Buying a car off craigslist?

The Snert

So, my piece of shit dodge neon finally died on me, and I'm in need of a new automobile. Now, CL has helped me alot in the past, its gotten me jobs, apartments, girlfriends, and other great deals. I figured, maybe I can get lucky and get a good deal on a car there too. But I've never bought a car off of there before. Anyone have any experience with this? Stuff to look out for, ask about, etc.

Of course, I'm a little wary because a car is a much bigger purchase then say, a game console, and I just want to make sure I don't get scammed or something.

For example, I found this listing http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/cto/1137850622.html and I'm a little suspect to the veracity of this ad. But at the same time, it could be a great deal and I'm being paranoid.

Advice on H/A!

TexiKen

So they've had the car for three years, and they're selling it pretty darn low. Lower than if they could just sell it to CarMax or a dealer. There is more to the story, like it was in a few accidents or the engine or transmission is bad. Call them to see why they are selling it, and ask about the mileage.

The only way it can be that low is if they have 80k miles on it already.

noir_blood

If it sounds too good to be true...

Aioua

Yeah. It's probably a scam...

see http://cockeyed.com/citizen/accord/craigslist_fraud_outlined.shtml

TexiKen

A tip of the hat Aioua, that was a good read.

MichaelLC

That's one clean engine!

Yeah, a scam. That was a good find, Aioua. I enjoyed the, "I announce you that this isn't really eBay," and "do not prefers PayPal."

jclast

1) Insist on a CarFax report - either from them or from a dealership/garage.
2) Take it to a mechanic you know and trust to have the car inspected.
3) Test drive it.
4) Research what paperwork the sellers have to do (calling the DMV and asking should be enough - just pretend you're a seller) and make sure they are going to do it. If you just give them some cash and take the car they still technically own it.
5) If you buy it DO NOT leave without the title.

Scrublet

Honestly I would only do lower-value purchases from Craigslist...nothing bigger than a TV. That place is the dirtiest place on the internet short of Limewire.

jclast

I sold my car on Craigslist. You're not in any trouble if you are smart about the buying process. It's just like scanning newspaper classified for used car ads.

TL DR

I bought my car on Craigslist, but that ad is definitely fake. There are a lot of them. You'll know as soon as you email, since they'll offer to ship it or something. It's a standard check advance scam.

The Snert

Yeah, I was kinda leaning towards fishy with that one, now that everyone's chimed in I'm 100 positive that's a scam.

Thanks for the info Jclast, can I ask how you actually exchanged payment? Would I just write a check for the amount, addressed to the owner? And yeah, good call on the title thing. I'll make sure if I actually go through this route to not leave without the title. What do I need to get a carfax report? Just the VIN #?

And haha, I have no illusions that craigslist can be a hive of scum and villainy, but I feel like going to a dealership or used car place I'd havto deal with salesmen and I hate that.

I just wanna have a smooth transaction with a regular dude like me who just happens to want to sell his car and I want to take it off his hands.

jclast

The Snert wrote: »

Yeah, I was kinda leaning towards fishy with that one, now that everyone's chimed in I'm 100 positive that's a scam.

Thanks for the info Jclast, can I ask how you actually exchanged payment? Would I just write a check for the amount, addressed to the owner? And yeah, good call on the title thing. I'll make sure if I actually go through this route to not leave without the title. What do I need to get a carfax report? Just the VIN #?

And haha, I have no illusions that craigslist can be a hive of scum and villainy, but I feel like going to a dealership or used car place I'd havto deal with salesmen and I hate that.

I just wanna have a smooth transaction with a regular dude like me who just happens to want to sell his car and I want to take it off his hands.

If he is smart he won't take a personal check. The guy I sold mine to paid in cash. If you're not comfortable carrying that much cash you can get a certified check at your bank which is just as good as cash except it's only usable by the guy you're paying.

And yes, I believe that all you need is the VIN to obtain a carfax report (to be certain call up your garage and ask - they should tell you for free what info they need).

MichaelLC

If you're just worried about dealing with dealerships, I really encourage you to give it a try, only way to learn.

