Craigslist car buying safety tips

[duke62]

My son passed his road test now the fun of finding a car for him begins. We looked at a few dealers and the prices are unreal especially for a kids first car. I was thinking of CL but heard bad stories about doing it this way. Looking for safety tips to shop CL

 

[cmantis]

I would find a mechanic you trust and pay a bit to have the car(s) inspected.

 

[duke62]

That's a given cmantis planning on finding a mechanic in the persons area to take it right to if he finds something he likes. I'm talking rip offs and personal safety tips

 

[SALTCREEP]

run that vin number before buying

 

[crox99]

Did you look at Autotrader.com?

 

[Loose tenticle]

If he/she sounds too eager to get rid of the car at a too low of a price the same day, theres a problem. Be weary of the sob stories they use to coherse you in to making a quick decision. Do not make any deposits with hout first seeing the car. Theres quite a few scams out there google it and youll see. good luck

 

[bscpaint]

My friend sells cars on craigslist and eBay all the time, he is legitimate but there are a lot of scammers out there too my friend is an actual dealer and he buys insurance fraud cars and cars that something happen to at a dealership that they can't be sold as new anymore, for a first car you won't be able to beat the price you can get some of these cars for and they are perfect!. Every car I drive came from him, not only me but, my fiancee, her sister, brother, my partner at work and 3 other guys from my job, and a bunch of friends all buy from him. They have a rebuilt title but no one will ever know that unless you tell them. My neighbors all think im rich with the cars that I'm driving but none of them know I paid 1/2 price for them. If you want I'll give you his number. Actually here's an example of a car I bought from him and I used for 6 months and now I'm reselling it http://newyork.craigslist.org/que/cto/4954312901.html Obviously this would not be the kind of car you are looking for but it's just an example. Fyi that car was $60,000 at the dealership!!

 

[albano]

Actually here's an example of a car I bought from him and I used for 6 months and now I'm reselling it http://newyork.craigslist.org/que/cto/4954312901.html

You're probably leaving yourself open to legal problems, for not posting in your ad that the car has a 'rebuilt/salvage' title.

 

[STORM]

Definitely do not use cash and have them give you some sort of proof of purchase stating the vehicle is in perfect driving and emissions condition, sometimes if theres a problem with the car you can do a temporary fix it just to sell it and or reset the check engine light and could take a few days to come back on, and def get a carfax, happy car shopping.

 

[Snook]

Bring a mechanic or let them take you to one for sure. Have heard a bunch of bad stories. There are good ones for sale on it. I sold a car a a family member sold two bikes on it so it does work.

 

[edd]

My friend sells cars on craigslist and eBay all the time, he is legitimate but there are a lot of scammers out there too my friend is an actual dealer and he buys insurance fraud cars and cars that something happen to at a dealership that they can't be sold as new anymore, for a first car you won't be able to beat the price you can get some of these cars for and they are perfect!. Every car I drive came from him, not only me but, my fiancee, her sister, brother, my partner at work and 3 other guys from my job, and a bunch of friends all buy from him. They have a rebuilt title but no one will ever know that unless you tell them. My neighbors all think im rich with the cars that I'm driving but none of them know I paid 1/2 price for them. If you want I'll give you his number. Actually here's an example of a car I bought from him and I used for 6 months and now I'm reselling it http://newyork.craigslist.org/que/cto/4954312901.html Obviously this would not be the kind of car you are looking for but it's just an example. Fyi that car was $60,000 at the dealership!!

if a car is totalled by an insurance company, it is issued a new title that say salvage title.
personally i wouldnt go near a salvage title or flood title.
if you do buy used make sure you have the comp scanned. many cl sellers clear the comp from fault codes. but it will come back on after the comp runs a ck of all censors.
if it was cleared the scanner will say not ready, so keep moving if it does.

 

[infinity1]

- always look for overspray under wheel well. Or under hood.
- look at the hood, door gaps, make sure gaps are the same on both sides.
- look under the rug in the trunk, look for weld marks.
- drive the car down a flat road and let go of the steering wheel and see if the car pulls to any side.
- as soon as you get to see the car, feel the hood. If the hood is warm like the car has been running, that's a big sign of something shady. Make sure the car is cold and not warmed up. You want to see the car start from a cold engine.
- open hood and look at cross member in front of radiator, make sure is straight, with no extra welds or paint.
- look at the windows and body panels. All original windows and panels will be stamped with the the manufacturers stamp . Ex. A Honda will have Honda stamps on inner quarter panel and windows.
- make sure all tires are matching.
- run all interior electricals ( radio, lights, horn, air conditioner, heat , interior lights).
- check oil dipstick for sludge.
- you can drive car to ur local pep boys and have the car, put on the scanner FOR FREE and it will tell you about any faulty sensors or engine issues.
- look at the engine bay for oil stuck like paste on block, or valve caps .
- listen for any knocks in the motor ( specially on a cold start)...
- most important carfax.

Good luck with ur purchase.

 

[Clink51]

i cannot stress the buddy system enough. When ever i purchase ANYTHING from craigslist, i always have someone there with me. i recommend bringing the mechanic AND a buddy with you.

 

[albano]

- most important carfax.

IMO/E a Carfax that shows 'problems' can be helpful, but a Carfax that shows no problems, is meaningless. Many things go unreported, and often people/dealers buy 'problem' cars with a clean Carfax, so as to resell for bigger profits.
I would say that it's important that you ask to see the "seller's" drivers license, registration and the car title...does the name and address match, are there legal license plates still on the car or are they 'jumping title' and reselling a car that they just bought.
(Asking about the license and title before you go to see the car, may save you the trip...if they say that they're selling for a friend or relative...you can still ask for their ID)

 

[edd]

also when you call, say your calling about the car for sale. if they ask what car, then hang up, its some back yard flipper.