1. Search for the make and model of the car

I’ve always tried to be a savvy car buyer and never buy brand new cars. It’s not that I don’t have the money, but that I would rather spend it elsewhere and buy a car that ‘gets the job done.’ The main points that I look at within a car are the make, year, mileage, and price. You have to find a happy medium between all 4 of these points. I look for cars that are before 2004, a reputable brand, under 75 thousand miles, and under $25,000. You’ll find that searching for these criteria will bring a lot of results.

Other advantages would include a carfax report, one owner, highway miles, used by a woman, extended warranty, serviced at all required times, a normal cause for selling, and passable after a mechanics inspection.

Other disadvantages include clear damage to areas of the car, modified, dirty, low sale value, short description, and no pictures.

2. Contact the seller

Once you have put your list of cars together, make sure to reference Kelly Blue Book to make sure the cars prices you have found are relatively close to the KBB prices. After your research is complete contact each of the Craigslist used car sellers. I always like to get on the phone with the seller, so if they provide a number, call it! When you email or call, ask for more info, and when they can provide you with a service report. If the car missed regular service checkups and you don’t get the best info on the car, move on to the next seller. Once you have found one that you feel comfortable with, set up a time to test drive.

3. Take the car for a test drive

If the seller does not let you take the car for a test drive for whatever reason, leave! Something is probably up with the car. When you do get to test-drive a car I always like to take it on the back roads and highway. Visualize yourself in the car for the next few years. Is it a good fit? Does it drive well? Also take a look around the car to check if it is clean, if there has been any visible damage, etc. Take account of the seller as well. Do they seem to be the type of person that would properly maintain the car, i.e. are they anal!

I always take a buddy along for the ride as well to get a second opinion. Sometimes you can be so excited that you overlook some obvious flaws. It’s also for safety reasons! Once the test drive is over, be sure to tell the seller you will get back to them in a few days to a week as you have other cars to look at. This may help to reduce the price!

4. Deeper Research

Once you have narrowed down your list of potential cars, contact each seller and tell them you would like to take it to a mechanic for an inspection. If a seller says no, then you can cross that car off the list. Next, order a carfax report to check if the car was ever involved in any accidents. Each of these steps may cost a little money, though if you avoid them you could be up the creek if the car breaks down after just a few days or weeks. Lastly, make sure the Craigslist seller has the title to the car and is not still paying off the loan.

5. Offer Your Price

Since you have gone through some effort in your research, you should have a good idea what the car is worth, which should also be close the Kelly Blue Book value. If the sale price of the craigslist used car is close to this, then I will typically offer a price a few hundred dollars below. Craigslist dealers always work a little wiggle room into their prices that they will be willing to come down from. Don’t get to cheap with the seller though, especially if you believe the car to be in excellent shape and at a fair price.

6. Purchase the car

Once you and the seller have settled on a price, I recommend all buyers look at the state regulations and requirements for car ownership. Before meeting the seller, make sure they are also aware of any documents they need to bring and sign. It’s also a good idea to contact your car insurance agency to let them know you are going to be purchasing a car from a private dealer.

When you arrive at the set location I always bring a friend for safety reasons. You can bring cash, but other forms of payment are a safer option. Before paying make sure the seller gives you the title, and all other signed documents needed. If the seller is still paying a loan, it is a good idea to accompany them to the lenders office to make sure they pay off the balance and receives the title.

I found that following these basics steps really helps to ensure that I am getting the best craigslist used car for sale possible. I am confident that it drives well, that the price I am paying for is fair, and that I am going to have fun driving it for many years!

1. Research the Used Car in Question

There are tons of great resources available online where you can research what the fair price would be for the used car. For instance, by submitting the basic car info such as brand, style, year, miles, etc., into carfax.com you will see what the fair price of the car would be. With that info you can get a good idea if the Craigslist used car seller is offering a fair price. You certainly don’t want to buy a car that is way overpriced, although be mindful that a car that is well below the carfax.com price may mean that there are some undisclosed issues with the car.

Main Point: Consider used cars that are in close range of the carfax.com price.