You can do quite a bit of shopping and sometimes even buying online with a lot of place now, if that helps. Not that there's anything wrong with P2P deals, but there are advantages to buying from a dealership.

MetroidZoid

I can back that there are completely legit cars for the buying of on Craigslist. That's how my gf got her new-to-her Jetta. Was on there for $6,500, talked the lady down to $6,000. And her dad's a mechanic, and he gave it a good look over before they bought it.

It's always been a habit passed down through my family to have a mechanic you trust, either a reliable family member or a mechanic you've been using for a long while and have a working relationship with, to look at the car first. The seller shouldn't have a problem with this unless something is up.

Djeet

In addition to receiving the car title I'd want a bill of sale. It would have the seller and buyer names and signatures, the date, the VIN, and the amount the car was sold for. Not sure if it's the same in Penn. but a bill of sale is helpful when you get the car registered in your name.

If I were selling a car I'd meet up with the buyer and once everything was agreed upon, meet him at his bank and accept a cashiers check. Also I'd get the bill of sale notarized at the bank.

I've always wondered how the mechanic check out is supposed to happen. Say I'm selling a car and the buyer is interested, but wants it checked out. Am I supposed to hand him my keys and say get back to me? Last car I sold private party was pretty new and low miles, and the lady was satisfied with my test drive and my word regarding service history and condition. She didn't opt to have the car checked out.

jclast

Djeet wrote: »

In addition to receiving the car title I'd want a bill of sale. It would have the seller and buyer names and signatures, the date, the VIN, and the amount the car was sold for. Not sure if it's the same in Penn. but a bill of sale is helpful when you get the car registered in your name.

If I were selling a car I'd meet up with the buyer and once everything was agreed upon, meet him at his bank and accept a cashiers check. Also I'd get the bill of sale notarized at the bank.

I've always wondered how the mechanic check out is supposed to happen. Say I'm selling a car and the buyer is interested, but wants it checked out. Am I supposed to hand him my keys and say get back to me? Last car I sold private party was pretty new and low miles, and the lady was satisfied with my test drive and my word regarding service history and condition. She didn't opt to have the car checked out.

If you're buying and want it checked out I would either have both parties go or you make an appointment, the seller takes the car, and the mechanic gives you the results.

Thanatos

Yeah, get your own Carfax report. Don't trust whatever one they give you. And double-check the VIN before you buy the car.

The Snert

Ok so update. Everything went smoothly, thank you for the advice guys. Now I'm trying to figure out what to do with the old car. I was thinking about donating it, but my friend says I could possibly sell it for parts. How would I go about this? There's some damage on the driver side door and quarter panel, and the faulty transmission. Everything else is in great condition though. Cd player, automatic windows, all that. I looked up the kelly blue book value on a 2002 dodge neon in good condition, and it's listed at 3750. Would it reasonable to sell it for half that? Just looking to get some opinions, as I've never had to sell a car before.

Daedalus

My current car was bought from Craigslist (the ad said "Price non-negotiable" and "must sell today", and since you can have one or the other of those, but not both of those at once, it turned out the price was negotiable!) You should get a Carfax report or whatever, look for the bluebook value (and start from below the "trade-in" price, if they say "must sell today") etc, but another good thing would be to check online for service bulletins or common problems with that make/model/year, so you have some idea of what to look for.

jclast

Do you have a CarMax nearby? If so take it over there and see what they'll give you for it. Their quote is good for a week.

Dioltas

I've successfully sold a car for parts before on craigslist. It was one hell of a junker, a 96 hyundai accent with bad alternator/brakes (not brake pads, actual brakes)/electric ANYTHING. Even the heat no longer worked. Blue book for it wasn't much more than 1k I believe (in peak condition). I set the price at $500, was very up front about its condition, and said that it would be the buyer's responsibility for towing the damn thing away. I shit you not, I got over 50 calls and emails for it within the day. So for a 2002 car in generally decent condition, I'd say that between 1500-1750 would be fairly reasonable.

The Snert

Unfortunately it doesn't look like there's a CarMax near me. Damn.

I'll go ahead and put up an ad on CL. I'll just explain that the car has some minor body damage and doesn't start, due to a transmission problem. I'll ask for $1400 and keep the price negotiable.