Hey gang,
Has anyone here used craigslist.org (in their area) to purchase a used car? I’ve been looking around and found a few that seem worthwhile, but a few people I know are telling me that I’m likely to find nothing but lemons and other scams on a site like that. Any opinions? Thanks.
My roommate did that despite all advice to the contrary.
Didn’t work out well.
It’s not to bad, if you’re an educated buyer. Do go looking for a used car an expect to get a pristine automobile.
Bullpup
I sold a car in one day on craigslist. The key is to ask a lot of questions from the owner and ask for pictures. It’s really no different than e-bay.
[quote]PGJ wrote:
I sold a car in one day on craigslist. The key is to ask a lot of questions from the owner and ask for pictures. It’s really no different than e-bay. [/quote]
You have protection on Ebay. You dont on Craigs List.
[quote]Minotaur wrote:
Hey gang,
Has anyone here used craigslist.org (in their area) to purchase a used car? I’ve been looking around and found a few that seem worthwhile, but a few people I know are telling me that I’m likely to find nothing but lemons and other scams on a site like that. Any opinions? Thanks.[/quote]
I bought my car used on craigslist. It has worked flawlessly since I got it about a year ago.
Just make sure you are buying locally and have a chance to test drive the car AND meet the person selling it. When I was looking, there were obvious scammers (no person would be selling a car this new at this price), guys who might have been scammers (cars were close to too-good-to-be-true status), and regular guys just selling their cars. Every reasonable person selling their car on craigslist should have the VIN listed in their posting. Do a Carfax check on it if it’s a car you’re interested in. The peace of mind is worth it.
Anyway, as you would with any car you buy used, you should be taking the vehicle to your favorite auto shop to get it checked out. It’ll cost you about $75, but they’ll tell you if anything’s wrong. In my case, there were a few small problems but nothing major, so I was able to get the car’s price lowered to reflect the $75 and the few issues that I had to pay to fix.
What I’m getting at is that, if you want to go through craigslist, then meet the seller, test drive the car, look up its Carfax, and take it to a shop. If there is a word of complaint from the seller about any of these – especially taking it to a shop – then watch out. IE, do everything you would do if this were a used car lot.
My co-worker bought a car on Craigslist over a year ago and hasn’t had any problems at all. I guess there is potential to be screwed however you do it, you just have to be careful and use your head.
regardless if the car works or not, it is not a craigslist issue. It’s private party selling just like any newspaper ad.
I’ve sold 2 cars on craigslist…suckers.
I just sold my motorcycle on craigslist. Sold in 4 days.
I don’t think it matters where the sale originates. Buying an automobile (or any other high-dollar item) used always has risk involved.
Buyer beware. Know what you are buying. Ask questions. And mainly, always expect that the item may require some work at some point.
Really wanna circumvent this? Buy new.
Whether the car is advertised on craigslist or not is irrelevant. Do your work and you’ll be fine. Its just like a classified ad.
Bought my current car in February off Craigslist. Get the Carfax and pay the 75 to have a garage check it out.
Craigslist is great. I’ve found my roommates on it as well
There are a lot of auto scams on craigslist, anyone with 2 brain cells to rub together should be able to spot them pretty easily. If there’s a VIN provided, Google it.