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Buying a Car on Craigslist Rant - Sellers wasting their own time (1 Viewer)

top dog

top dog

Footballguy
I'm looking for a cheap car for my kid.  Judging by the hurt my other 2 kids put on their first cars, I'm looking for something cheap I can pay cash for anticipating he is going to bounce it off of everything like a pinball machine.  I don't expect them to be perfect.  I'm pretty good with a wrench and anticipate having to throw some money into the car to get it up to par.

Every ad I follow up on goes the same way...

Me: Hey, is the _____ still available?  Any issues that I should be aware of?  Any repairs that need done?

Craigslist Loser:  "Nope!  It drives and runs great!  No issues what so ever!!

Then I get there and the check engine light is on, windshield is cracked, wiper blade arm is broke (held together with a zip tie), conveniently there is a huge dent in the quarter panel not visible in any of the photos... Valve cover gasket is leaking... Radio doesn't work.. 

Why do people think by NOT disclosing any issues is a good idea?  I'm not talking about the hidden ones they are hoping you won't see (like the valve cover gasket), I'm talking about the check engine light, craked windshield, etc...  It just wastes their own time as well!

Every time I've sold a car on craigslist I put everything I know of wrong with it in the description.  All have sold without issue and I have never had someone come look at it and go "Huh... I thought it was in better shape than this!"

Not to mention the countless obvious scams you have to scroll past...

:rant:

[/rant]

 
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Ignoramus said:
Where do you recommend buying used cars?
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Auto Trader, word of mouth, Luigi in Newark, etc. 

Dealerships will also at least make sure the cars are mechanically viable and clean them up, and if you really research prices you can find some of the best deals at high volume used car dealerships.  I spend two weeks to two months looking for a used car when I buy it, there are deals out there without having to negotiate with Craigslist guy. 

ETA:  Knowing what you want is really key.  Narrow down your search to three models and you'll be able to get to a short list fairly quickly

 
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I'm looking for something under $3000.  That makes it pretty difficult to find something solid.  I have my salesman I deal with where we buy our cars looking too, but it's tough at that price point.  I'm fine with doing my own repairs so getting a beater that I can fix up is not a problem.  I just wish the folks selling their stuff would just be upfront about what needs done.  

 
I've been searching Craigslist, Offerup, Letgo, various local selling groups on facebook, autotrader, cars.com, word of mouth, etc... Craigslist is the friggin worst.  SO much garbage on there.  

 
top dog said:
I've been searching Craigslist, Offerup, Letgo, various local selling groups on facebook, autotrader, cars.com, word of mouth, etc... Craigslist is the friggin worst.  SO much garbage on there.  
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Craigslist is the bottom of the barrel.  I usually buy my cars off eBay since the sellers have feedback.

 
Also because of the severe flooding in areas of the country  people and dealerships are using tricks to sell damaged vehicles.

I listen to an ESPN morning radio car show in the DFW area warning folks and discussing tricks.  I'd look it up

 
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FishTacoTuesday said:
Don't buy a car on Craigslist and don't let neighborhood investment guru hold your retirement savings.  HTH
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I've bought 2 cars off Craigslist. No problems whatsoever. Process was simple, easy, and the vehicles ended up being a fine value for what I paid.

I'm not sure what the problem is. Somebody lists a car. You go look at it, check it out. If you like, you buy. :shrug:

 
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We just bought a cheap < $2500 car via Craigslist, and three of the four cars we actually saw were basically as advertised.

Ask for the VIN# and make sure a lengthy test drive is OK when you first contact them, and if they respond tell them that if you like the car you're planning to have a mechanic from one of the mobile services come to the location and check it out.

Those three things alone will cull most of the true shysters.  Probably 30-40% either didn't respond to one of those e-mails or were weasels. (One guy didn't reply to the request for the VIN, then out of the blue a week later made an unsolicited offer via text to sell it for $500 less than it had been listed.)

If you like a car you see, run it through Carfax.  Buy a package so the reports aren't as expensive (instead of paying for them as one-offs).

If it still looks good on the Carfax report confirm they're OK with a mechanic -- whether you're actually going to send one or not.  We decided not to do that given that we were buying something old and cheap and the risk was pretty limited, but just the expectation of someone doing a thorough check had one guy explain it was rusted pretty good underneath from being in Upstate New York before he bought it.  

Overall it's a time drain, but the process actually went better than expected and we're happy with the car so far.

