I really enjoy wheeler dealers but the only reason they get a “profit” is because they value Ed’s labor, shop and tool investment and overhead at …nothing.
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Yeah what could go wrong? Invalid cashiers check, phony cash, stolen vehicle with phony title, couple guys with guns decide to just take your cash, and so on. In Minneapolis/St. Paul there have been several shootings and killings related to Craigslist transactions. The car really would be lower on my list of concerns.
I dunno, anytime I’ve bought or sold a car, the last thing I want to do is go through another transaction for at least several years. In Minnesota, selling 5 cars a year or more makes you a dealer and requires a license. Assume other states have similar.
Edd makes a lot of money. He is a producer on the show.
I think the idea of the show is to illustrate that a DIY mechanic can buy a vehicle and fix it for his own use at a reasonable price. After he is done with it, he can sell it on without losing his shirt.
I haven’t seen that many episodes, but I like the one where they were working on the 240Z, and dropped in a later 5 speed gearbox, versus the automatic, and had the worn out cam built up and reground at a machine shop
I’ve actually seen those guys on 2 different shows . . . one apparently filmed in England, and the other perhaps in California
On the English show, there were those episodes I mentioned, where they actually lost money, when it came time to selling the car
Of course, the shows will have been heavily edited, so I doubt we’ll know the full story
I also appreciate that Edd uses some rather interesting methods of getting the work done, methods which seem to be more geared to DIY guys, in some cases. There’s sometimes more than one way to get a job done. And I seem to remember him very obviously using craftsman tools, which would make it more relevant, for a DIY guy
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Here are some tips that will assist you to buy that:-
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Hone your search
Craigslist allows users to configure their search results to include dealers, private sellers, or both. If a warranty, certified pre-owned status, or convenience is high on your list of priorities, you’ll want to restrict yourself to dealer listings, as there’s no reason to waste time scrolling through pages of clapped out Fox-body Mustangs and worn-out work trucks. On the other hand, if driving for two-hours to look at rust-ravaged, Vietnam-era forward control Jeep that “ran when parked” is your thing, you already know the drill: private sellers all the way. Still, the “both” setting can be handy when looking for a nice commuter car or winter beater, as sometimes dealers will offer such things, although that practice is becoming less common.If you know exactly which vehicle you want and how much you’re willing to pay, CL offers the option of plugging those criteria in right at the top of your search. Doing so will narrow the offerings accordingly, facilitating a focused search and a rational purchase with a minimum of drama. (To cast a wider net, you can also use one of the many sites that allow you to search every local Craigslist across the country.) Of course, one could argue that a life that doesn’t include at least one late-night back-alley transaction involving a sagging Ford Torino, small farm animals, and some class-C fireworks isn’t really a life worth living.
Size up the seller
It’s true you can’t judge a book by its cover, but the type contained within can be quite revealing. If an ad is composed in ALL CAPS and is accompanied by a couple of grainy images that resemble lo-res screengrabs from the Zapruder film, you’re probably in for a rough ride. Likewise, certain sellers like to spice up their ad with buzzwords and phrases like “air blows cold” and “stops on a dime,” which are actually thinly veiled code words for, “if [insert name of component or system in question] is still working when you buy it, it likely won’t be by the time you get the car home.” Bottom line: Judge the vehicle on it’s own merits and don’t believe the hype.
Call first
Get as much information about the vehicle as you can on the phone—and always ask if more photos are available or can be taken, especially of problem areas—and try to pick up on the seller’s character. Do they sound composed or sketchy? Engaged or disinterested? There’s nothing worse than carving an hour out of your busy schedule to drive across town only to be greeted by a seller who says, “Well, I was just kinda throwing out a feeler, not sure if I really want to sell it at this point.” Of course, if their voice is tinged with the languid drawl or hyper-intensity of a narcotics aficionado, there’s a good chance they’re looking for a quick sale—cash talks—so quit reading and start buying! We kid, of course.
The meet-up
As the buyer, it’s up to you to go to the seller. Meeting on common ground is always a good idea, and if the seller agrees, make arrangements to meet at a well-lit, mutually agreeable location, preferably one with lots of credible witnesses foot traffic. A local “cars and coffee” event is a good option, as is the parking lot of the local auto-parts store or speed shop. Of course, if the vehicle in question isn’t in running condition, you’ll have to visit the car where it sits.
A word about vans
Nothing is more creepy and suspicious than two or more guys loitering around an unmarked, windowless lockbox on wheels in a parking lot. (Especially if your meeting place is near a school or government facility.) We love vans, too, but discretion is advised.
