How to Purchase Used Cars on Craigslist

Are you interested in potentially purchasing a used car online? Have you ever purchased items on the free posting website called Craigslist? If you are not familiar with this posting service, learning how to buy used cars on Craigslist is a great way to maximize your ability to get the cheapest price for the car that you most desire. Once you follow these simple steps, you will be on your way to purchasing a used car that fits your budget without the hassle of dealing with a pesky car dealer.

Step 1: Narrow Your Search Result Query

Narrowing down a purchase by deciding which make and model that you want will reduce the stress that you may receive when searching for a used vehicle on Craigslist. Craigslist has an expansive amount of auto selections and you have the ability to reduce the amount of used car results so that you can focus on deciding on a few specific cars, instead of scouring through thousands of listings. Go to www.craigslist.org and select the closest city on the menu of locations. Craigslist has pages by country, state and city, and narrowing down your location will allow you to view used vehicles sold by the original owner in your local area. In the "For Sale" section, there is a "Cars+Trucks" sub-section that you will need to click on. Once you are in this section, you will notice that there are many listings for different types of cars and trucks. If you have not narrowed down your search, Craigslist will show the most recent vehicle listings and proceed in chronological order. It is ok to search for cars this way; however, it will take you a long time (time that can be spent watching football!). The faster way is by performing a search query in the search section of the listing. If you know the make and model of your vehicle, type these keywords into the search box and you should receive instant results on the car that you are looking for. In order to narrow down the search even further, make sure type in a price range for the car that you want to buy.

Step 2: Communicate With Seller

Remember to ask all questions to the seller before going to test-drive the vehicle. Some applicable questions to ask the seller are:

~~ Whether the car has been in an accident
~~ Cost of maintenance
~~ Previous owners
~~ Any problems that you should know about

Also, if possible, ask the seller whether or not you can take the vehicle to a mechanic to get it checked out. A buyer that has nothing to hide will gladly allow you to take the vehicle to get a thorough inspection. Also, make sure you get as many pictures as possible as this will give you a general idea of the overall condition of the car.