1. Get organized. Clean your car, get all your personal stuff out of it, and make it shine as much as possible. Organize all your service records in chronological order. If you have any spare parts or accessories for your car, put them in the vehicle. Have your car ready to go so that when you show it you can sell right it away, then the buyer can drive it home and you never have to deal with it again.

2. Craigslist is the best way to sell your car. Almost everyone who is looking to buy a used car visits "craigslist.org," and it doesn't cost anything to list your car. If you decide to list your car, put up a detailed description and include as many pictures as you can. Here is an important tip: You can save yourself time and improve your credibility if you accurately describe and provide pictures of any flaws that your car has.

Doing this makes you stand out from everyone else who call their car "perfect." You can always try AutoTrader if craigslist doesn't work. 3. Your listing on craigslist will move to the top every time you update it.

In order to get the most from your listing, you should change it as often as every day or even every hour. 4. The first email or phone call or email you get will usually be the best one. You should treat the first person to inquire about your car like royalty. In our experience, it doesn't matter if you put your car on craigslist, a similar site, or in a newspaper classified.

The first person that contacts you is, most of the time, the person who will end up buying your car. Since this person is usually very motivated to buy a car, you should not feel obligated to discount your car, or at least not very much. 5. The most important thing to remember is to be safe.

You shouldn't ever put your address in your listing. This is simply advertising a location to someone who wants to steal a car. List a work phone number rather than using your personal number.

Most importantly, always go to a public place to meet potential buyers. A great place is a shopping mall parking lot. Not only are there other people around, there is security. Shopping malls are usually easy for the potential buyer to find. 6.

It is important that we also talk about test-driving. Do not go with a potential buyer to test-drive your car if you do not feel comfortable. If you don't go along, ask them if you could hold the keys to their car. You should tell the buyer to take a hike if you get a bad vibe from them at any point in the process. You should never take any kind of risk.

7. Don't accept cashier's checks or bank drafts. Unless you're inside a bank talking to a bank employee, don't ever accept a cashier's check or bank draft as payment. These instruments are extremely easy to counterfeit, so you should only take them from people you know and trust. Insist on cash.

If your buyer has to give you a bank draft, meet them at their bank so you can verify it. 8. The last tip is to tie up all loose ends. Be sure to take your license plates off before you allow the buyer to drive away in your car.

In order to prove that your vehicle was sold, have the buyer sign a bill of sale. Always ask for identification, and if there are any problems with this, do not sell your car to that person.

Author Jason Lancaster, a car business veteran, created AccurateAutoAdvice.com. You'll find accurate advice on tips for selling my car and how to sell a car.