Craigslist for cars...

[CoffeeR]

I would like to hear some experiences (good and bad) of people purchasing cars on Craigslist.

So, over and over you read as MMM posters tell you about Craigslist as a great source for used vehicles. So, I tried it. I did find a good car, decent enough price and so far am happy with it. But darn, was it an experience and I am wondering if my experience was unique to me and (maybe) my area.

I live in a medium size city and the number of Craigslist posters that completely misrepresented their cars was astounding. I spend a considerable amount of time looking at cars (setting up meetings, driving to locations, etc.) only to find the vehicle was in far worse shape than advertised and/or seriously overpriced (after taking condition into account) and/or the person selling was a dealer in disguise (so, not private party) and/or the person selling just gave out a vibe of someone I did not care to be around for any period of time or someone I want to do business with. I found a decent deal of a car (retired couple selling), but after taking my time into account I am not sure the deal was that great. I know many a person would have been very frustrated and at times even uncomfortable with the process.

So, I am curios, was my experience completely out of the norm? Or is this the normal for Craigslist and I have to adjust my expectations?

[APowers]

I've had almost nothing but good experiences with craigslist, both car and non-car buying experiences. When buying cars, I always have a conversation over the phone about all the questions I have about the vehicle prior to meeting to look at it in person. That helps weed out some of the nonstarters that might otherwise get a look.

[BicycleB]

I've bought 7 used cars in my life. 6 of them worked out great. Some of them were for friends, because my friends have identified me as the "how to save money by buying a used car" guru.

3 were from Craigslist, 1 from a mechanic I knew, 3 from Craigslist predecessors.

Whenever I had a professional inspection beforehand and the inspectors liked the car, I got a reliable vehicle. One time from Craigslist, I got a mechanic to look at it informally for free instead of paying for a Detailed Inspection. He didn't like the car but didn't specify his objections. I bought it, suffered $900 of unplanned repairs immediately, didn't use the vehicle much, and sold at a loss, unhappy.

My conclusion: pay for professional inspection, and only buy cars that inspectors really like. Bonus tip: if the inspector says, "How much is this again?" and then says, "If you don't buy it, I'd like to", you have a winner.

Avoiding multiple inspections requires thorough pre-inspection viewing. Screen through the ads as carefully as possible. Yes, there is a time/money trade off. But compared to dealers, my estimate is 20 extra hours of shopping will save you $2000-3000, so probably $100/hr or so for your shopping efforts.

PS. I like the phone suggestion. In general, avoid anything that hints of fishy. Fwiw, here is my routine of so-far-successful procedures (crossing fingers here...)

1. Search just for car types you want in price ranges you can afford.
2. Private party sellers only (fllter out known dealers).
3. Read ads in detail. At all stages, prefer those that provide knowledgeable details.
4. Compare price to kbb.com, exclude prices that are too high.
5. Interview by phone if possible. Text/email, tolerable alternatives but switch to phone if I can. Ask enough questions to determine whether the person really knows the car - thus, screen out dealers. Look for meticulous people who did meticulous maintenance, or had it done. At least you're down to people who know enough to say that. Preference for people whose personal details suggest they have reasons to prefer integrity, fair price and quick sale instead of haggling. Move forward seeking a fair price, not a steal. You want above-average quality at roughly the standard kbb private party price. Usually I shoot for the low end of kbb's range and accept the midpoint, roughly.
6. Drive and test as thoroughly as you're able.
7. If what you see supports the ad, get the inspection immediately.
8. If the inspector likes the car, make an offer. If the inspector likes but identifies small repairs needed, ask for the exceptions' repair price as a discount. Expect maybe half the discount. Walk if you don't have a good deal. If you do have a good one, make a fair offer and close the deal.

[Loren Ver]

I don't think your experience is out of the ordinary, people are people so you get all kinds of things happening.  They happen at dealerships too, so it isn't special to craigslist.

The only truck purchase I made from craigslist was a good one.  It took a lot of looking on my part, but when you are buying in the $3000 and under range, it can take a lot of looking and checking.  Met with one person, got it inspected, and bought it.  I already knew i liked the truck, as I owned one previously, so I was just looking for condition at that point.