2. Speak with the Owner About Price

Call the owner of the vehicle to gather any other information about the car. You want to be sure the vehicle is the same as what is described in the craigslist posting. Don’t fall for any pity tricks that the seller may try and pull, and always remember that the price that is originally listed is most often set at a rate that the seller anticipates will be worked down by the buyer. So on that first call BE FIRM! Haggle the seller down. Sellers on craigslist are trying to sell their cars fast and can often be worked down in price.

Main Point: Haggle the price down!

3. See the Vehicle with a Friend

This tip airs on the side of safety and caution. ALWAYS meet the craigslist used car dealer in a public place WITH a friend. Though extremely rare, people have been assaulted in situations of meeting people from craigslist. Additionally, do not bring cash to the meeting. Be street smart! Don’t let this message deter you, because nearly 99% of the time craigslist car sellers are not looking to scam you in person, and simply want to sell their car.

Main Point: Meet in a public place, bring a friend, don’t bring cash.

4. Test Drive the Vehicle

If the seller does not let you test-drive the vehicle LEAVE! They simply don’t want you to realize that the car is lemon. And don’t fall for any excuse such as “my insurance won’t allow it” or “no one drives my car except me”. When you do get a chance to test-drive the car make sure to take in on the back roads and highway. Check everything on the dashboard, as well as the gears, brakes, emergency brake, lights, and overall handling/feeling of the car. Are you willing to spend $X on the craigslist used car after the test drive?

Main Point: Test-drive the car and make sure you are happy how it handles.

5. Take it to a Mechanic

I always recommend that everyone buying his or her car from craigslist should take it to a mechanic to get a full inspection. When you buy cars from dealerships, you are nearly always insured that the car is functioning correctly and has had all major issues addressed. It may cost you a little bit of money to take to a mechanic, but it will be better than buying the car only to find that it brakes down after the first week and needs a complete engine overhaul!

Main Point: Suck it up and get the car inspected before buying.

If you follow these 5 simple steps you are well on your way to finding the best used car online and the most affordable price. Good luck!

Used Cars under $3,000

Cars for under $3,000 most likely have over 100,000 miles, are older than 10 years, and are in need of maintenance. Here are some possible listings you may find on craigslist:

• 1996 Oldsmobile Cutlass – 108,000 miles – $2,600
• 1999 VW Passat – 149,000 miles – $2,700
• 1995 Lexus – 143,000 miles – $3,000
• 1998 Dodge Neon – 164,000 miles – $2,200

When cars are this old, the condition of the car often comes down to how well the owner took care of the car. You should also consider a more reputable car brand. Honda, Toyota, and GM are good choices for cars that are over the 100,000-mile mark. Other places to get cheap cars are police auctions and salvage yards.

Once you find the car that you want to buy, make sure you reference Kelly Bluebook. KBB will give you pretty accurate pricing on the value of the car. Make sure the price KBB gives you is relatively close to the price the seller is offering the car at. If the KBB price is much higher, you should assume that there might be some serious issues with the car that the owner hasn’t disclosed. If the KBB price is much lower than the seller’s price, the seller has probably overvalued its price. Kelly Bluebook also offers other great advice on financing your car and suggested maintained tips.

Another great resource is carfax.com. This website helps people learn the history of the car in question. It costs a little money, though it is a great way to see if the car went to its scheduled maintenances, if it was involved in any accidents, and all other records. I always suggest this tool because it is essential to help avoid buying cheap cars on craigslist that have not been taken care of properly. In the end you will be saving more money!

As we approach the younger generations, more and more aspects of ‘buying’ will be performed online. That being said, we should expect car sales to become more commonplace online, or at least as the initial starting place. If you still believe that going to the dealership is the only way to check out cars, then you should also realize your way of thinking is bloody old!

Advantages to Buying Cars on Craigslist

Guess how many people use craigslist a month? Fifty million! Can you guess what percentage of those 50 million are searching for cars? Well, I can’t tell you exactly either, but even half of percent would be huge. Whether you’re a buyer or a seller understand this: Craigslist has a thriving car market. Look at it as a huge used car dealership in your town (it basically is!).

Car Prices on Craigslist

With such a large supply of cars, prices have been driven to rock bottom levels. You can browse hundreds of cars in your area to get a good feel for what type of pricing is available. As in most of my posts, make sure you check out Kelly Blue Book or Edmunds to get an idea of what the car is actually worth.