 
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Dinsy Ejotuz said:
We just bought a cheap < $2500 car via Craigslist, and three of the four cars we actually saw were basically as advertised.

Ask for the VIN# and make sure a lengthy test drive is OK when you first contact them, and if they respond tell them that if you like the car you're planning to have a mechanic from one of the mobile services come to the location and check it out.

Those three things alone will cull most of the true shysters.  Probably 30-40% either didn't respond to one of those e-mails or were weasels. (One guy didn't reply to the request for the VIN, then out of the blue a week later made an unsolicited offer via text to sell it for $500 less than it had been listed.)

If you like a car you see, run it through Carfax.  Buy a package so the reports aren't as expensive (instead of paying for them as one-offs).

If it still looks good on the Carfax report confirm they're OK with a mechanic -- whether you're actually going to send one or not.  We decided not to do that given that we were buying something old and cheap and the risk was pretty limited, but just the expectation of someone doing a thorough check had one guy explain it was rusted pretty good underneath from being in Upstate New York before he bought it.  

Overall it's a time drain, but the process actually went better than expected and we're happy with the car so far.
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I can't believe I've never used one of these before.  Just checked and there's a place that does it for $79 (depending on the part of town) here in Los Angeles.

 
Just Google them -- there are services who will send a mechanic to the seller's location and do a detailed inspection for $80-120 or so.  They can't get it up on a full lift obviously, but they'll go over it thoroughly and give you a report.

 
Dinsy Ejotuz said:
We just bought a cheap < $2500 car via Craigslist, and three of the four cars we actually saw were basically as advertised.

Ask for the VIN# and make sure a lengthy test drive is OK when you first contact them, and if they respond tell them that if you like the car you're planning to have a mechanic from one of the mobile services come to the location and check it out.

Those three things alone will cull most of the true shysters.  Probably 30-40% either didn't respond to one of those e-mails or were weasels. (One guy didn't reply to the request for the VIN, then out of the blue a week later made an unsolicited offer via text to sell it for $500 less than it had been listed.)

If you like a car you see, run it through Carfax.  Buy a package so the reports aren't as expensive (instead of paying for them as one-offs).

If it still looks good on the Carfax report confirm they're OK with a mechanic -- whether you're actually going to send one or not.  We decided not to do that given that we were buying something old and cheap and the risk was pretty limited, but just the expectation of someone doing a thorough check had one guy explain it was rusted pretty good underneath from being in Upstate New York before he bought it.  

Overall it's a time drain, but the process actually went better than expected and we're happy with the car so far.
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Never used the mechanic, though I've thought about it. But mostly, I just buy such cheap enough cars on Craigslist that I figure if they make it 6-12 months, I've gotten my money's worth. You really do pay a heavy premium buying from any sort of dealership. While they may inspect the cars a little better than an owner trying to unload it, they can't guarantee there's nothing wrong with it. They are trying to make a buck themselves, and sometimes #### just wears out, and 5000 point inspection won't catch it. 

But cars on Craigslist are so cheap, it's worth the added risk, imo. Paying a rack less for a vehicle goes a long way towards needed repairs.

I say this in theory, as I've never personally dealt with getting Craigslist car that needed big repairs. As I said, I've bought two. One was a total beater truck for a grand. It ran perfectly fine for 5 years, other than a starter that needed replacing, which was simple to do myself (I'm no mechanic). The other was a minivan for $1800 that I've had for about 18 months and made no repairs. If the tranny drops tomorrow, I won't feel like I got ripped off.

Mechanic is a good idea, but I'd also say that, given the discount of buying from a private seller,  if it drives well and nothing in the engine looks terrible, it's often a good risk to take. Especially compared to a dealer car that always comes with a major markup.

 
Craigslist is the last place I'd buy a car. Such a ####### waste of time. 

Was shocked to find out several years ago while looking for a cheap 2nd vehicle how many people selling cars on Craigslist are youth ministers, involved with the church, etc.... :lmao:  

 
Never bought a car off Craigslist that they wouldn't let a local mechanic look at before I bought it.  Screw that

 
Craig_MiamiFL said:
Craigslist is the last place I'd buy a car. Such a ####### waste of time. 

Was shocked to find out several years ago while looking for a cheap 2nd vehicle how many people selling cars on Craigslist are youth ministers, involved with the church, etc.... :lmao:  
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If you have plenty of money,  then yeah it's a waste of time.  If you want to save a few thousand dollars,  then it's not

 
If someone is too cheap to pay Autotrader (or similar) $12 for a listing fee, I'm prob not interested in buying a car from them.

