I'm getting ready to buy a new car, but I'm having trouble getting what I would consider fair value for my trade-in. I know dealers make more on trades than on new car sales, and I know they take on some risk in accepting my trade, having to fix it up, etc. but the offers I'm getting aren't anywhere close to what I think I could get selling it privately. I don't have a problem with holding onto the car for an extra month or two waiting for a reasonable offer, so rather than give my car away and leave a few grand on the table, I'm thinking about going the private sale route.

I'm just wondering if anyone has any tips on a successful private auto sale. I know how to avoid scams, not to give them the keys until I have a cashier's check in my hand, etc. but I'm talking more about what sites to use, how much to invest in fixing it up, etc. Do I spend money on getting it detailed? Do I fix the 3" crack in the front bumper cover? Or just sell it as-is and let the buyer deal with it? Does anyone really buy cars off of Craigslist anymore? What about EBay? AutoTrader's "$50 ad that runs until it sells" seems like a good deal, does anyone have any experience selling there?