Get an inspection
Be realistic. If the deal in question involves a decade-old pickup priced around $3K, it’s unreasonable to start bitching about surface rust or worn upholstery. Take it for spin, and thoroughly exercise the accelerator, brake, and, if applicable, clutch pedal and shifter. The steering and suspension will inevitably be looser than when new, but overt creaks, clicks, or clunks could indicate a potential safety issue. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a late-model daily driver for the wife to shuttle the kids around in—or you’re purchasing a classic—do yourself a favor and have it inspected by a reputable shop or expert in the make. A seller with nothing to hide will be more than agreeable.
Negotiate
Everything on Craigslist is negotiable. Even if a seller states that a price is firm, the very nature of Craigslist and its low, low price of free for the listings encourages ambitious pricing. Haggling as portrayed on television, however, where the seller caves after a tense 15-second negotiation and lets the car go for half of the asking price rarely happens in the real world. It’s OK to start low, but insulting a seller with an absurdly low number can quickly sour a deal. To score a good price while retaining a modicum of dignity, try asking the seller what their bottom dollar is, and then counter with an offer 15 to 20 percent below that figure; chances are you’ll be within 10 percent of the actual number the owner needs to get the deal done. Always negotiate in person; the only thing cheaper than talk is a tactless e-mail. One last thing: Seal the deal with a handshake, as the human element imparts an air of finality to the deal that only a true psychopath could ignore.
Make sure there’s a clean title
Talk is cheap, and when it comes to a missing or suspicious title, everyone has a story. Sorting out an unsound title or sourcing a duplicate is possible, but our experience proves it can be time-consuming and soul-crushing work. So unless the car in question is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, walk. You don’t need the hassle. If a bank or financing company still holds the title on a vehicle, ask the seller to make some calls to ensure everything is kosher, and that the title can be obtained and delivered without undue delay.
The exchange
When it comes time to trade green for pink, you can’t find a better location than your personal bank. In addition to being the home turf for your money, banks generally have a notary public on staff who can witness signatures and emboss the bill of sale or other paperwork with their all-important official seal. Building a sound paper trail is a great way to protect yourself in any transaction, so don’t be afraid to ask the seller to take a certified check if the selling price is more than a couple of grand.
The road home
At this point, the vehicle in question is yours. Unless spelled out in writing beforehand, the seller has every reason to expect you’ll be removing it from his property pronto. Suddenly announcing that you need to, “get my El Camino running first—to make room,” is of little concern to the seller. If your new vehicle needs to be towed, have arrangements in place; if it’s a driver, buy a pal lunch and have him drop you off. Before you leave, double check to make sure you have everything: the manuals, the spares, and the loose interior bits from that box that was in the trunk. Once the previous owner has your cash, they’ll have little incentive to track you down to hand off anything you forgot.
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Like I said, who in the world would want to go through all this on a regular basis? I’m a bit of a masochist but I really just prefer dealers where no police need to be involved.
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Another benefit to buying from a dealer, FWIW . . .
The dealer . . . used car and new car . . . will only sell a car that has a fresh smog
Sure beats buying a car from some stranger, and then you try to smog it the next day, and it fails for some reason. Now the situation could get ugly
I’m in California, and I don’t know if a used car dealer in other states is allowed to sell cars without a fresh smog, or ones that undoubtedly will fail, for various reasons
Old thread ? Well, maybe this will help someone. I used AutoTrader for a sale and 40 bucks and 2 weeks later only auto dealers would reply to my ad.
When I put it on Craigslist, the 2003 Infiniti G35 coupe sold in 4 days, and to a someone only a few miles away. After he inspected and drove the car, we headed to his Credit Union to make the sale official. He seemed to know cars pretty well but really liked the fact I had complete service records and receipts for all work performed.
Trade-ins are a ripoff, unless you have a vehicle that needs a fair amount of work, then the difference becomes small against selling to a private party.
i have not bought a used car from a private party since I was going to school, had a low paying job, and wanted to see how far I could stretch $400. ,I would certainly follow sushantsingh’s points in his reply.
I’ve never worried about being robbed, beat up, or my car stolen at a dealer, plus I can write a check. The thing is in this country, time and effort is money so offering less money on a trade in by a dealer, provides the cushion for the work they need to do to sell it again, or carry it on the lot. Just because someone charges for a service, doesn’t make it a rip off. A rip off might be a private party sale with no warranty where the guy is trying to sell it for more money than a dealer would give him.
You make some excellent points. But I never worried about being beat up or having my car stolen. it’s not rocket science. Learn something about the prospective buyer, even over the phone. How he intends to pay, etc.
Have all the paperwork necessary showing maintenance records, etc.
There are many guides on how to sell a car privately.
Mostly, it is just common sense.
There are cases where you have an older car less desirable car, you would just as well sell to a dealer, or trade in. In those cases it is a great convenience.
