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The main thing to remember about ANY advertisement a private party used car is:
"This vehicle is sold AS IS, WHERE IS, with NO warranty expressed or implied!"
What you see is what you get.
Another thing to remember is that the seller is on the lookout for scams even more than the buyer is. If the seller says that you must put "I WANT YOUR CAR" in the subject line of your email, you best put it there or the seller will delete without reading! If the seller says "Cash only, no shipping" don't bother to ask if you can bring a Cashier's Check!
This. I have run ads in CL before selling used vehicles. I have always been honest about the vehicles I'm selling. I also encourage buyers to take the vehicle to their mechanic before deciding whether or not they want to buy it. They never listen to that suggestion. Buying a vehicle on CL is just like buying a used vehicle anywhere else. It is nearly always an as-is sale. ALWAYS take the vehicle you are interested in buying to the mechanic BEFORE you buy it. Taking it BEFORE, not after, can save you the thousands of dollars you might otherwise waste unknowingly buying a lemon.
I don't have a ton of experience buying or selling over-$100 items on CL, but my buddy's bought a couple cars there. His ditz ex-wife got taken on a POS Saturn, but she was pretty ripe to be taken. The buddy, in contrast, bought his son an older E39 BMW (530i) that was pretty much what was expected for a high-mileage version.
He had it taken to the local BMW non-dealer, high-performance guys, in Bellevue WA, for pre-buy inspection with owner's blessing. That always helps. No surprises, fair price. To the quoted, anyone who "doesn't" do that on a used BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, or similar needs their head examined: problems can be very expensive.
Come to think of it, I've been the subject matter expert (SME) on motorcycle buys by others a few times. Wasn't my money, though, and I've spotted some trouble in my day.
I've bought one car cross-country, which worked out pretty well. Wasn't CL, but something rather similar. I had a bank and Notary involved at the car's location, plus an agent on my team (I'm joking: my agent was my dad, who vetted the car).
I've never used craigslist before,but I've been looking at some used cars from individual owners on it, and I don't know what to think overall about it vs say a dealership.
For instance these two vehicles seem to good to be true.
$2,700, 1 owner. Elderly women. A 2004 4 door truck with cab. 80,000 miles or so miles on it.
$1, 700, 2001, Lincoln Town car. 90,000 or so miles.
Also there are some that are clean, miles are okayish, but have problems like need water pump or car shakes. How concerning are these?
Also what are two many miles for a used car?
Ive bought 2. Let me just say that a CARFAX will save u alot of heartache and help u to dodge a bullet. One guy had flipped back the mileage, the other guy let the tags expire and didnt tell me about an ENgine valve that needed to be replaced ($700)
In regards to the miles, I would say that depends on what the state the car has been driven. If possible, avoid any car from a bumper to bumper city like NYC or Boston
Just go into it knowing in all likelihood the person will probably be leaving out a key detail. Also expect them to kill the phone they're using or to stop taking ur calls
THE CARFAX like I said is helpful, but if I did it again, i would have a checklist and go down it. The last guy came with the car running and I never bothered to check if the unlocked the doors.....it didnt
Craigslist is neither trustworthy nor untrustworthy. It is the individual that puts in the ad. Craigslist is just modern day want ads like the ones that are or were printed in the newspaper.
I would say ebay and Autotrader is more trustworthy. Why? Because they charge money to advertise which means scammers are less likely to use them. They prefer free sites where they can pull their scams without a paper trail.
As long as you use common sense like not sending cash via Western Union and test drive/have it inspected by a mechanic prior to purchase, you should be fine.
One problem with buying from a private sale, especially if the vehicle is a newer year is that there is probably a finance company/bank lien on the vehicle. In most cases, the vehicle is being sold for less than what is owed. If the vehicle is over priced, the owner is looking for you to pay the balance.
But no matter the year of the vehicle, most important is- does the person selling the vehicle have the legal right to do so and do they have title in their name.
If any is ever serious about buying a used car a 30 day subscription to CARFAX is a must.
CL is full of car flippers. Look for ads touting cars just bought or inherited from an older person - 80s - and it being a one owner car. CARFAX will indicate whenever the car was retitled=sold, when the registration was renewed, and usually point out how many owners the car has had.
CARFAX isn't totally accurate as it is dependent on facilities reporting info. I have found cars supposedly owned by elderly grandmothers which turn out to be sold/resold in auctions. CARFAX WILL tell you that much.
Look out for ads in which the seller is moving and can't take the car with them though they just spent $$$ on tires, battery, oil change, tune up and had the transmission replaced 3K miles ago. Chances are they are flipping the car.
I don't even look at cars which the seller claims to have replaced everything the serpentine belt turns within the past few months.
I often find the last two examples cars recently bought at auction and sometimes not even titled yet.
Lots of private sellers are actually salesmen at a used car lot. Walk from that.
If buying from CL one must be a detective as well as car savvy. People sell junk all day and some people buy it.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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My experience with CL (~20 cars), is it is a lot more reliable than a dealer... (you can actually TALK to the owner and quiz them). I don't buy flippers / auction / people who claim to be FSBO; but don't have the title in their name.
As with all transactions, you best know what you are buying (what it is worth, common issues, what to examine), how to determine condition, how to negotiate, and how to do the transaction.
I will say a couple times I have wondered if I would get picked up from the airport when flying in to fetch a CL deal.
So far, so good.
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