 
Also Carfax is a complete ####### scam.  I had a newer car involved in a major side impact and when I went to sell it, nothing showed up in the Carfax. 

Having a reliable mechanic get eyes on is essential, having a reliable body shop person take a look almost as important.  Those people can look at a car for 5 minutes and tell you exactly what is replaced because of a previous wreck. 

I look at used cars just for ####s and giggles all the time, if you are saving "thousands" on a well used car then something stinks.  Regardless of where you look though, doing the research and knowing kind of what you want is crucial.  Then getting it looked at by experts will make you feel better about it, even if something eventually goes wrong.  I'm telling you, knowing a mechanic and a body shop expert will actually save you thousands down the road. 

 
fantasycurse42 said:
If someone is too cheap to pay Autotrader (or similar) $12 for a listing fee, I'm prob not interested in buying a car from them.
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Yeah this is my thought as well.  I'm sure there are some gems on Craigslist but you are likely running into people who didn't take of the car, who left all their DNA on the seat last night and didn't clean it, and people selling cars that were in floods.  Same could happen on Autotrader, Cars.com, True Car, etc but if they go through the process of taking pictures, listing, and paying for it...they at least are putting in some effort. 

I sold an expensive car on Cars.com IIRC, most of the calls I got were trying to talk me down before they even saw the car.  I didn't even meet with them.  After a month some dude called who said he loved the car, wanted to see it, and said he'd drive 70 miles to do so.  He bought that car for exactly what I was asking. 

 
:shrug: I see great deals on Craigslist all the time. You just need to filter out the backyard mechanics and the trailer trash who never had any maintenance performed on the vehicle. Ask lots of questions, get the VIN, and confirm that the title is in their name.

 
wilked said:
Holy crap that is funny 
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Picking up sarcasm here. Mother didn't do more than put a f/s on it - she lives on an obscure street. There were no listings anywhere on the internet and some random dude bought the car in under a week. I was shocked.

Otis said:
tldr: guy furious that 3 grand doesn't buy him a flawless automobile. 
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< $3k

but I was thinking this too. The cars in this range will obviously have the visible signs of wear/tear that he appears unhappy about.

 
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I've sold a couple of cars on Craigslist - and I can understand the frustration.  I have provided all info and pics of the car and gauges, even offering to meet for a test drive if needed.  I've found I get pretty solid responses, and the cars have sold within 3-5 days of being posted.  This has included phone/text messages, site visit, test drive, and then title change.  It's not a bad way to sell a car, but you definitely need to find someone reputable and willing to give details about the car (history, VIN#, Carfax, photos, etc) before you schedule a time to see it.  I've noticed many people are just out to make a quick buck and think anyone would buy their P.O.S. vehicle just because they posted it.

 
[scooter] said:
:shrug: I see great deals on Craigslist all the time. You just need to filter out the backyard mechanics and the trailer trash who never had any maintenance performed on the vehicle. Ask lots of questions, get the VIN, and confirm that the title is in their name.
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Yep. I've bought two and sold three on CL. Both cars I bought were steals. There's definitely a bit of reading the tea leaves involved and you will probably need to give it a few weeks. And obviously, have a Carfax account set up. Plenty of solid people are selling cars for cheap on CL. They can dump it quickly while making more than a dealer would give them. Only one visit/test drive where I didn't buy and yeah, the guy was fos and I let him know what a jackass he was and then I put a listing up telling people not to bother with him. He was also using the listing to promote his real estate business :lmao: . There are definitely some idiots in the mix, but if you want to save $1k or more on the process you can do that on CL.

I used it for the first time to find a place to live in SF in 1998, I think it was. Still think it's a great local marketplace site as long as you can read people and situations reasonably well.

 
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I bought my last car on Craiglist for $800 needing a daily driver to get to the train, and sold it a year later for $1500

 
Soootch said:
I'd be wary of buying a used car without some kind of warranty. On two occasions I was able to disable a diagnostic code by disconnecting the battery so I could pass emissions, and the two issues would cost $1200 and $2500 to fix.
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Anyone with an older car should have this

https://www.amazon.com/Oxgord-Scanner-Engine-Diagnostics-Direct/dp/B011Q18D14/ref=sr_1_2?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1477333796&sr=1-2&keywords=car+code+reader

$15, it will tell you if the car has not run long enough for codes to reset.  Beyond buying cars, it is very useful for diagnositcs (obviously)

 
FishTacoTuesday said:
Also Carfax is a complete ####### scam.  I had a newer car involved in a major side impact and when I went to sell it, nothing showed up in the Carfax. 
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That's not how carfax works.  It will only track changes of title between owners and insurance companies as they try to salvage it out.  There's not someone out there reporting each individual VIN number for each bumper ding that comes in a shop.  

