reading this article: can you wait for a private buyer to come along, or do you need the money sooner? Do you want to make all the phone calls necessary to dealers to find out if they want to buy your car?
For us, it was worth it to have Wheelzy haul our older Corolla away so quickly. We needed the garage and driveway space back due to a family situation. The money was also useful for a last-minute plane ticket to help that person pack and drive back to Michigan.
While we did take “less” for our Corolla, the fact Wheelzy towed it away and did the paperwork was also part of the value. Even against the Edmunds and Kelly Blue Book numbers, we feel confident it was the right move with our older Corolla.
Plus, Wheelzy didn’t ding us for the overwhelming fast food and cheap coffee smell that seemed to forever linger in that car! We apologized to the tow truck driver repeatedly.
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Best For Fast Cash
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Great customer reviews, free vehicle removal nationwide, and fast cash all within 48 hours. If you’re in a time crunch or have a car in bad shape, Wheelzy is a great choice. |
What Customers Say About Wheelzy
Here is a sample of customer reviews of Wheelzy on Trustpilot.
Cash Offers
- “Great customer service. Kept in touch. Gave the price I wanted. Picked up my vehicle on time and gave me a check right there. Excellent company to deal with. Highly recommend.” ~ Andrea Cargill (Charleston, SC)
- “Hands down the best around! Fast, Easy, helpful and very professional. From customer service to the driver showing up was a great experience. They also got me the best price around for my Acura TL. Thanks guys!” ~ Rah Lee (Boston, MA)
- “This place gave a fair deal and picked up my car the next day, check in hand.” ~ Lisa Neve (Biloxi, MS)
Customer Service
- “I spoke with Britnee, she was very helpful and was able to get my car picked up quickly. I would recommend using this service if you are trying to get rid of your old car.” ~ Jason Gilbeaux (Las Vegas, NV)
- “Great customer service. I was well taken care of from start to finish. Car picked up and check cut on the same day.” ~ Carol Radous (Greenfield, CA)
- “Overall experience was great. The rep Vanessa who helped us out was very knowledgeable and very quick to respond and helpful. If anyone out there is looking to sell your vehicle, I would highly recommend their services. They were awesome.” ~ Derrick Ingersoll (Auburn, WA)
Out of nearly 8,000 reviews on Trustpilot, only one percent are listed as bad. Just two percent are listed as average. The majority (84 percent) fall into the excellent category.
Currently, Wheelzy is not accredited with the Better Business Bureau. Still, the reviews that appear on the BBB website are positive.
Our Verdict: Good Service, Good Choice!
Wheelzy is likely not your best option if you want the highest number possible for your car, as evidenced by our 2004 Toyota Corolla. In that case, you are better to sell it outright or trade for a new model.
However, if you don’t want to mess with listing your vehicle, are pressed for time and need the cash, or have an older car that would be hard to sell anyway, Wheelzy is an excellent option. Their rates are guaranteed ahead of time, and they take the vehicle off your hands for no extra charge.
In addition, Wheelzy is rated as “Excellent” on Trustpilot with 84 percent of their reviews falling into that category. After going through the process, we would agree with those reviews.
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Best For Fast Cash
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Great customer reviews, free vehicle removal nationwide, and fast cash all within 48 hours. If you’re in a time crunch or have a car in bad shape, Wheelzy is a great choice. |
Original article: Wheelzy Review (2020): Need to Sell Your Car Fast? Here’s How it Works
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