Need a new vehicle - considering Ebay and Craigslist - wwys?

[sheryl]

Our 11 year old van did not pass inspection. I posted this same question to my local homeschooling group, but am posting here too!

 

We will need to replace and prefer a pre-owned SUV. I like to sit up/higher - feel safer since I can more easily see and most of the other vehicles on our roads are SO.BIG!

 

I'm trying to think outside the box and buying a good, pre-owned SUV and thought of looking on Ebay and Craigslist.

 

Have any of you bought on either? What was your experience? Good. Bad. Why. Was it a good transaction? Was it a good buy - does the car work well? Have there been any issues? If so, major or minor and list.

 

Please be detailed.

 

Thanks.

[TravelingChris]

Make sure you check out the car/van with a mechanic before you agree to buy it.

[Excelsior! Academy]

Dh purchased a truck on eBay. It was a good experience.

[Dobela]

I have friends that have done both, and done well. I know a couple of people that have even flown out of state to pick up vehicles bomught that way. However, I am not sure I would do either unless I could actually see the car first and have a mechanic check it out.

 

I don't know why yours didn't pass inspection, but would it be cheaper to repair it rather than buy a new one?

[Kipling]

We bought our current car from a private owner. He had it listed on Craigslist and autotrader. I don't know which listing we saw first because we were checking both of those sites. It was a positive experience, and we've been happy with the vehicle.

[happypamama]

I bought my van via Craigslist and have been completely pleased with it. We bought our Focus several years ago from a dealer, and honestly, we've seen no differences between the vehicles, nor were the transactions any more complicated either way.

 

The only thing I would suggest is that you look heavily into recalls, because a private seller might not know about those. After I bought my van, I found out that there was a recall on it, a pretty major one, but I'm not sure the sellers knew about it; it wasn't obvious, and it did seem like the small issues could be attributed to a dying battery and the usual quirks of a ten-year-old vehicle. It wasn't until I started googling that I found the recall; I contacted the company, and they fixed it all under the recall, and the vehicle works just fine now. So that worked out quite well for me (and I absolutely feel that it was all divine intervention, no question), but I'd definitely do better homework about recalls in the future. (I'd done my homework in other areas, just not that particular one.)

[Erica in OR]

We found our used diesel SUV on craigslist a couple months ago. We were searching there, ebay, autotrader, and I think the edmunds site also had used car listings. I highly recommend once you find one that you plan to go see, do your homework on Kelly Blue Book and Edmunds to get values to use for negotiating. Many of the listings we saw seemed overpriced and we were able to negotiate with the private seller for a lower price based on showing them these calculated values.

 

Wanted to add that you can also pay for a Carfax on a vehicle. I think you just need the VIN #. It showed very well kept records on the vehicle we saw and frequent maintenance, along with one or two issues (a recall and a replacement of a part) that we asked the seller about.

 

Erica in OR

Edited August 16, 2012 by Erica in OR
Carfax info

[sheryl]

OK y'all, good advice duly noted. THANKS SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!

[BeckyFL]

Yes! Make SURE to get a Carfax even if you have to pay. Thank goodness we did that as some of the best deals had been in floods, were in major accidents or actually had salvage titles. We also had one that lied about the mileage. Also showed up on the Carfax when the mileage of the previous owner was listed.

[sheryl]

Thanks, Becky. Yours and everyone else's suggestions are great! Will compile a list of tips and go from there. This has been so helpful!

[Catwoman]

I would pay a little extra, and buy a vehicle from a reputable dealership. I would also spring for an extended factory warranty.

[Sparkle]

We bought our previous van on eBay, from a private party. He was in the same state, but at opposite ends, and he drove it to us and then flew home. It worked out fine. I checked the Carfax before I bought it, and he had lots of pictures posted, so I felt comfortable with it.

[Trish]

Bought a 3-year-old van on Ebay for about half what a new one would've cost. It had under 20K miles and it's still going strong 7 years later. It came with a guarantee, so if anything major had gone wrong we could've returned it within a certain timeframe. I would definitely do it again! But I'd want some sort of guarantee, wouldn't want to just "hope for the best."

[mom2att]

Our last 3 vehicles have been purchased off e-bay. Two of the three my dh flew out out state to check out, then purchased and drove them home. As long as you know what you are looking for, get a carfax, and are prepared to walk away even after traveling to view if the vehicle is not as listed or expected, you can get really great deals this way.

[gardenmom5]

we've bought two used cars off craigslist. just like buying one out of the want-ads in the newspaper. I've also sold a car on craigslist. we're happy with it. probably next time we buy a car, we'll do similar.

[Guest submarines]

We bought two vans from craiglist and had great experiences both times. I wouldn't want to buy from a dealer again.

[MIch elle]

Just sold our 11yo SUV on Craigslist. Yes, get a CARFAX!! Look at the Kelley Blue Book price online and ask LOTS of questions.

[sheryl]

Thanks y'all. Your responses have a common thread to them, and that makes it easier to understand and believe this may be the route to go. Will do as you all suggest with Kelly Blue Book, research, carmax, etc.