I realized that I have a lot of posts about how to use my Craigslist cars for sale search engine, but I do not have a complete guide on how to buy and sell cars on Craigslist.  Here is my long-winded guide on everything a beginner needs to know in order to successfully buy their used car on Craigslist.

Why Buy Cars on Craigslist and Not Through a Car Dealership?

Many people still like the traditional method of going to a car dealership and going through the ritual of being harassed by car dealers in order to get a semi-good price on a used car.  Other people still believe that this is the only way to purchase a vehicle.  If you are one of these people who believe that the only way to purchase a car is to drive from dealership to dealership, then I’m sorry to tell you that your method for used car shopping is completely outdated.

Benefits of Buying Cars on Craigslist

Did you know that over 50 Million people on average use Craigslist per month?  This means a huge chunk of that human traffic is using the website to buy and sell their cars on the Craigslist website.

More Variety Means Better Price

Since there are so many people selling vehicles on Craigslist, this also means that there is a huge selection of vehicles for you to browse.  How many times have you gone to dealership to search for a vehicle only to leave in disappointment because the vehicle you were searching wasn’t there?  Think of Craigslist cars as a huge virtual car dealership.  There are so many varieties of cars for sale on the website because of the amount of private car sellers posting theirs ads day in and day out.

Also, you may have used websites such as Autotrader and CarMax to try and purchase a used car.  However, these websites do not do a good job of selling used vehicles and cater towards larger dealerships that have money to advertise their vehicles on their website.  This means that at any given time, these websites will have a smaller selection of second-hand cars then Craigslist.  Your best bet for searching through a large variety of cars is by using Craigslist.

Easy to Use Interface

The interface is very simple, thus very easy to use.  All you need to do to search for a vehicle is type in the make, model, min/max price, and the min/max year.  Larger car database websites tend to have a ton of advertisements and other bells and whistles that can make searching for a car very inconvenient.

Avoid Nasty Car Salesmen

I’m sure everyone once in his or her life has had a nasty experience with a car dealer.  Car dealers have been trained to negotiate with potential car buyers and know exactly what to do to get the most out of the sale.

My bad car buying experience was with a nasty car salesman in Mt. Vernon, Washington.  I was looking for a used car for around $3000 and the car salesman tried to sell me a piece of junk Kia that was around that price range.  After a test drive, I knew that I didn’t want to buy that car.  The car salesman pestered me so much and wouldn’t let me leave.  He asked me, “How much can you offer to drive this car off the lot?” He said he would sell the car for $900 and I realized that the salesman marked the car up so much because he thought I was a sucker.  I knew that the car wasn’t even worth $900 and the car salesman ended up being so rude and nasty to me that by the end of the day, I never wanted to deal with a car salesman ever again.

However, on Craigslist, you are dealing with people just like you and me who have not been trained to sell cars.  This means that the playing field is level and both parties have potential to have a happy car buying experience.  From my experience selling my vehicle on Craigslist, I can assure you that the process went very smoothly and that the buyer of my car was satisfied with her first Craigslist transaction.

Potential Car Savings

There can be potential for huge cost savings when using Craigslist due to the fact that there is a large supply of cars and that many of the sellers are private car owners.  Private car sellers tend to give better car deals because they are not as savvy when negotiating.  Most car sellers also have different reasons for selling their vehicle and many of these reasons can be exploited to get a cheaper price on the vehicle.  For example, many people sell their cars because they do not have jobs and need cash to pay for their mortgage or other debts.  If you know this information, you can offer to provide them cash on the spot for the car, but at a steep discount.  This information alone could save you $1000 on your next car purchase.

Now that you know some benefits of buying on Craigslist, here are some weaknesses.

Paperwork

One of the reasons why buying from a dealer can be convenient is because of the paperwork that is involved when making a car sale.  If you are not familiar with your states rules for transferring ownership, then you may potential run into problems later on if you do not fill out the proper paperwork when buying a car.  If you buy from a car dealer, they will fill out and mail all the car transfer forms for you.

No Warranty

If you buy from a private seller, then you can’t buy an extended warranty.  This means you buy the car “as-is” and if the car has a big problem after you transfer the title, then you have no legal recourse to ask for a refund.  Car dealers can provide you with extended warranties on cars, just in case anything happens.

Safety

I have never heard of a car buyer being robbed trying to buy a car at a dealership, but I have heard of people being robbed when trying to buy a car on Craigslist.  This is one of the major downfalls of the site as the posters are all anonymous and there have been cases of people being robbed when trying to purchase a car on Craigslist.

Now that you know about the strengths and weaknesses of the website.  Here is a beginner’s step-by-step tutorial on how to find and buy used cars on Craigslist.

Step-by-Step Guide on Buying Cars on Craigslist

Many people already know how to use Craigslist to purchase used cars.  However, for those who don’t, I will explain the purchasing process.

Method 1 – Use Craigslist Local Searches

Go to Craigslist and find the nearest city where you want to purchase a car.  For this example, I will walk through how to use Craigslist Seattle to purchase a cheap used car.  Since I live in Seattle, I would go to seattle.craigslist.org.  Basically, it’s yourcity.craigslist.org.  Next, go to the “cars+trucks” section, which is located in the “for sale” section of the classifieds.  Next, click on the “by-owners only” link.  This will limit the searches to private car sellers and will exclude cars being sold by dealers. Like I said before, you’ll probably get a bigger discount buying from a private seller, rather than a dealership.  Pictures of each step are located below.

