How to Sell Cars in GTA5

Although Grand Theft Auto 5 is over a decade old, there’s no slowdown in the game’s popularity. The well-loved action franchise is set in a world where you get to cause all the trouble you can think of, including stealing cars and selling them. If you want to know how to sell cars in GTA5, we’ll cover how to steal and resell them or legit buy them to sell too.

How to Sell Cars in GTA 5 Online

You can only sell cars in GTA 5 online, not in Single-player/story mode. You can only sell one vehicle every 48 minutes of real-time, equal to one car in-game day. That means you cannot rapidly dump an entire garage — plan your sales accordingly. While players continue maximizing profits in GTA 5 Online, anticipation builds around the GTA 6 launch timing, GTA 6 preorder status, the latest GTA 6 reserve order updates, and what new features the next installment will bring.

Selling Restrictions and Troubleshooting Failed Sales

If the Sell option does not appear at Los Santos Customs, or a car pays out $0, one of the following is almost certainly the cause:

• The vehicle is not eligible for resale. Many cars — including Pegasus vehicles, special event vehicles, and weaponized vehicles — simply cannot be sold at Los Santos Customs, no matter what you do.
• The car was obtained free or as a prize. Vehicles claimed through Twitch Prime, casino spins, or login bonuses often have a resale value of $0 because Rockstar flags them as complimentary.
• You have hit Rockstar’s anti-abuse sale limits. Beyond the 48-minute cooldown, Rockstar monitors sale patterns and can temporarily suppress payouts if the system flags unusual activity.
• The vehicle is flagged as too hot to modify. Some stolen exotic or high-end NPC cars are blocked entirely at Los Santos Customs — see the stealing section below for cars that are actually accepted.

If none of the above apply and the Sell tab still will not appear, try moving the car to a different personal garage and returning to Los Santos Customs, as this sometimes clears a session-level glitch.

Before Selling a Car in GTA5:

How to Buy a Car

You may decide to buy a car and sell it later when you upgrade. Here’s how:

1. Use the game’s Eyefind web browser via your phone
2. Go to Travel and Transport
3. You’ll see websites with options for categories of vehicles

Here are the types sold:

• Southern San Andreas Super Autos: All-round
• Warstock Cache & Carry: Weaponized/Utility
• Benny’s Original Motor Works: Customizable
• Legendary Motorsport: High-end

You can also buy a car in “person” at GTA Online Luxury Autos dealership or GTA Online Premium Deluxe Motorsport. They both have a changing inventory to keep your eye on in case something tempting pops up.

After you buy your car, you’ll need a garage to store it in until you’re ready to sell. 

How to Steal a Car

If you decide buying is too pricey, well…there’s a reason why the game is called Grand Theft Auto. Steal cars by hijacking NPCs or hotwiring them from streets or lots. However, do not assume that the fancier the car, the more it will sell for — many exotic, super, and premium NPC vehicles are flagged as “too hot to modify” at Los Santos Customs and will be refused outright. Stick to common street cars that are actually accepted. Good, consistently sellable options include:

• Ubermacht Sentinel XS
• Blue Sandking XL
• Benefactor Dubsta 2
• Vapid Dominator

Also, the better the condition, the better the price, so try not to ruin it during your getaway drive.

Where to Sell a Car in GTA 5

If you want to know how to sell cars in GTA 5, you’ll need to know where to do it. Los Santos Customs is one of the only options. They have 4 locations:

• La Mesa
• Grand Senora Desert
• Burton
• Los Santos International Airport

To sell your car:

1. Drive into any Los Santos Custom’s garage
2. A menu will appear, use the Sell tab
3. Confirm your actions and money will appear in your account

Run-of-the-mill cars usually sell for $1000-$3000 but high-end cars give quite a bit more. If you bought a car and are reselling it, you’ll get 60% of the price you bought it for. Stolen cars usually pay back 10% of their value, though there are many exceptions.

Los Santos Car Meet

The garage isn’t the only place to sell to. If you want to know how to sell cars at LS Car Meet, here’s how:

LS Car Meet was introduced with the Los Santos Tuners update and is available across all platforms. There’s lots to do there, including buying and selling copies of personal vehicles between players. Importantly, when you sell a car this way, the buyer receives a copy of your vehicle — you keep your original. Here’s how the process works:

1. Both you and the other player enter the LS Car Meet at the same time
2. The seller brings in an owned personal vehicle they want to offer for purchase
3. The seller opens the Interaction Menu, navigates to Vehicle Options, and enables the option to allow other players to purchase the vehicle
4. The buyer then approaches the car inside the meet and selects the option to purchase a copy
5. The transaction completes — the buyer receives a copy and the seller retains their original car

Prices depend on upgrades, customizations, and the type of car. Vehicles with weapons or restricted classifications cannot be purchased this way. Note that Hao’s Special Works (HSW) is a separate feature within LS Car Meet focused on performance upgrades for certain vehicles — it is not a requirement for player-to-player car sales.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most valuable GTA 5 car?

Now that you know how to sell cars in GTA, which ones are worthwhile? The most expensive vehicle to buy is the Luxor Deluxe, a gold armored plane that costs $10,000,000. But if you can’t sell it for a profit, what’s the point? Here are some of the most valuable cars to steal and then sell. Remember, pre-variant conditions affect the value:

• Benefactor Dubsta 2: $23,750
• Vapid Dominator (pre-variant): $19,940
• Blue Sandking XL: $18,495
• Ubermacht Sentinel XS: $17,420
• Vapid Peyote: $12,940

Can you sell a stolen car in GTA 5?

Of course! You must sell it at Los Santos Customs, however, you won’t get the full price.