 
Some good suggestions in here fellas.. Expect for Otis who did get the "dr" down pretty good.  

There aren't many mobile mechanics in my area but that's ok.  Like I said, I know my way around cars pretty good.  Know what I'm looking for and how to fix it.  Have my own scanner like Wilked suggested.. My beef is NOT with the quality of cars below $3000... It is with the folks selling the cars who refuse to be upfront with the FRIGGIN OBVIOUS things like "CHECK ENGINE" lights being on.  If they would be upfront with the needed repairs, they would save their own time as well.  Of all the various sites for this, cragislist sellers are the worst.  

It just pisses me off when I do "ask a lot of questions" like everyone suggested and when I get there to look at the car... "drives great, runs great!" is not even remotely close to the condition of the car.  

 
I've looked at dozens of cars on Craigslist and not once has anyone deceived me about the Check Engine Light. But that's usually because I go to great lengths to vet each car, exchanging multiple emails with the seller and stressing to them that I will not buy the car under any circumstances if the CEL is on.

 
Here was a good one I recently ran into...

2004 HYUNDAI SONATA MINT, LOADED - $2000


I have a 2004 Hyundai Sonata with 140k miles on it. This car runs and drives great and absolutely no issues at all. Very clean in and out, no rust, fully loaded with every option they came in such as leather seats, power everything, etc... very good brakes and tires all around, passes e check. Truly a great car that doesn't need anything at all. Call 
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Looking at the photos I thought, "Hey! I know where this is. It's this little repair shop."  I swung by there and sure enough, there is the car sitting in the parking lot.  The repair shop went out of business and it's a little ####ty car lot now.  I told the guy I was interested in the little blue Sonata out there.  Didn't mention to him that I saw it on CL.  He says it is $2400 and gives me the keys.  I start it up...  Rough as hell idle, check engine light is on, engine has a knock in it... I turn it off and walk around the car.  The passenger door was bent and didn't seal.  Obviously leaks.  Had some rust that was painted over, etc.. Mint condtion, absolutely no issues at all...   :wall:

 
I figure I'd try out Facebook's new Marketplace section.  I need to sell my old daily driver 2008 Land Rover LR2...I posted one picture of it, with a description and a price, and I've had 23 inquires and a handful of offers so far.  I'm listing it at $4,000, but would take $3,400...I have a few offers that are close, but nothing quite there yet.  A ton of $2,500 offers.  I'm curious how serious these folks are, but I'm impressed with the volume of responses so far.

One guy made me an offer of $3,500, and when I said I'd take that if he wanted, he said, "I didn't mean to make a bid."  So I asked him what he meant then, he said, "Wrong person."  Nice.  :rolleyes:

I'm so not looking to go through the crap I went through the last time I tried to sell a car.  If someone promised me they'd show up, and stick to a deal, I'd let it go for $3,000 just to avoid the hassle.

Ding...there's another response.

 
OK...so I'll say this - I ended up getting 43 unique inquiries in about 24 hours.  I figure 1/3 of them were garbage offers of 60% or less of my asking price (aka the "are you a crack head who needs money quickly?" offers).  Another 1/3 I think were seriously interested, but had no money (aka the "do you do payment plans?  Maybe I have a friend who I can borrow from, will you trade it for my old Mustang?").  The other 1/3 were serious folks with real money. 

First "real": offer was from what looked like a kid in his late teens.  He started pissing me off because he was asking me questions that were in my listing.  I don't have time to repeat everything.  I told him to go re-read the listing.  He came back with a juvenile comment about how he didn't care about the horn not working.  He wanted to "come see it NOW."  I told him I was at work, and stepped into a meeting.  I got back out and he'd sent me like 4 other texts - "Call me."  "I want to buy this NOW."  "I have cash, call me NOW."  "Dude, you need to call me."  I finally lost my patience with him and just told him "No thanks," and that I could already tell that selling to him was more than I felt like dealing with.  He had some choice words, but whatever. 

I re-grouped, and sent a message to about 6 people who were seriously interested basically saying, I have 6 people all very interested around $3,500.  I'm scheduling appointments to see the car at these time slots.  The first person showing up with $3,500 in cash who says they want it gets it.  The first person replied 30 seconds later and took the first slot.  She came last night, test drove it, and bought it. 