Now, you probably already have a car in mind, but if you don’t have any idea of what time of vehicle to look for, then you can go to this website.

http://www.edmunds.com/car-reviews/best-used-cars.html

This website has the best used car bets for 2011.  These cars have been historically reliable and have the most “bang for the buck” when taking price and features into consideration.   Here are some of the best-used vehicles of 2012 according to MSN.

http://editorial.autos.msn.com/best-used-cars-2012

For this example, I’ll be searching for a 2008 Honda CRV.  Like I said before, the interface is very simple.  All you need to do is type in “Honda CRV” into “search for” field.  Also, you will need to put in your minimum and maximum price range.  Keep in mind that this is an optional input field, but you will have more focused results if you use this feature.  The private party price according to MSN Autos is about $15,000, so I will use this as my benchmark for my search.  Please note that this is just an example and that you can search for any vehicle as well as different price ranges.

Lastly, make sure to click on “title only” and “has picture”.  Clicking on these options will search for the word “Honda CRV” within the post title.  Searching for the keyword in the title is more effective in my opinion. Also, you will only receive results that have a picture of a Honda CRV.  People who do not have pictures on their posts should be avoided and only accepting ads that have pictures can reduce your car searching time.

Here is a list of results from my search. After you get the results, you can narrow your search down further by typing in the year of the car, color, and car accessories.  According to MSN, the 2008 Honda CRV is a reliable used car, so I will limit my search by typing in “2008 Honda CRV” into the “search for” field. I was not able to find any 2008 Honda CRV under $15,000 when I performed this search so I took out the max price and re-did the search. Success! I was able to find a 2008 Honda CRV for $17,000 that was located in Bellevue, WA.  According to the ad, I found quite a gem.  The car only has 35,000 miles and new tires.

The price is $2000 above price that MSN suggested, but I wouldn’t worry about that because the seller probably upped the price so that there is some “negotiating room”.

This is only one way to search for a vehicle.  One problem with this type of search is that you can only search for cars within that specific city.  However, this can lead to you not finding the selection of vehicles that you expect.  If you live in a large enough city, then this isn’t a problem.  If you live in a small city, then you may want to search for used cars in multiple cities.  However, like I said before, you can only search for used cars one city at a time if you use the Craigslist website.

There is a way around this predicament.  There are many websites that allow users to search for cars on Craigslist within multiple cities.  Actually, you can use my website to search for cars within multiple cities.  Let’s say I wanted to search for cars within Seattle as well as cities around Washington.  I would simply type in the information used before as well as click on all the cities that I wanted to search for cars in.  Here is a screen shot of what the search page looks like with all the fields included.

Using this method, I was able to find 10 cars that fit my criteria.  This might mean that I could even get a better price on a vehicle; however, this may mean that I have to drive further to purchase a used car.  It may also mean that I could save more money as I have a larger selection of vehicles to leverage.

If you do not like my Craigslist custom search engine, then you can also use other search engines such as Autotempest.  Autotempest performs the same search as my website but has a sleeker interface.  Here is a list of a few websites that search all of Craigslist that you can use to search for used vehicles.

Crazed list – http://crazedlist.com

Auto Tempest – http://autotempest.com

CLAZ – http://claz.com

All of Craigslist – http://allofcraigslist.com

All of these sites are suitable for searching for cars on the Craigslist website.  Each search engine has its strengths and weaknesses.

Research

Now that I found a potential car, it’s time to do research on the car. One of the first things I would is to go to Kelly Blue Book and see the Blue Book Value of the car.  Kelly Blue Book is the best website to value a car and it’s good if you bring a printout of the KBB estimate when you talk to the seller.  In my case, the “very good” price is around $16,334.  However, I would try to talk the seller down to $16,000.

Another website you can use is Edmunds.com to value your car.  The price should be about the same as the Kelly Blue Book value, but you can also use this site to compare used car prices.

I would also get the VIN of the car and perform a Car Fax search.  Get the VIN number of the car and go to Carfax.com.  Make sure to get a Car Fax report to see if there was any flood, fire, or other major accidents to the car.  If you are serious about the car, then paying $25 for a report is well worth the investment.  The report could save you thousands of dollars in the log run.  According to the ad, the seller has already provided a Car Fax report, so I wouldn’t need to buy the report.  Now, that I have this information, I would call the seller and arrange a meeting.

If you have multiple cars that you want to look at, I suggest using an Excel spreadsheet and keying in all the important information of each listing.  First key in the price, make, model, mileage, VIN, color, contact number and any additional comments about the vehicle that will help you make a choice.  Having a list of car choices in front of you ranking from 1 to 10 is a great way to visually see each cars strength and weaknesses.  Trust me, this will help you make a faster decision.

How to Arrange a Meeting

Call the seller and arrange to meet either at their place or in a public location.  Typically, I would arrange to meet in a public location to take a look at the car because you can never be too safe.  Ask the owner of the car to meet in a location where there are a lot of people and where you can quickly call for help if needed.  A legit car seller will oblige and frankly, I wouldn’t trust a person who says that they are not willing to meet in a public location.  One reason why I suggest to meet in a public location is because there have been a recent bout of muggings where the seller tells the potential buyer to meet in a specific and secluded location and then is subsequently mugged by the seller.  So make sure to meet in a place that has a lot of people and where you can readily ask for help if needed.

Also, it’s good to bring a long a friend because it’s harder for a potential robber to rob you if you have power in numbers.

Inspection of the Vehicle

I am not an expert in inspecting vehicles so I will suggest a website to review before you meet with the seller.  Here is a really detailed checklist of things that you should check when buying a used car.

http://www.samarins.com/check/simplecheck.html

Also, schedule the car to get looked at by a local mechanic.  I’ve done this before and shaved off $1,500 from the asking price.  The mechanic was very thorough with the inspection and said that the car needed a lot of repairs.  I paid $150 for the inspection, but it was worth it because I had more negotiating power after giving the seller a list of all the repairs that needed to be done on the vehicle.

Of course, make sure to test drive the car and bring a copy of your license to show the seller that you can be trusted.

Negotiating

Here are a few things to consider when negotiating car price.