What I also get a lot of questions about is the difference between other websites such as autotrader.com, cars.com, carmax.com, etc. The biggest difference between craigslist used cars for sale and these other used car websites is that craigslist offers a free playing field and fair competition. These other websites are out to make money on their advertising. Therefore, the car dealerships that have the most marketing money are able to monopolize these websites and root out the people that are simply trying to sell their personal car.

Should Craigslist Update Their Website?

As dated as the website looks and feels it serves its purpose better than first imagined. It lacks all of the clutter many new websites these days have. Craigslist lays out all of its options in a basic manner. Also remember that Craigslist has a HUGE amount of returning visitors. A change in the website would mean an uproar amongst users who have grown fond and used to the basic dashboard. It makes searching for craigslist used cars for sale a synch.

Avoid the Sleazy Car Salesman

Enough said…

Save Money with Craigslist Used Cars

People on craigslist are than often selling their car for a better price than you would find at any dealership. Think about it; a person that trades in their car with a dealership often times gets a bad deal. Rather than sell to the dealership who would then mark the car up considerably, they put it on craigslist and sell it for a price higher then what the dealership is offering, but a lot lower then what the dealership would have sold it for.

Overall craigslist used cars for sale offer a great deal to buyers. This post has leaned more toward the side of positive than negative, though if you follow the simple steps for ensuring you are not buying a lemon, then you are in for a good ride, and craigslist used cars will be the best place for you to find your next car!

How to Avoid Craigslist Car Scams

1) The Seller wants to ship you the car

You may run into a few craigslist car scams with dealers stating that they “want to ship you the car free of charge since they live out of state.” Often times they will give you a week to inspect the car to make sure you are happy with it, and if not you can ship it back to them free of charge, and they will send you your money back. Well, in this case, it’s almost certain that there is NO car.
Main Point: Never buy a car on craigslist where the seller will ship you the car.

2) The seller wants to use eBay as an Intermediary

First and foremost, Craigslist has no affiliation with eBay. People selling their car on craigslist may often say that they are using eBay to sell their car because craigslist suggests using this method. Sellers may even send invoices with eBay logos, email addresses, office address, etc.
Main Point: Don’t buy craigslist cars through eBay.

3) The Price is way lower than you would expect

Think logically. If you see a 2012 Audi selling for $995 on craigslist there must be something up. Some absolutely necessary tools you should be using before contacting any craigslist seller is KellyBlueBook.com or Edmunds.com. These two websites will tell you the fair price of any cay car in both new and used condition.
Main Point: Don’t buy a craigslist car with a price that is too good to be true.

4) People telling sob stories to quickly sell their car
You may come across a few postings about people trying to sell their cars very quickly due to being in need of the money. Take extra precaution when you see these craigslist used cars postings. Some of the popular themes are divorces, family deaths, servicemen, moving, etc. These people try to evoke a sense of pity, as well as a level of trust to lure you into buying. An example of one of these scams may go something like this:
“Trying to sell my car as soon as possible – $4,000 2006 Toyota Highlander 15,000 miles. Death in the family and need to earn money to pay for the funeral. Please get back to me as early as possible.”
Main Point: This is business. Avoid making an emotional decision.

5) Trying to meet at night in a secluded area

Please beware of these situations, as they can be extremely unsafe. NEVER meet with a person trying to sell you their craigslist car in a dark and secluded place. Always meet in a public area during the day. It’s also smart to bring friends along with you as well. Additionally, do not bring cash with you to this meeting as some craigslist car scams deal with robbery. Only bring checks if at all.
Main Point: Don’t meet at night in a secluded place

It’s always interesting to hear experiences from others when selling their car on craigslist. So I have gone around the Internet to gather the best info for how to sell a car on craigslist.

1) Have your title and other paperwork on hand

Nearly everyone looking to buy a car on craigslist will ask to see the title and registration before purchasing the car. You will also need to check what else is required by your state when selling a car.

2) What is the value of the car?

Some of the best resources available to find the value of you car are KellyBlueBook.com and Edmunds.com. The nice part about Kelly is that they give you a fair and excellent price for the car. So be mindful that if you car has several dents, the price should fall under the NOT so excellent condition.