It's actually quite nice having a Facebook profile tied to everyone.  Yes.  I judged potential buyers by their profiles.  I didn't even respond to the guy with the teardrop tattoo or a couple of guys who's pages were full of stuff that wouldn't fly on FBG.  Several people had rants about how they can't pay their bills.  Pass.  A few folks had profiles with no posts at all, which I thought was sketchy. 

Gotta say though, I sold it within 48 hours of posting it, and for a good price.  Pretty happy with Facebook Marketplace!  :thumbup:

 
Fat Nick said:
OK...so I'll say this - I ended up getting 43 unique inquiries in about 24 hours.  I figure 1/3 of them were garbage offers of 60% or less of my asking price (aka the "are you a crack head who needs money quickly?" offers).  Another 1/3 I think were seriously interested, but had no money (aka the "do you do payment plans?  Maybe I have a friend who I can borrow from, will you trade it for my old Mustang?").  The other 1/3 were serious folks with real money. 

First "real": offer was from what looked like a kid in his late teens.  He started pissing me off because he was asking me questions that were in my listing.  I don't have time to repeat everything.  I told him to go re-read the listing.  He came back with a juvenile comment about how he didn't care about the horn not working.  He wanted to "come see it NOW."  I told him I was at work, and stepped into a meeting.  I got back out and he'd sent me like 4 other texts - "Call me."  "I want to buy this NOW."  "I have cash, call me NOW."  "Dude, you need to call me."  I finally lost my patience with him and just told him "No thanks," and that I could already tell that selling to him was more than I felt like dealing with.  He had some choice words, but whatever. 

I re-grouped, and sent a message to about 6 people who were seriously interested basically saying, I have 6 people all very interested around $3,500.  I'm scheduling appointments to see the car at these time slots.  The first person showing up with $3,500 in cash who says they want it gets it.  The first person replied 30 seconds later and took the first slot.  She came last night, test drove it, and bought it. 

It's actually quite nice having a Facebook profile tied to everyone.  Yes.  I judged potential buyers by their profiles.  I didn't even respond to the guy with the teardrop tattoo or a couple of guys who's pages were full of stuff that wouldn't fly on FBG.  Several people had rants about how they can't pay their bills.  Pass.  A few folks had profiles with no posts at all, which I thought was sketchy. 

Gotta say though, I sold it within 48 hours of posting it, and for a good price.  Pretty happy with Facebook Marketplace!  :thumbup:
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Any concern that everyone can see your name and google where you live or work vs. remaining anonymous except for the few potential buyers you give info to? 

 
johnnyrock62000 said:
Any concern that everyone can see your name and google where you live or work vs. remaining anonymous except for the few potential buyers you give info to? 
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I thought about that, and I have a very unique name (basically the only person I know in the world...).  The way I see it, if I got to the point of actually selling to any of these people, I'd have to give them my address to meet them anyway.  If it wasn't one of the people I actually contacted as realistic interest, I just replied with a courteous "Sorry - your offer is considerably lower than others I have received."  or "Sorry - I have a potential buyer lined up and will contact you if anything changes."  The only one I could see ever having issues with (and I don't think I will) was the one young kid just b/c we had a more invested conversation, but in his case, I have his info too.

 
The person I was talking about in the OP texted me on Dec. 14. 

My last text to him read this:

October 22 8:21pm - I'm sorry I haven't replied yet.  Been looking at the repairs.  After mulling it over I'm going to pass on it.  Thanks for taking the time to show it."

I get 2 texts on Dec 14 from this shady guy.. (almost 2 months later)

"Sold"

"Lol. 2 months later you think I'm holding it for you"

:unsure: um.. ok.. 

 
Keep at it.  I've seen some junky cars on CL, but have bought and sold a number of cars on CL and had good luck.  Just have to hold out for the right car.  Buying from a dealership is no different. The dealership doesn't know what is wrong with the car, they just want to flip it and make a few bucks.  

 
Q for the used car guys:

If the CARFAX reports an accident, do you just run away? This car is 2016, still under warranty, drives fine and looks great, was last purchased from a local Subaru dealer (car is a Subaru). Seller is asking about $15k, KBB and other online valuations have it listed at 17-19 or so.

But: 

Accident reported
Involving rear impact
with another motor vehicle
Front area primarily damaged
Front airbag deployed
Vehicle towed
Click to expand...

 
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