Does the car seller seem desperate?  You can pry into the reason why the seller wants to sell the car.  Are they leaving the country soon? Did they just lose their job and need some fast cash?  There are many psychological factors that you can leverage in order to reduce the price of the car.  Remember that researching the car and providing evidence of your research is the best negotiating tool.  Bring your Carfax reports, mechanic inspection reports, and print outs of the Kelly Blue Book value of the car.

One rule to remember is to not be offended or scared by the seller’s asking price.  The asking price is nothing more than a benchmark that both parties use to start price negotiations.  You can try to lowball the seller as well as give him or a “take it or leave it” price.  This will also depend on if you have other cars lined up to look at.

Here is a good article about how to negotiate used car prices from private sellers.

http://www.usedcarbuyingtips.com/negotiating/

Paperwork for Car Purchase

If everything has gone as planned, you have worked things out amicably with the seller and want to purchase the car.  As the buyer, all you need to do is bring the right information and your car insurance.  Each state has its own guidelines for paperwork.  In Seattle, in order to transfer the title, you will need to report the bill of sale, odometer disclosure, have the signed title, and have an up to date emissions certificate. You will need to bring all of these documents to the DMV to transfer the title.  Here is a link of each states rules for transferring titles.

http://www.dmv.org/buy-sell/used-cars/paper-work-when-buying-a-car.php

Avoiding Scams

Here is a link to a post that I wrote about avoiding scams on Craigslist.

Common Mistakes When Using Craigslist Cars

Mistake 1 – You Did Not Search Within Multiple Cities

The most common mistake when searching for cars on Craigslist is people not searching within multiple cities.  If you do not search within multiple cities, you are potentially missing out on huge discounts.  Is it worth a 30 min drive to a different city where a car is $1000 less than the asking price of the exact same car within your city?

Mistake 2 – You Did Not Provide Enough Information in Your Search

Many people do not include all the details of the car that they are looking for.  This means that the search that they perform ends up being way to broad, which can lead a potential buyer to prematurely give up.  Make sure to be specific when you search for your vehicle, as there’s a great chance that the specific car that you want is being sold by a private seller.

Mistake 3 – You Did Not Click on the “With Images” Tab

Remember to only look at ads that have images.  Ads that do not have images are a waste of your time.

Mistake 4 – You Forgot to Click on “By-Owners” Link

If you do not click on this link, then you will get a flood of listings from car dealers.  The reason that I want you to use Craigslist is to purchase cars from private owners.  Remember, there is potentially a greater cost savings when purchasing from a private seller.

F.A.Q.

Here are some frequently asked questions about Craigslist Cars.

Q: Is it safe to purchase cars on Craigslist?

A: Yes, it’s safe to purchase cars on this website.  However, you have to vigilant when purchasing cars and make sure that all transactions occur in a safe place.  A rule of thumb is, if the price is too good to be true, then it probably is.  Also, make sure to bring a friend and meet in a public location where there are lots of people.

Q:  What is the Best Way to Find a Good Car on Craigslist?

A:  Buying a car on Craigslist is just like buying a car in real life.  You need to do your research, be patient and explore all your options.  The reason why I’ve been successful when purchasing on an auto on Craigslist is because I TOOK MY TIME to look at each vehicle listing.  Make sure to write down what type of car that you need.  List out the traits for the “perfect” car and then enter those traits into your search.  You can also use auto resources like MSN and Edmunds to determine the newest car ratings and read expert and consumer car reviews.

Q: Is There Ways to Review Multiple Cities at Once?

A: Yes, Use the Craigslist Custom Search function on my blog, or you can use the other websites as stated above.

Q: How Do I Know if I’m Being Scammed?

A: Please review this post.  One important rule is to never pay first.  Always look and inspect the vehicle before making the purchase.

Q: Is it Possible to Find Cheap Used Cars on Craigslist?

A: Yes, here is a list of decent used cars under $3000 in Seattle.

