Buying Used Cars on Craigslist - Important Questions to Ask

Craigslist.org is an online classified website that iscar in person too. All car sellers will take steps to clean
mostly known for the buying, selling, and trading ofup their cars, but you can know what to expect. Just
things locally. One of those items includes used cars. Ifbecause a car was driven 2 hours to and from work
you are looking for a good deal on a quality, yeteveryday, it doesn't mean that it is a bad car, but it
affordable used car, you should checkout the website.may have more signs of wear and tear.
But what questions should you ask sellers beforeQuestion: Can I see the car?
agreeing to make a purchase?The answer to this question should always be yes.
Question: Does the car need any upgrades or repairs?Even if you only spend $500 on a used vehicle, it is still
This question is important because a seller is onlymoney. A vehicle is an important purchase. Be
thinking about getting their car to sell when listing it oncautious of a seller who won't let you see the car
Craigslist.org. They don't want to send interestedbefore agreeing to buy it. If you are unfamiliar with
buyers running with an overload of information, so theycars, take someone along with you who is to look
tend to leave the bad stuff out. That is why youunder the hood. Take the car, van, truck, or jeep for a
should ask.test drive.
Question: When was the car last repaired and whatQuestion: Are you willing to accept X amount of
was fixed or upgraded?dollars less?
Once again, most Craigslist sellers are focused solelyBuying a car from Craigslist is different than buying a
on getting their cars to sell. Many mistakenly believeused car at a local dealership, but some practices
that highlighting recent repairs would leave you to thinkshould still stay the same. You are likely to haggle for a
it is a poor quality car, but upgrades and repairs canlower price at a dealership, so do the same here. The
work in their favor. You may be more willing to buy aworst that will happen is that the seller will say no.
used car from Craigslist that just had new brakes putEven if you can get them to lower the price by $100,
on, just got new tires, or one that recently underwentthat is still $100 more in your pocket.
an oil change. After all, this is less money you need toThe above mentioned questions are just a few of the
invest in the vehicle.many that you will want to ask when buying a new
Question: What was the car used for?car. To search for a car with ease, download a
This question and the answer can give you greatCraigslist search tool. In fact, some tools also enable
insight into the overall condition of a vehicle. Of course,you to search too. EBay is another popular website
it is also important to ask for pictures and to see thewhere cars are bought and sold.