I have attempted to buy other cars from craigslist that were failures.  Usually i find one i like, set up a meeting.  Then went i go to confirm the meeting, I am told they sold it.  I am not a big fan of that, but that has also happened to me at dealeships (oh sorry it just left for auction an hour ago).  So I don't blame craigslist for this, that is just people and bad communication. 

LV

[FIREstache]

I bought a motorcycle off craigslist.  But for used cars and such, I do my own inspection, which I trust over any third party doing it for me.  Only thing I didn't like about my craigslist purchase was that they only accept cash.  Of course, if I was selling, I would want cash also.  lol

[use2betrix]

I find www.cargurus.com to be one of the best sites nowadays for buying and selling cars. It might not be as good for your very cheapest cars, but it’s been a great source for me in general.

[Steeze]

I bought two cars on CL. A 60’s CJ5, and a 90’s outback with 190k miles. Both transactions were smooth, got a good price, and nothing unexpected. Neither person was a dealer, just a rando. Was able to drive the Jeep for a year or so and sell it for what I paid, sold it on CL also. Drove the outback another 50k miles then sold it for a $1000 less than I paid, sold to someone I knew.

I will likely buy cars again on CL. I have gotten two professional jobs on CL, bought sold cars, rented houses, found roommates, done online arbitrage, etc. no bad experiences yet. CL is good.

[ApacheStache]

I don't think your experience is out of the ordinary, people are people so you get all kinds of things happening.  They happen at dealerships too, so it isn't special to craigslist.

Ditto. There's a low barrier to listing items on Craiglist and private sellers don't have a public reputation or brand that they need to uphold, so unfortunately there's no real mandate for individuals to act professional, knowledgeable, truthful or prepared. You'd think people would want to get their act together to improve their odds of selling their vehicle, but people will be people ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

You're obviously not in the market for another vehicle, but here's an excellent set of youtube videos that might help in the future. Explains how to find vehicles, inspect them yourself, test drive them and negotiate a fair deal https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvKbarVtwhUv6bjLhJSyaEOxaYy03j7QS

[Trifle]

I don't think your experience is out of the ordinary, people are people so you get all kinds of things happening.  They happen at dealerships too, so it isn't special to craigslist.

Yes, this is very true.  I've bought two cars on CL and sold three -- price range from $1200 up to $15,000.  They've all been good experiences so far, knock on wood.   When I was buying, the cars were there and as-advertised.  When I was selling I had my share of weasely and sketchy callers.  I weed them out, and only talk to people who communicate well and have an uncomplicated situation -- "Hey, I saw your car for sale.  Can I come by after work and take a look?".   (No funny stories about a brother in Chicago who's going to send me a check, or lowball offers before they even see the car).  It's gone really smoothly: I clean the car up nice, price it fairly, and communicate well.  It's never taken me very long to sell a car on CL.  Usually a day or two. 

[ministashy]

The one and only car I've ever bought (that I'm still driving) I got off of Craigslist.  I followed the advice of most of the people here:  I'd set my parameters pretty narrowly when I searched, and scrutinized the listings very closely, checking them against KBB and Edmunds.  Ended up going to see a few dealers, but the price for the age/condition of the listed car was always too high.  Ended up getting lucky--went to see my Honda, liked it, told the owner that if they were willing to take it to my mechanic for an inspection (that I paid for) and it passed, I'd buy it.  Their asking price was for a bit more than I had, but they ended up coming down when I told them I could give them so much in cash now, or they could wait for me to get a 1K bank loan for the rest.  They opted for cash on the barrelhead, the car passed inspection, and the rest is history.

Doing your research really pays off, and I think it just comes down to knowing exactly what you need vs. what you want, what your price range is, and being willing to pay for a pro to inspect it to ensure no unpleasant surprises.  And if any sellers try to give you the runaround/make things difficult on any of those steps, you just move on to the next listing.

[soccerluvof4]

I've sold 3 Dodge rams on CL and one car a small Toyota cant remember the brand name. I just always put in the add price is firm and no checks. I never had an issue in selling or call back etc.. I never bought a car on CL but would have no problem selling again and they all moved fast.

[CoffeeR]

I've sold 3 Dodge rams on CL and one car a small Toyota cant remember the brand name. I just always put in the add price is firm and no checks. I never had an issue in selling or call back etc.. I never bought a car on CL but would have no problem selling again and they all moved fast.