Often when a trade in becomes part of a purchase more numbers get shoved around. You only have to go to KBB.com to see the difference in selling privately vs. a trade-in are quite significant, depending on make and model. That may be the best place to start in selecting the option that works best for you.
None of this is intended to besmirch dealers in anyway. Most dealerships are honest and just trying to make a living. That alone does not mean an owner should not try to earn some of his hard earned money back. In many cases you can sell to people you know…friends, family, neighbors, relatives, etc. it happens all the time.
I haven’t found the kbb “numbers” to be terribly accurate
I’ve sold 4 trucks on Craigslist. I bought one truck off Craigslist. It turned out to have a cracked frame, poorly repaired, from a previous accident. Selling on Craigslist is a pain. Even if you are asking less than anyone else for a comparable vehicle, buyers expect you to come off of the price. I can almost sympathize with dealers. Almost.
I’ve looked at a ton of trucks on Craigslist to buy, but they were all junk. Even the 1 I bought (I missed the frame repair, other than that glaring imperfection, it was an ok truck). Most of these trucks were weekend beaters, less than $5k. I did look at a newer truck, a 2014. I asked if I could take it my shop (at my home, 15 miles from where we met) and the lady freaked out and said I couldn’t even drive it without her husband present. So I thanked her for her time and passed.
I’m not a thug, but I always carried a gun (concealed) when buying or selling on Craigslist. You never know what kind of people you’re dealing with. I felt better being prepared. If you’re carrying cash like I was, someone could crack you on the head and take your money pretty quick.
I’m sure there are good vehicles on Craigslist though. Dealing with the owner of a vehicle is possibly worse than dealing with the “what would you like your payment to be?” salesmen. It would have to be a pretty sweet deal to tempt me into looking at a vehicle on Craigslist again.
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depends on your experience, a co-worker has bought several vehicles from craigslist in the last few years, bought a mazda 3 as his daily driver from a very honest young woman who met him at a neutral public space for a couple thousand less than a dealer would charge. His 92 F150 that was found on craigslist is cosmetically a little rough but as a weekend beater for $1,000 it does the job.
I check Craigslist sometimes and there are some that keep the stereotype alive and others that are worth a closer look.
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I see more and more ads with the single picture of an awesome looking vehicle with a title that says something silly like “just passed smog inspection” (I’m not sure how far I’d have to drive to find an area where smog checks are required). Generally it’s a low price that’s also an odd number like “$1032”. Who has an oddball asking price like that? Some sort of scam, although I’m not sure how they intend to scam you. I’ve always wondered…
There was one awhile back that looked suspiciously cheap for a Chevy truck with Quadrasteer, the ad included something to the effect of “just bought it but the seller won’t give me the title”. And people wonder how the site gets such a bad reputation.
It’s true that the scam artists, dishonest sellers, pimps, and hookers have given Craigslist a tainted name, but I find that unfortunate. Craigslist itself tries to weed some of these out, but it’s those people in the above categories themselves that should suffer the bad names… not Craigslist.
Re: cars & trucks, people use CL to dump junk that they’re unable to dump locally because it has serious problems. I’m sure many were even rejected by dealers as trades. I’d bet that no more than 5% of the vehicles on CL are as they’re described… or even close.
We bought a craigslist car for my mom a few years ago.
The seller was very savvy. He met us in the outdoor parking lot of a very busy shopping mall. Sunny day, and lots of people moving around.
After we agreed on a price, we headed to HIS bank to complete the transaction.
He didn’t trust anybody, and he explained that he’d gotten burnt a few times, conducting business via craigslist
I can’t blame him. You have to protect yourself.
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I sold multiple cars via craigslsit, never had any issues.
Usual care should be taken against scammers, but observing some common sense rules, it is relatively safe.
I’ve never bought any car off craigslist myself, mostly since I was nto able to find what I was looking for.
That’s pretty much the same experience with my co-worker buying the Mazda 3, public lot at roughly the halfway point between the seller and buyer. It can be frustrating to try to sell a used car yourself these days, at least compared to the 2 line newspaper ads that have largely gone away you can give prospective buyers more information before they even pick up the phone. Neighbors tried to sell their truck a few years ago in the local paper and ended up keeping it after a rash of “wrong engine,wrong cab,too many miles” phone calls. Canceled the ad and went about putting even more miles on the truck without hesitation.
Need an SUV, that is why I am selling it says the seller, REALLY? Maybe it is the light but the rear quarter panel seems a little different in color, a bit pricey, maybe $1400 would steal the deal
I replace the suspension for KONI srtr orange struts and it’s lowered all around 1.5" with vogtland springs… very good with out sacrificed the ride quality.
NOT TODAY FOR $2900
https://racine.craigslist.org/cto/d/honda-civic-ex/6420168558.html