Ca Craigslist Cars (2024)

FAQs

How effective is Craigslist for selling cars? ›

Getting your inventory listed on Craigslist is one of the most profitable ways to advertise your cars. It's proven that car buyers on Craigslist tend to convert much quicker than on any other classifieds. The conversion rate on Craigslist can be as high as 10%, and that's huge.

Negotiate the price

To negotiate the car price, start by offering 15% below the asking price or the KBB value, whichever is lower. If an inspection reveals a problem, ask the seller to deduct the cost of repairs from the car's price. Lowballing the seller — asking for more than 30% off — could leave you empty-handed.

Always read and understand your purchase contract. Carefully review the vehicle's price, fees, and finance charges. Don't sign anything you don't understand. Make sure you understand the manufacturer's warranty or any extended warranties offered by the dealer at extra cost.

Avoid adding any personal information in the posting, including your name, real phone number or real email address. Always use the generated email address on your Craigslist posts. This creates a random email address, so the poster doesn't have your real email on file.

Craigslist has a spot to routinely list the VIN on ads for this reason. Repeat used car buyers look askance at sellers who won't provide the VIN. There really is nothing a buyer can do with the VIN to cause the seller harm.

Rule 2 of how to negotiate on Craigslist is to get them on the phone. Haggling works best when both parties respect each other as people. Unfortunately, email makes it very easy to be perceived as just text on a screen, reducing your ability to connect and close deals.

Make a realistic offer, but one that's also bold enough to anchor the negotiation to a lower point. A savings of 5% or so below the market value (not the price they are asking) is a reasonable starting point for negotiations. Another way to look at it is to do about 15% to 25% below the maximum you're willing to pay.

Look at the current market value price and set your opening offer lower, but still in the ballpark of what the dealer might accept. If you know that the current market value of the car is $25,000, offer below that, perhaps $23,000.

To gift someone a vehicle, you must transfer the vehicle title to their name and create a bill of sale. Selling a vehicle for $1 instead of gifting it could result in your recipient paying sales tax based on the car's fair market value — it's better to stick with the official gifting process.

What to do before selling a car in California? ›

What is considered high mileage on a car? Often, 100,000 miles is considered a cut-off point for used cars because older vehicles often start requiring more expensive and frequent maintenance when mileage exceeds 100,000.

“The biggest mistake people make is if they go in and say 'I can afford $600 a month. '” Rather than laying out how much money you're open to spending on your car payment, you should instead determine what the dealership is willing to sell you the car for. “That's the first thing,” he said.

When negotiating, it helps to be able to justify what you're asking for, he adds: “Instead of saying, 'I want to pay this,' try something like: 'I've looked at five or six different cars that are similar to yours in the market. The price range goes from $19,500 to $20,700. I'm comfortable making an offer of $19,100. '”

Yes, you can negotiate on the price of a car. However, it helps to do your research on the vehicle's fair market value and out-the-door price beforehand so that you know how much room you have to haggle.

Dealer mark-ups and demand in your local market can influence the car price you see at the dealership. However, you can always try to negotiate a lower base price, and you should. Some dealerships won't budge. Some even market themselves as no-haggle dealerships, meaning they don't negotiate the sticker price at all.