That depends. There are pros and cons to both trading-in and selling your car privately. You'll have to look at your state's tax code and do the math. Most times, selling your vehicle privately will net you more money up front, but that could mean you'll pay more taxes on the full price of the new car that you're buying. And selling it yourself entails extra time, the need to deal with strangers, and possible scams. However, in some states you only pay sales tax on what the car costs after the dealer subtracts the value of your trade-in. You might come out ahead in that case. Finally, there are the car-buying services like Carvana and Vroom, which can be both quicker and safer to deal with but, like a dealer, will pay you less for your car than a private party. Like we said, do your research and do the math.