• 1990 International tractor truck ****for parts or repair*** (S. Everett) $2000
  For Sale : for parts or repair: International tractor. It runs well. I jacknifed it last winter , and since I got me another tractor , this one is up for sale good for parts or repair. See pictures. Call me for specific information. It has a fifth wheel attachment, main cabin is the one needing fixing, or you can use for parts as engine and all other components are working good. 2000.00 OBO 425-471-2660 key words: Tractor truck, fifth wheel, international, heavy equipment, truck Location: S. Everett it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
• 1995 Chevrolet Suburban LT 4WD (Puyallup) $2450
  Help! I'm selling a 1995 Chevy Suburban that belongs to my in-laws and I need to clear it out of my driveway so we can maintain good family ties:-) They are on a missions trip to Cambodia and desiring to part ways with their beloved Suburban before they return in April. This vehicle comes with the typical LT options to include: automatic door locks and windows, tow package, seating for 8, leather seats, carriage doors, cruise control, automatic transmission, 5.7l V-8 engine that runs like a champ, custom allow wheels, tinted windows, newer tires, and other standard features. Their Suburban has high miles at 260,000, but they took pains to regularly maintain it at Regan's Automotive in Midland. They are the 2nd owners and enjoyed hauling their family around during the growing years. It has some minor dings and paint wear, but still very straight and easy to look at. Some flexibility on price, depending on your situation. Call Jeremy at (253) 770-3244 and leave message, serious inquiries only. Thanks. Location: Puyallup it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
• 1994 Acura Integra almost new on most parts make an offer $$$ (yes still OBO located in kirkland) $2500
  1994 Acura Integra Brand new CV axcel, Brakes, Timing Belt, Tires Sunroof, Automatic, CD player For more information please call or text to (206) 383-2663 Location: yes still OBO located in kirkland it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
• 1998 Toyota Camry V6 (Bellevue) $3000
  I am selling my 98 Toyota Camry as I am moving out of country. Must sell as soon as possible. This is a wonderful car which I never had any problems. Specs: It has 194xxx miles on it most of them are highway miles. V6 Engine 3.0L New Brakes Runs very smooth. Tires have 70% of life in it. Alloy Wheels. Rear Spoiler. CD/Cassette Player. Never been in any accidents. Clean Title. I am the second owner. I brought it from my uncle 5 years back. Gives 30mpg on highway. Please test drive this car once and you will know what I am talking about. At the most you might waste 45mins of your time. Please come and check out the vehicle and make me an offer. VIN# 4T1BF28KXWU063760 Give me a call at 408-693-1363--Kiran Location: Bellevue it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
• 93 Honda civic dx 2dr auto nice! (Auburn) $2600
  Please specify green civic, I also have a black one for sale 93 Honda civic dx D15b engine non vtec Auto tranny with new fluid service shifts perfect Engine has 85k car has 199k runs and drives great! Interier in great shape Car looks very nice in person, pictures don't do justice New tires One piece projector headlights $2600obo Txt or call 253-797-4579 Bad: Paint chipping on front bumper Could use a new idle air control KEYWORDS - seattle everett civic, civic dx, civic hx, civic si, em1, s2000, h22 civic, b18 civic, b18c1, gsr, crx, integra, del sol, 99 civic, 2000 civic, 00 civic, ek, em2, ej, coupe,civic ex, honda, prelude, b16,dc2, del sol, jdm,clean,rota,drag,b16 ,sir ,gsr ,itr ,b16 , b18 ,civic ,si ,integra ,b20,vtec, h22 ,acura ,honda . acura ,integra ,turbo ,eg , ek ,b16 ,b18 ,b18c1 ,b18c5 ,b20 ,b18b , ef ,swap honda acura integra civic gsr mugen spoon si rota slips blades rims tires itr jdm accord tsx prelude tl crx hatch hatchback turbo mitsubishi honda,car, custom, customizing, drop springs, lower, lowering, lowering springs, lift, eibach, belltech,honda prelude,type r honda, civic, eg, ,usdm, type r, coupe , hatch, integra, gsr, swap jdm wheels, jdm, enkei, bbs, mesh, drift, touge, civic, si, accord, blade, fat five, mesh, ls, Honda,civic,ex,dx,si,lx,coupe,sedan,jdm,turbo,hatch,ek,eg,da,ef,type r,integra,gsr,rota,jdm.si,sir,ctr.gsr,honda,del sol,boosted,rsk,b16a2,em1,rhd,honda, civic, crx, dx, lx, std, si, sir, itr, ctr, zc, dohc, sohc, d15, d16, b16, b18, b18, k20, mini me, swap, dsm, turbo, mugen, del sol, prelude, nsx, eclipse, 240sx, s13, s14, s15, s2k, s2000, ef, eg, ek, ed6 , jdm,b16,honda, acura, civic, integra, prelude, accord, crx, del sol, s2k, tl, cl, el, vigor, legend, tsx, rsx, itr, ctr, type r, rhd, spoon, mugen, arc, buddy club, toda, rc, precision, full race, bisimoto. Location: Auburn it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
• 94 Honda civic EX, vtec,2dr5spd, lotsss of extras!! (Auburn ) $2700
  94 Honda civic ex Zc jdm 1.6l vtec engine 5spd good clutch shifts good 17in wheels good tires 2 door coupe Slotted drilled roters all around Big exaust custom all the way back Cold air, true cold air aem Racing driver seat with 5 point harness Lowered on skunk 2 springs with tokico blue shocks Etc etc $2700 obo Txt or call 253-797-4579 Bad: Crack in windshield Small cosmetic blemishes Salvaged title KEYWORDS - seattle everett civic, civic dx, civic hx, civic si, em1, s2000, h22 civic, b18 civic, b18c1, gsr, crx, integra, del sol, 99 civic, 2000 civic, 00 civic, ek, em2, ej, coupe,civic ex, honda, prelude, b16,dc2, del sol, jdm,clean,rota,drag,b16 ,sir ,gsr ,itr ,b16 , b18 ,civic ,si ,integra ,b20,vtec, h22 ,acura ,honda . acura ,integra ,turbo ,eg , ek ,b16 ,b18 ,b18c1 ,b18c5 ,b20 ,b18b , ef ,swap honda acura integra civic gsr mugen spoon si rota slips blades rims tires itr jdm accord tsx prelude tl mitsubishi honda,car, custom, customizing, drop springs, lower, lowering, lowering springs, lift, eibach, belltech,honda prelude,type r honda, civic, eg, ,usdm, type r, coupe , hatch, integra, gsr, swap jdm wheels, jdm, enkei, bbs, mesh, Honda,civic,ex,dx,si,lx,coupe,sedan,jdm,turbo,hatch,ek,eg,da,ef,type r,integra,gsr,rota,jdm.si,sir,ctr.gsr,honda,del sol,boosted,rsk,b16a2,em1,rhd,honda, civic, crx, dx, lx, std, si, sir, itr, ctr, zc, dohc, sohc, d15, d16, b16, b18, b18, k20, mini del sol, prelude, nsx, eclipse, 240sx, s13, s14, s15, s2k, s2000, ef, eg, ek, ed6 , jdm,b16,honda, acura, civic, integra, prelude, accord, crx, del sol, s2k, tl, cl, el, vigor, legend, tsx, rsx, itr, ctr, type r, rhd, spoon, mugen, Location: Auburn it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
• 1989 acura integra (tacoma) $2100
  1989 acura integra a must see ******************* 2100 ***************** this car is loaded with extras alloy wheels ski rack mp3 cd player 4dr 5 speed hatch back red real strong nice gas saver front wheel drive . Location: tacoma it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
• 1991 acura integra ls(automatic,pwr lock,pwr window and ac. (seattle) $2200
  it has 176k miles on run great. interior and exterior look great.it has 16 inch wheel on it.plz call me @206/423/7402 thx Location: seattle it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
• 1990 LEXUS LS400 SUPER NICE AND CLEAN RUNS PERFECT (AUBURN) $2500
  THIS CAR IS AS CLEAN AS IT, GETS RUNS AND DRIVES PERFECT, ALL OPTIONS WORK PERFECT, JUST SEVICED, A GREAT LUXURY CAR FOR THE MONEY, NON SMOKER, CALL 253-619-4749 Location: AUBURN it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
• 1994 Mercedes Benz C280, Automatic, Good condition (Seattle - Maple Leaf, Northgate) $2900
  1994 Mercedes Benz C280 sedan held a 194-horsepower, 2.8-liter 6-cylinder engine, 4-speed automatic transmission, Silver, clean title, no major accidents, runs great!! This is a very reliable car. call (206) 428-6031 or (206) 457-9845 for a test drive.. Location: Seattle - Maple Leaf, Northgate it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
• 1998 ford explore nice (spanaway) $2150
  I am selling my 1998 ford explore runs very good nothing wrong with it new brakes all the way around bodies in good shape clean inside and outside clean title all power selling it for my grandpa need to sell my grandpa can't see any more please call any time 253 590-6609 please call for more info thanks. Location: spanaway it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

