How it Works

You found the best platform to buy or sell your car. But how exactly does turbu work? Here’s how.

Buyer

Discover the road to car ownership in a nutshell! Our easy-to-follow steps will guide you from research to keys in hand. Explore, decide, finance, and drive – we've condensed the car buying process into this quick guide. Ready to hit the road? Let's get started!
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How do auctions work?
1
Find a car you are interested in that’s up for auction! Auction listings have a timer on the listing page.
2
Review the listing including all of the pictures and the description.
3
Message the seller with any questions you may have, such as payments accepted, potential inspections & test drives, shipping options, more pictures, etc.
4
Place a bid after verifying your phone number and adding a valid credit card. We require these steps to ensure commitment and to prevent fraud.
5
Outbid other bidders while the auction is live, it could last until the last second. The bidding timer resets to 2 minutes if there is a new bid placed within the last 2 minutes.
6
Auction ends, see if you won!

• If the reserve price was met and you were the highest bidder, congrats! You and the seller will receive a notification of the auction results and will be in contact with each other to complete the sale!

• If the reserve price was not met or if you were not the highest bidder, don’t worry there will always be more cars listed. Just keep an eye out!

7
Meet the seller at the mutually agreed time & location, review the car title, and then pay the winning bid amount.

• If it’s a local transaction, we recommend paying with cash or cashier’s check at a bank.

• If you and the seller agrees to shipping, we recommend paying with wire transfer. Buyers are usually responsible for shipping charges.

8
Sign the car title after it has been signed by the seller to transfer ownership. Some states requires a bill of sale. You can refer to our Resources by State for the latest requirements from your local government agency responsible for motor vehicle-related services.
9
Register the car you just purchased with your local government agency responsible for motor vehicle-related services, such as the DMV, BMV, OMV, etc. Enjoy your new car!
How do sales work?
1
Find a car you are interested in that’s up for sale! Sale listings have no timer on the listing page.
2
Review the listing including all of the pictures and the description.
3
Message the seller with any questions you may have, such as payments accepted, potential inspections & test drives, shipping options, more pictures, etc.
4
Meet the seller at the mutually agreed time & location, review the car title, and then pay the agreed-upon amount.

• If it’s a local transaction, we recommend paying with cash or cashier’s check at a bank.

• If the buyer requires shipping & the seller agrees, we recommend paying with wire transfer. Buyers are usually responsible for shipping charges.

5
Sign the car title after it has been signed by the seller to transfer ownership. Some states requires a bill of sale. You can refer to our Resources by State for the latest requirements from your local government agency responsible for motor vehicle-related services.
6
Register the car you just purchased with your local government agency responsible for motor vehicle-related services, such as the DMV, BMV, OMV, etc. Enjoy your new car!
Want to learn more? Head straight to our FAQs