How to Buy a Car on Craigslist

With newer modern technologies, it has become possible to do many things from your home that were not possible 30 years ago. Buying a vehicle is one of them. There are many ways to find vehicles online, but many people don't want to spend the money at a car dealership after seeing what they like online. Luckily, the popular website Craigslist has a section specifically designed to for people looking to buy a vehicle. Knowing how to use Craigslist to get a reliable vehicle is pertinent if shopping for a car online.

Things You'll Need

• Computer
• Internet access
• Personal mechanic

Instructions

Buy a Car on Craigslist

1. Start by opening your Internet browser. Once it has loaded, type www.craigslist.com into the address bar. Craigslist can be reached by simply clicking "Craigslist" below.

2. Look on the page that pops up for your location. The page should have various cities, states, countries and even continents listed. If not in America, click on your region. If in America, look under "US Cities," which is on the left side. If you do not live in one of listed cities, you'll have to go under "United States" and click on your state. If your city was listed, then continue to Step 4. If not, go to Step 3.

3. Search on the page that pops up after clicking your state for the name of your city. Usually only the larger cities in a state will be listed. If you see your city, click it. If not, click the city that is closest to you.

4. View the page that pops up after selecting a city. The address in the bar should be something like "yourcity".craigslist.org. There will be numerous categories listed under the city. Look under the "For Sale" category and click on "Cars+Trucks".

5. Look through the page that pops up after clicking the cars and trucks link. There will usually be numerous choices. All of the choices should explain what type of car it is and how much it costs. If you see something you like, click on the link and it will take you to the page the seller made for the vehicle. Many will have "img" or "pic" written in yellow next to the ad on the main cars and trucks page. This means the ad has a picture of the vehicle.

6. Watch out for certain links if you are trying to buy a car without payments. Many car dealerships will try to put up credit offers for vehicles.

7. Click the link to email the seller if you like what you see. You can also copy and paste the email address into your email client and email them from there. You will want to ask the seller whether there are any issues with the car that were not mentioned in the ad. Also ask for the VIN number if you want to look up the history of the car on Carfax (Carfax website below). Carfax will charge a fee for the vehicle's history, but this is often cheaper than buying a lemon.

8. Arrange a time to meet the person and see the car if you are still interested. Ask the seller if you can bring your personal mechanic with you (or at least someone who is knowledgable about cars). If the seller says no, this should be a red flag for you.

9. Ask your mechanic to accompany you to see the car. Allow the mechanic to check it out. If you are satisfied with the vehicle, you can buy it. Do not forget to get insurance as soon as possible.

Tips & Warnings

• It is always safest to have your mechanic check out a car before buying it, especially when you found the car over the Internet and not at a car dealership. There is often not a lot you can do if you buy a lemon.

Resources

• Craigslist
• Carfax