A: It does not cost any money to post your ad on Craigslist.  Here is my guide on how to sell used cars on Craigslist.

You can add me on my Google + profile page at Craig’s Google Profile

I’ve been emailed several times by people asking whether or not they were scammed when purchasing used cars on the Craigslist cars for sale website.  It’s amazing how many people do not know how to detect a scam on Craigslist.  Unfortunately, a few people who asked me for advice were scammed out of thousands of dollars.  I feel like it’s my duty to write this post about how to quickly recognize a scam and how to avoid getting ripped off.

Here are the most common ways to recognize that you are dealing with a scammer and not a legitimate seller.

1. The Seller Asks to Ship the Vehicle to You

Usually in this scam, the seller will say that they live out of state and want to ship the vehicle “free of charge” to you.  They will state that you will have a week to take a look at the car and if you are not satisfied with the car, then you can ship the car back to them without any penalty.  In reality, they’re not going to ship a car to you because there is no car.  When a seller tells you that they want to ship the vehicle to you, this is 100% a scam.

2. The Seller Says They Are Going to Use eBAY as an Intermediary

The scammer will say that they are using eBay in order to sell the car because “Craigslist suggest using this method”.  Craigslist does not condone using eBAY or does not have any affiliation with eBay whatsoever. Even if you receive an “official” invoice from the seller with an eBAY logo, or eBAY email address, this is still a scam.  There are many ways to doctor up an invoice to look official, however; just remember that Craigslist is not affiliated with eBay.

3. If the Price is Too Good to Be True…

If the seller proposes to sell the car way under the car’s actual book value, then this is a scam.  You know what they say, “if it’s too good to be true, then it probably is”.  Always check the book value of the car compared to the listed price.  You can check the book value at Kelly Blue Book.

4. Divorcees and Servicemen Needing to Quickly Sell Their Vehicle

Now sometimes there are legitimate people who desperately need money, but most of the time, sob stories about people getting divorced, deaths in the family, or serviceman needing to quickly sell their vehicle should raise scammer red flags.  Many scammers use these types of stories to lure people as they think buyers will be more trusting if the seller is a serviceman.  Many scammers will post something like this.

“I have a 2002 BMW for sale for $5000.  I need to get rid of this car as fast as possible as I leave for my tour of duty in Iraq next month.  I have no way to take care of this car while I’m gone, so I really want to sell it now.”

Here is an actual scam post from Craigslist.

5. Posts With Broken English

Have you ever heard of the Nigerian E-Mail Scam?  Many times, emails and post written by scammers are people from foreign countries trying to scam you out of your hard earned money.  Watch out for any ads with broken or strangly written English.

If you do run across these types of ads within the Craigslist Used Cars for Sale website, please make sure to flag them as spam so that the ad can be deleted.  User policing of ads is the best way to get rid of scammers on Craigslist.

6. Inquiry from a Buyer That Lives Far Away

Most scammers will tell you that they live out of state and want to ship their car to you.  If they have the inability to meet with you, NO MATTER HOW GOOD THE PRICE IS, absolutely do not waste your time dealing with these scumbags and flag the post.

7. Seller Requests Money Order/Cashier’s Check/”Guarantee” to Purchase Your Car

Remember that Craigslist does not deal with wire transfers, cashier’s checks, and does not guarantee any transactions.  The transactions are the responsiblity of individual parties.  Avoid these scams at all costs, even if you receive an “official” looking email from Craigslist stating that they are guaranteeing your purchase.

If you are a car seller, do not accept buyers that want to send you a Cashier’s Check.  These check’s are fake and the information that you give the seller will be used to withdrawal money from your account.

Use These Rules to Avoid Getting Scammed

1. Always Meet the Seller in Person

If nothing else sticks in this post, make sure to remember this rule and this rule only.  99% of scams can be avoided by meeting the person face-to-face.

2. Never Wire Transfer or Use Cashier’s Checks to Make Purchases

Under no circumstances you should ever wire money to a seller. Using cash and/or check is the best way to avoid getting scammed. Also do not receive cashier’s checks as you will be responsible for amount of money lost by the bank by cashing your fake check.

3. Never Buy Buyer Protection

Craigslist is not protect buyers from any transactions.  Buying protection is fake and a waste of money.

3.  Never Give Out Personal and Financial Information

Never give out your address, social security number, bank account number, credit card number, or any financial information to a potential car buyer or seller.

4. Buy the Car in Person

If you buy the car in person, you will have a chance to inspect the vehicle as well as reassure yourself that the car is legitimate.