I have sold on Craigslist and never had much issue(s) since I price fairly (or low), weed out low-ballers fast, describe condition accurately, only accept cash and deal in person locally. To me the issue is strictly buying.

Buying was another experience. It seems those that have replied have had most positive experiences or did not mind the overhead involved. I may need to give it another try and see what happens the next time.

Also, I really appreciate the process suggestions by BicycleB and others. Thanks!!

[DadJokes]

Between Craigslist & Facebook Marketplace, I have bought two vehicles and sold two different vehicles. I love using the internet to buy a car, and I'll never go to another dealership. Selling has been a bit more difficult. The vehicles often sit for weeks or even months without even an email. I had a motorcycle up for several months before giving up and just selling it for considerably less than it was worth to a dealer.

More valuable vehicles seem much more difficult to get a decent offer on. I had a 10 year-old Ford pickup that sold within a couple weeks, and my wife's 2003 Toyota Camry took a while, but had plenty of interest. So if you drive your vehicles into the ground, they'll probably be easier to sell.

[batljunk]

I've been using Craigs a long time to sell the occasional car or truck. Recently, I attempted to sell my truck as part of my FIRE plans. Good lord it brought out the scammers like I hadn't remembered the previous times I sold on C/L.

Beware this scam:  someone will text or email expressing interest and want you to go to a specific website to run a "Carfax-like" VIN information report. There are some legit sites (refer to Clark.com for some) but the scam is a specifically set-up site to collect your personal information and credit card number. The person obviously does not want your car. They are being paid to recruit you to go pay for a car report. It almost worked too.

The other place you might like is Facebook Marketplace which is tied to your FB account. It's a bit riskier (maybe?) but you can buy and sell vehicles there and I think it can work as well as C/L.

By the way, Craigslist now charges $5.00 for a vehicle sell listing. At least they do in my market which--a top 10 metro area. Best wishes on buying-selling.

[zolotiyeruki]

I've bought 3 of our 4 cars off Craigslist (and CL didn't exist when I bought the first) and looked at a couple others that we didn't buy.  Never really had a bad experience.

I tend to prefer private party sales, but I also have had decent luck with small-time dealers that post on CL.  Two of the 3 cars I bought from CL were from small-time dealers.

[Adam Zapple]

I have bought and sold a few times on Craigslist.  My only tips involve minimizing your personal hassle.  When listing, if possible, leave the car out where people can see it without you being there.  I put the address right in the ad.  If someone contacts me I tell them to look at the car first and contact me if they want to test drive or ask questions.  Put all positives and negatives right in the ad.  Some may disagree with this but I would rather sell the car in a week for $300 less than deal with dozens of people looking at the car for months.

When purchasing, I look at the ad and usually know the ballpark value of the vehicle ahead of time.  I don't even bother looking at a car with a higher than reasonable price.  If I like the vehicle I call the person (not text) because it is easier to get the real story when speaking to someone.  I always ask if the pictures a a reasonable representation of the car and if there are any dents or flaws not in photos.  I also tell them I am driving a long distance so please let me know if there will be any negative surprises so we don't waste our time.  I've done well with my vehicles but I'm never looking to squeeze every last cent out of these deals.  I value my time.

[FLOW]

I bought a car from someone who lives in the same cozy suburb as I do, and we're both long-time residents. And he had a nice, conflict-averse personality type.  This was not a guy who would NOT screw me over just to make a little extra money.  There's real potential we could see each other at the grocery store.  As a result, he over-disclosed any problems with the car.  And he actually accepted a lower offer from me because he saw me as a less risky buyer. 

Craigslist ain't perfect, but some of the risks can be mitigated.

[CSuzette]

I sold my car on Craigslist and I had to weed through a lot of idiots to find a reasonable buyer. Nice young guy and his mother. It was a great car and there Were some that emailed me after the deal was done.

But I am convinced I had interacted with the Craigslist Killer. He was operating about then and we went back and forth on the price for a while over email until he asked if I wanted to go to dinner and talk about the car. Errr no! 

[MilesTeg]

Based on terrible experiences just trying to sell small items ir _give_ things away on craigslist I'd never try to buy or sell a car with it. Flakes, creeps, scammers, you name it.