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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?
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 have bought and sold many cars using Craigslist with no problems. I think you can usually get a better price from an individual than from a dealer. Based on your questions about mileage and problems, your best bet is to find a car you think you like that is in good shape and take a friend or family member who is a little more knowledgeable about cars at minimum. Ideally you would be best off having a pre-purchase inspection by a mechanic for whichever car you wish to buy. Needing a water pump is a problem, because the car may have overheated causing damage in addition to just needing a water pump. Shaking could be something super simple like tires or needing an alignment, or could be much worse. But you have to figure that if someone is selling a car with a seemingly simple problem, it's really not as simple otherwise they probably would have fixed it already. Thea ads on Craigslist that crack me up the most are the ones where people will say "My mechanic says the car just needs a XYZ part, it's only $1 at Autozone." Really? Then why not run down to Autozone and spend $1 and get the part? Probably because it also requires hundreds and hundreds in labor to install it, or because the problem is not really that simple after all.
Very good rule of thumb for craigslist is - if it appears to be too good to be true, then it's a scam. Not even "likely a scam". It IS a scam.
That's from a person that been buying practically all family cars and helping friends to buy theirs off craigslist. Very good results. You simply need to know how to read ads, and be very good with finding problems. MANY are attempted to be concealed or not disclosed. And be able to walk away from what you thought was a good car.
A dead giveaway for a TGTBT ad is when there is no phone number, only an email address, and usually a gmail one at that. If someone is really interested in selling their car, they will usually post a phone number.
You just have to pay attention and not to fully trust someone. Not everyone on there is gonna try to rip you off but there are a lot who will. Always try to have someone with you if you decide to go look at a vehicle. Not something you ever want to do alone to many crazies out there.
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.
What's the difference if you found these cars in your local paper, on craigslist, or parked on the street with a For Sale sign on them?
Do your due diligence no matter where you found 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?
I purchased 2 from there. one with 90k/5 years and another 65k/10 years. All were from single owners. And within +/- 10% of KBB value.
The first one needed tire changes and the second one needs new coolant, otherwise they were clean and driveable
Everything in good running condition can be upgraded or serviced. But I suggest not to buy anything that's completely broken or not working.
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