How to Safely Purchase Cars on Craigslist

1. Meet in a Public Place During the Day

Scammers and Robbers will refuse to meet you during the day.  Try to meet in an area with a lot of people such as a parking lot or shopping mall.  You will be surrounded by security cameras and will be able to check out the car without any worries of being robbed.  If you are selling your car, do not invite would-be robbers to your house, instead agree to meet in a public area to have the potential buyer to look at your car.  If you invite people to come to your house to look at your car, potential robbers will have the ability to check out your house and may come back later to steal your belongings.

2. Tell Your Family or Friends Where You’re Going

Make sure to tell your family or friends that you intend to purchase car and the day/time you are intening to meet with the seller.  Better yet, try to bring along a couple of friends to help you take a look at your car.  A potential scammer or robber will chicken out if they see that you are not alone.

3. Trust Your Instincts

It’s human nature to detect nature, if you think are you are in a threatening situation, then don’t go through it. Your life is not worth the price of a cheap car.

In Conclusion…

If you follow my tips, then there’s no way that you should still be confused about whether or not the ad that you’re looking at in Craigslist is a scam. Just follow my simple rules and you will never be scammed out of your hard earned money.

I absolutely advocate purchasing cars on Craigslist, but please make sure that you’re safe when you’re doing it.  Happy shopping!

If you liked this post, please share it with your friends by recommending it on Facebook.

Written by Craig

Do you live in Albuquerque, New Mexico and want to search for a car online?  In my opinion, one of the best ways to search for cars within Albuquerque is to use Craigslist.  In this post, I will show you exactly how to find a great used car for under $4000.

First, you will need to go to Craigslist Albuquerque.  You can find the site here — http://albuquerque.craigslist.org/.  Now, you will need to click on “cars + trucks” under the “for sale” sub-section.  Here is a picture of where you should click.

Now, this part is very important. Make sure to only click on the link “BY-OWNER ONLY” on the left side of the screen.  The reason why this is important is that it will only search for cars that are sold by private parties.  The results will exclude cars sold from dealers.  The reason why you want to do this is because you will be able to find more used cars for less than $4000 from private sellers.

Now that we have established this, it’s time to search for a used car.  Type in 4000 as the maximum you want to pay in the “price” field. This will limit your search to cars under 4000 dollars.  Now, if you do not type in anything in the “search-for” field, you will end up with thousands of results for a variety of used cars.  In this example, I will search for Mitsubishi Lancer’s as these cars are quite reliable and well within the 4000 dollar range. Type in Mitsubishi Lancer in the “search-for” field.  This is what your search should look like now.

As you can see, there are 4 listings for Lancer’s under 4000.  Now I will show you what you need to look out for before purchasing cheap cars on Craigslist.  The first thing is to make sure that the car actually runs.  In my example, the first listing says that the car is priced at $1500, but has a blown motor.

The 2nd and 4th listings are from the same owner and lists the car at $3600.  The car has 128,000 miles and is stated as being in great condition.  According to the Blue Book value, the car could be listed at $5400.  However, most people just use this as a guideline and the buyer can negotiate a price well below the Blue Book value.  If I were looking for a car in Albuquerque around the $4000 price range, I would probably want to start by looking at this car.

This took me about 5 minutes to find this car and if you are looking for cheap cars in Albuquerque, then this is the way to go.  Seriously, you won’t find locals cars like this on larger car search engines!

If you found this post useful, please share with your friends, or click the “recommend” button.

This post will describe how to make $1000 or more selling your junk car on Craigslist.  There are many junk cars for sale on Craigslist and there are plenty of buyers who will give you cold hard cash for your car.  For example,  when I used to live in Seattle, I had a Toyota Tercel.  One day it broke down on the interstate and I had to have it towed to my house.  I was told that the drive belt was broken and that it would cost me about $300 to replace.  However, at that time I just started a new job and was planning to purchase a new car.  So instead of fixing the car, I decided to sell the car as junk.

I went on Craigslist cars and searched for people in Seattle who were looking to buy junk cars.  I have made it easy for people to sell junk cars online through my Craigslist search engine. I will give you an example of how you can sell your car.  First go to this page http://craigscarsforsale.net/search-craigslist-cars.php and type in “Junk Cars” into the make portion of the search field.

Then click on your locations were you want to sell your car — for better results, click on all locations.  Next, for focused results type in “1000″ into the search field.  If your car really is junk, then you shouldn’t expect to receive much for your car.  This means you can expect anywhere from $500-$2000 for your junker.  I received $600 for my Tercel.  However, the good thing about this is that I only paid $1200 for the car and used the car all throughout high school and college.  This means, that the car only cost me $600 for 6 years of use.  Not bad at all!  Here are the results that I got for my search.

As you can see, there are many people who want to buy junk cars online.  This is a great time to list your car, or talk to a buyer of junk cars.  Let’s look at a few ads.  Here’s the first ad.

As you can see, there is a buyer who wants your junk car.  They are wiling to pay up to $1000 for your junker and they will even pick the car up for you.  To me, this is a win-win situation.  You can finally get rid of the car that’s been sitting on your property forever and you don’t have to pay someone to tow your car to the junkyard.  Call the person ahead of time to make sure that the terms are clear and legit.  Also, make sure to become familiar with title transfer for your state as the rules may be different depending on the state you’re in.

Here is a link to each states DMW — http://www.dmvnv.com/50_state_dmv_list.html

So if you have a broken down car sitting in your drive, you might want to consider selling it for some fast cash by using Craigslist.

If you liked this post, please share with your friends by clicking the “recommend” button below.

I will explain to you in this short post about why you need to use Craigslist Fresno cars in order to find a used vehicle.  Of course, this post is directed towards people who live in Fresno, or it’s surrounding areas (don’t worry other cities! I’ll get to you guys in a moment).

Did you know that car listings on Craigslist Fresno VASTLY outnumbers the listings on Autotrader.com?  The reason for this is because most people who want to sell their cars privately do not want to pay a fee to list their cars on popular car websites such as Autotrader.com.  Furthermore,  Autotrader is mainly used for car dealerships that want to sell new cars.  However, the problem with this is that people in California are currently BROKE and we cannot afford to buy brand spanking new cars.