3) Remove personal items, clean the car, and take some photos

Take photos of the car on a nice day. Take interior and exterior shots, and take more than 2! Remember, pictures are going to be the first thing potential buyers will look at. Make the car look great! But don’t mislead the buyers either. Take some time to clean the car as well. Take a vacuum and some Windex, and the car will look great.

4) Selling price

Remember that nearly every buyer is going to try and knock you down in price. In that case, make sure you mark up the car from what you plan to sell it at in order to give you some wiggle room. It’s common to mark the car up at least 15%.

5) Post the ad early Saturday, or late Friday night.

Based on market research, most people do their actual shopping Friday night, or early Saturday morning. Realistically, you are meant to post new craigslist ads every three days.

6) Ad Content

In your ad, it’s a good idea to include the Make, Model, Year and a full history of maintenance, accidents, etc. It’s up to you if you would like people to reach you by phone or email. For selling cars on craigslist I recommend adding your phone number since it can help speed up the process, and many people would rather call than send an email.

7) Test Drives

Many potential buyers will want to take the car on a test drive. Make sure they have a valid drivers license and you are comfortable letting them get into the car. And after each test drive be prepared to sell the car and cancel any other appointments.

8 ) Filling out the Paperwork

Once you have received the payment you will need to sign over the title, fill out any necessary state paperwork, and the bill of sale. It’s a good idea to make a copy for yourself before giving the originals to the buyer. Also make sure to fill out the Motor Vehicle Transfer Notification online so that you will not be liable for any future issues with the car.

9) Contact your car insurance agency

You will need to cancel your current policy on the sold car with your insurance agency. Depending on your agency, you should be prorated for the remainder of the month’s fees.

10) Get to the bank!

Put your money in the bank! Or go Vegas! And be happy you were able to sell a car on craigslist!

The “cars+trucks” link brings you to a warning screen to read about common scams on craigslist. Take a minute to go over it. You will see a menu on three ways to view car and truck ads. You can view “all”, or you can view by dealer only or by private owner only. Once you click on one of those links, you can narrow the search by a few factors.

The “search for” text box is for any search term you want to put in, to narrow the list of results. For example, here you could put in “Mustang” to see only Mustangs. The “in” pull down menu tells you the type of sellers that will show. Check a radio button that will search the title or the entire post. Check a box to pick only ads with images. Finally, you can enter a minimum and/or a maximum price.

Tabs at the top should be the names of the counties in the region you are searching. Clicking on one of these tabs will narrow the results to that county only, so you do not have to include the county name in the “search for” box.

Once you find ads you want to explore further, you will see two ways of contacting a seller. Typically, phone numbers are included in the ad, but sometimes you will see only an email address. Most ads are straightforward with more than one picture and a phone number to call.

It’s important to prepare when contacting a seller. Look up the blue book value of the car first to ensure the used car is reasonably priced and to gauge any room for price negotiation. Ask the seller if they have maintenance records and how flexible they are on the price. Cars with comprehensive service records are a much safer buy. If you aren’t satisfied with the answers to these questions, move on.

Once you hear the answers you want on price and service records, set up appointments with the owners for visits and test drives. If possible, take someone else knowledgeable about cars if you aren’t. Look the car over thoroughly, in and out. Check that the promised service records exist and confirm the price. Take it for a test drive to make sure everything looks and sounds normal. Get the VIN so you can run a car report like CarFax, if you are interested in taking the deal further. Thank the seller for their time and let them know you have a few other cars to look at before you make a decision. Let them know when you will get back to them.

When you have decided which car you want to purchase, and you contacted the seller and came to a final purchase price, it’s time to close the deal. Make sure you have the forms from your local motor vehicle department, to get tags and transfer title. Call your auto insurance company and arrange for insurance. Meet the seller, pay to close the deal and take possession of the car, being sure to get a receipt for your purchase and the signed title.

However you’ll want to use some personal intuition and judgment for that matter when purchasing used merchandise from anyone. Likening one thing to another, and assuming you have found a potential good used car deal from someone advertising on craigslist, always ask yourself what’s my thoughts or hunch about this used car. Are the communication response’s professional and formal and by email. Always be cautious about giving out your phone number or actual physical address. Never purchase a used item while in a hurry and try not to make a decision when feeling emotional about a purchase.