Therefore, most people who live in the Fresno area will go to the Craigslist to buy and sell their used cars.  According to Google’s Keyword Research Tool, there are over 880 exact searches for the term “Craigslist Fresno cars” per month.  Along with other related search terms, the total amount of people who are searching for this term a month exceeds 110,000.  This means that a large amount of the population in Fresno use Craigslist to search for cars.

If you are a resident of Fresno and want to search for a car, I strongly suggest that you use my Craigs’s Cars for Sale search engine to search for cars within Fresno, and its surrounding areas.  Do not use other used cars search engines such as Autotrader.com because you won’t get as many used car results.  If finding cars on Craigslist wasn’t effective, then why would over 100,000 people in Fresno use Craigslist used cars per month? Furthermore, I will show you proof that there is a larger selection of cars using Craigslist Fresno compared to Autotrader.com.

First go to http://craigscarsforsale.net/search-craigslist-cars.php and you will be redirected to my awesome search engine.  Next, I’ll search for a common car such as a Honda Civic.  Make sure to click on Fresno and your search city and click “Find Cars”.  As you can see, as of today there are over 514 search results for Honda Civics within Fresno and its surrounding areas.

Now if I search for Honda Civics in Fresno and its surrounding areas using Autotrader.com, I will get very few results.  The results that I received for Honda Civics from Autotrader’s listings was 72.  This is taking into consideration that I included cars within a 70 mile radius of Fresno.  This is disconcerting in part that I do not have a variety of cars to choose from, hence I am basically forced to buy a car from a car dealership and do not get a variety of cheap car choices.  Of course, a large variety of choices indicates that I can get a better deal on the car price (it’s simple economics!).  Here is a screen print of the Autotrader.com Fresno listings.

Notice that there are only 72 results for cars for sale within Fresno.  Now it doesn’t take a genius to figure out which search engine to use to search for cars within Fresno.  If you are ready to look for a used car in Fresno, then check out my search engine by clicking the link.

http://craigscarsforsale.net/search-craigslist-cars.php

Do you live in Seattle and want to learn how to use the Craig’s Cars Search Engine to find Craigslist Seattle Cars?  This post will walk you through how to search for CHEAP vehicles within Seattle and it’s surrounding areas on my free Craigslist search engine.

First of all,  I want to give you an example of why using Craigslist cars is so powerful and why the common folk should ONLY use Craigslist to search for cars online.  One of my friends who lives in Seattle just recently got fired from her job as a nanny because the bread winner in their family just got laid off from a six figure job.  She asked me if she could borrow my car as she had lined up a job with a new family with one stipulation – they wanted her to have a car to commute to work.  I felt extremely uncomfortable with lending her my car, but I immediately came up with a solution.

My solution was that I would help her buy a car and would lend her $1,000 to purchase a car until she could find better transportation.  She was a little confused as she never heard of someone purchasing a used car for just $1000; however, I have used my search engine so often that I knew that there were plenty of 1000 dollar cars within Seattle and its surrounding areas.  We ended up purchasing a car for about $1,200 after taxes and my friend is still using that car today.

I will show you guys how I found a $1000 car for my friend and how you can also search for extremely cheap cars using the Craigslist Seattle site as well as my Craigslist cars search engine.

Now there are two ways that you can search for cars on Craigslist.  The first way is to actually go to Craigslist Seattle and use their cars and trucks section.  However, if you want to be more sophisticated and want the ability to search for more cities around the Seattle area, then use my search engine.  So this is what I did to find a car for around 1000 dollars within the Seattle city limits.

First go to my search engine that is located at the tab that says “Craigslist Custom Car Search”.  Once you’re there, type in a make of the car that you want.  Typically, what I’ve noticed is that your best bet for finding an extremely cheap car is by searching for used Toyotas and Hondas.  In my friends case, we searched for a used Toyota as I’ve had great experiences with these cars in the past.

Type in “Toyota” into the make field and type “1000″ into the keyword field.  What this does is command the search engine to look for all Toyota cars with the keyword “1000″ located within the text of the ad.  Also, if you want to search for more cars in the surrounding areas of Seattle, then click on each city where you want to search for cars.  In this case, I’m going to search for cars in Seattle, Pullman, Wenatchee, and Bellingham.  You can just search for cars within Seattle, but your results will be limited.  This is what everything should look like what you have inputted the fields and have clicked on the appropriate cities.

Next, you will click “Find Cars” and it will take you to a screen where you need to copy and paste the search string.  Here are the results that I got (click on the link).

Cars for $1000 in Seattle Results

Lastly, a lot of the results may be expired, but be patient because there are tons of cheap cars out there  As of this post, there were 67 results for Toyota cars with the keyword “1000″ located within the text of the ad.  Now, this is the magical part of this search engine as you will NOT be able to find a car for this cheap on the public market.  When was the last time you found a car on Autotrader.com for $1000?  It’s near impossible, but on Craigslist people are willing to part with their old vehicles for a reasonable price.

Here are some results that I found as of today.  One of these cars is a fixer upper and the other is drivable, which would be perfect for my friends situation.  Basically, these cars are going to be drivable, but that’s it.  They might have huge dents, cosmetic problems, or parts that need to be fixed in the future, but they will work when you’re in a bind.

As you can see, this car needs a new muffler, but it’s drivable.  This is perfect for beginning driver’s as well as people who cannot afford a car, but need a car to get to work. This car is located in Silverdale, WA.

As for this car, this car is perfect for mechanics who want a fixer upper that can be resold for a decent profit. This car is located in Lynden, which is kind of a drive from Seattle, but you could negotiate with the seller to deliver the car to Sea

Both of these examples are perfect reasons why you should start looking on Craigslist for cars.  Remember, that you don’t have to just search for Toyotas.  Your search possibilities are unlimited!  So if you are searching for a cheap car in Seattle, I strongly suggest that you try out the Craigslist cars and use my search engine.

Here is the link to go to my custom cars search engine - http://craigscarsforsale.net/search-craigslist-cars.php

Do you live in Alabama and want a way to conveniently search for a used car?  Have you tried my new search engine that easily searches all of Craigslist Alabama cars?  People who live in Alabama now have an easy way to search all of Craigslist cars for a cheap used vehicles.

Searching for a used car can be VERY annoying. Most used car websites use the same paid for car database, and each used cars search engines all have the same results.  However, Craigslist has become one of the best used car search engines in the nation due to the fact that they constantly update their database.  The car database is updated because of Craigslist users.  This means that their is a constant stream of people uploading their used cars for sale.  A traditional car search engine does not have the capacity for private car sellers to sell their own vehicles online.

According to http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/01000.html, there are over 4.5 million residence who live in Alabama.  This means that there are a whole lot of used cars on the market.  Now, if you are not familiar with Craigslist, then you should know that Craigslist sells cars specifically in the Alabama area.  You can go to Craigslist Alabama by clicking this link http://geo.craigslist.org/iso/us/al.  However, one of the downsides of going directly to Craigslist is that you can only search for cars one city at a time.  This gets rather annoying as you need to constantly back out of each city, click on a new city and redo your search.  However, I have provided users with a convenient way to search ALL of Craigslist Alabama cars.

My Craigs Cars for Sale search engine, which is located here can search for all most of the cars located in the Craigslist Alabama database.  This means you will save time when performing your car search as all used car results for cars located within the state of Alabama will show up all at once.  Let me take you throw an example.

Let’s say we are searching for a “Ford Mustang”.  I will will simply type in “Ford” and “Mustang” into the make and model fields.  Next click on Alabama and click on all the cities you want to search in.  For this example, I will click on all the cities located within the Craigs Cars for Sale database.  Currently, user’s can search in Auburn, Birmingham, Dothan, Florence, Gadsden-Anniston, Huntsville, Mobile, Montgomery, and Tucaloosa. Now remember, this database only pulls information from the largest cities in Alabama.  Here is a screen print of the results you should come up with.

Notice that there are 519 results.  If you used a traditional used car search engine, I will guarantee that you won’t find this many results for a Ford Mustang located within Alabama.  Now, 519 results are way too many and would take hours to search through.  The next step is to narrow down your search results through keywords.  Let’s say I am looking to buy a Ford Mustang – Rousch Edition. Simply type of “Rousch” as the keyword.  This will make the search engine search for all Ford Mustangs AND Rousch Mustangs. 

Perfect! Now we only have 9 results.  Lastly, click on the links to make sure that the car is available.  In this case, I found a Ford Mustang – Rousch Edition for around $7000 with 100,000+ miles.  Here is the final car result. At this point I would talk with the seller to take a test drive or ask additional questions.

In my opinion, this is the best way to search for Craigslist Alabama cars and used cars within the state of Alabama.  Please bookmark or “like” this post if you’ve found it useful.

Do you live in Sioux City or the surrounding area?  If you are looking for a used car in Sioux City, Iowa and don’t want the hassle of going to the car dealerships, then you should use the Craigslist Sioux City Cars search engine.  The search engine pulls information straight from Craigslist cars and will search for multiple cities at once. Let’s say you are looking for a Honda Civic in Sioux City.  All you need to do is type in “Toyota” in the “Make” search field and type in “Camry” in the “Model” field.  You will also need to click on “Sioux City” as the city where you want to search for cars.  If you want to search for cars in the surrounding area, then click on the other cities that surround Sioux City.  This is one of the special features of this search engine as you will only be able to search for cars one city at a time at Craigslist.  Here is a screen print of what your search should look like.

Remember that you can search for more than one city at once.  This is recommended as you will have a wider selection to choose from.  Remember, you can only do this in my search engine because Craigslist doesn’t allow multiple city searches at once.  Once you click search, here are the search results that you may find.

Now let’s say you want to narrow down the search and look for specific accessories in your used vehicle.  If you are looking for Toyota Camry’s that have CD players, then type in “CD Player” into the “Keyword” attribute.  Here’s what your search should look like.

And here are the results that you will receive.  Notice that there were 121 original results for the search term “Toyota Camry”.  However, narrowing down the search with “CD Player” results in 4 search results.  These narrowed down results will make it much easier to narrow down the car that you want to buy.  Here is what the results should look like.

If you are from Iowa, go ahead and take the search engine for a spin.  You will find it easy to use and will use the Craigslist cars for sale search over and over.  Make sure to bookmark the page at http://craigscarsforsale.net/search-results.php if you find it useful.

Ask and you shall receive.  I have been playing around with the idea of creating a Craigslist cars search engine for my site and what better time to introduce it then the new year?  If you click on the “Craigslist Cars Custom Search Tab“, you will see the search engine function.

You will be able to search for used cars listed on the Craigslist website within multiple cities.  One of the really annoying things about Craigslist is that you can only search for cars in one city.  If you want to find cars in another city, then you have to click on another cities link and restart your search using the same keywords.  However, with my search engine, all you need to do is click on the cities where you want to search for your used car and click “find car”.

Basically, you are saving a lot of time if you use my new Craigslist used cars for sale search engine.  If you are unfamiliar with how to search for cars, simply type in the make, model, year, and click on the cities where you want to search under.  One of the most important factors is to  use the keyword function.  If you use this function correctly, you will be able narrow down your search significantly.  For example, one important factor when searching for a car is the color.  If you are searching for a red Toyota Prius.  Type in all the key factors and type in “red” as the keyword.  You can add as many keywords as you want.  Hope you guys use the heck out of this awesome new feature!