Always ask about a used or pre owned cars history. Recent service or maintenance receipts, the last time the oil was changed, actual vehicle odometer readings. Ensure the lights and electrical systems are functioning properly. Ask the owner what you should know upfront about the vehicle of concern, transmission issues, knocking, ticking, original or replacement motor specs. To ensure your own personal safety make it a point to never meet anyone at any location alone. Watch out for fancy word usage when reading ads these are generally meant to distract or mislead your reasoning.

Pre-owned sounds more appealing and is a sales pitch phrase as opposed to used and many used car lots use the term pre-owned as opposed to USED to help hype the sales pitch. When purchasing from a private individual or owner they should always be more than willing to bring the vehicle some where you feel safe about looking the vehicle over, never meet a stranger alone on their own terms. Meeting arrangements should be on your terms since you are the potential buyer unless of course they are an actual used car lot dealership.

If the person selling the vehicle appears short or unconcerned about your vehicle needs and questions than they are probably looking for a quick sale and a hand out in a misleading way. Maintain your ability in making snap judgments always look at a person’s eyes when asking questions that demand truthful responses. If it feels wrong there is probably a reason for that impression. Applying your own ability to make a good sound judgment should get you through the process. Additionally, it is always good if you personally know someone that has a mechanical eye or can offer sound advice before purchasing a pre-owned or used car.

Beware of Craigslist Used Car Scams

The seller should make sure that their posting does not contain grammatical or spelling areas, as buyers would much rather see a “clean” posting. It is not necessary to draw out your posting either. Provide enough details to draw the buyer in, but do not bore them with details that may be irrelevant. These are the types of postings that could be quickly looked over, and result in the seller not being able to make a deal for their items.
The seller may then create the headline and the body of their posting, and at the bottom of the page, there is the option to include pictures. Click on “browse” next to the text box and search for your picture.

Do a once-over on your ad, click submit, and you’re ready to go!

How to Sell Used Cars on Craigslist

With a Craigslist account you can choose to display your e-mail address or have an anonymous address. Please always keep your safety in mind when it comes to being contacted for your item. Do not post your address in the body of a posting, but relay this information later. Generally, it is not a good idea to list yo0ur phone number either. When contacted for your item via your Craigslist e-mail address, you will most likely discuss pick up arrangements and meeting with the potential buyer. It is always a good idea , for safety reasons , to meet in a public place. Doing so during the day is a good idea as well, if at all possible.

Posting locally is also a tip to keep in mind, but don’t over post or post in the wrong categories, as your ads could be flagged, which would then remove them from the site. Because Craigslist is anonymous, there are many scams floating around. Meet your buyer in person, if you can and exchange cash only.

If you are a buyer on Craigslist, the same rules apply. Always try to meet in public, always try to exchange cash, and keep in communication with the seller. It is never a good idea to pay for an item without first seeing it.

•    First and foremost, make sure to learn all of the laws regarding car sales in your area. There are things to understand such as how to transfer registration, pink slips, taxes, and more. The best place to find that info is on your local DMV’s website.
•    Check out the other listings and see what your car sells for on average relative to the current condition of your car. You can use resources such as BlueBook, eBay Motors, and other listings.
•    Arrange all of the paper work for your car before you list it. You will most likely get calls with questions about this information. Better to be prepared! Some of the important documents to have are the title, insurance, servicing records, purchase statement, and any other information you have on hand.
•    Is your car on CarFax? If so, or if not, make sure you have some sort of vehicle history that demonstrates all previous work done on the car.
•    This seems obvious to most, but make sure you clean the car! There is nothing worse than getting into a car that is dirty. No one will want it. If possible, remove your personal items and any bumper stickers. This is potentially ‘their’ car, not yours.
•    Take a few pictures of the car (when clean) in some nice lighting. Nice pictures sell!

Once you have completed all of the preparatory work, log into Craigslist and create a personal account. It’s a very basic website and shouldn’t take too long to understand how it works. You will have the option of using a personal email, anonymous email, phone number, etc. This is completely up to you and your comfort levels. Email is often the chosen route in order to limit people from calling you anytime of the day. Although, if this is time sensitive and you need to sell the car ASAP a phone number may allow you to make the sale a little quicker.
Next you will prepare the listing and submit it to Craigslist so that it appears on the appropriate page and category in your local area. Now its time to sit back and wait for the buyers to begin contacting you!