WHY do almost all craigslist ads I see never mention what transmission said vehicle has? Is it because 98% of america drives automatics, and never considers sticks? That is a selling point to me, and I hate seeing ads that mention mileage, maintainance, condition, but not the transmission!
/rant.
because most craislist car ads don't mention alot of important things. Like the fact that the car doesn't come with the wheels it's sitting on and you'll need to bring your own. Like the fact that the entire floorpan is rusted out. Like the fact that when it says "new brakes" I don't expect to get there and see a box in the back of the car with all of the original braking system (hard lines, flex lines, m/c, calipers, etc) sitting in it, as well as a NEW box of cheapo brake pads....none of it actually installed on the car. Owner said "yeah those pads are brand new, you just have to put all the stuff back together".....
(and yes, all three of these were personally experienced by yours truly).
I hate ads that say something like:
With a little TLC, this car would be great. Needs: Engine, new paint, transmission and a wiring harness. Car also smells of smoke from fire damage.
some dealers rarely mention mileage or price... and you have to look through the pics to tell if it's manual or auto... call for details.... yea right, seee yaaaa
You find a low priced car, and if it looks to good to be true, it more than likely is! The car owes more in back fees than what its worth!!
... the same reason they keep flagging my ads for the private sale of a vehicle in "for sale by owner" just because I have it at the shop with me. They see the photos of the car in front of a business and flag it because they assume its a dealer.
berkeleying flags.
Yes, it's really funny how your legit ads tend to get flagged, but the effing scammers plaster the place...
I want, at a minimum:
* Miles
* Auto or manual
* Clear title?
* If there are no pictures, and it was available in more than one body style, whether it's a 2-door, 4-door, or wagon.
I have sent half a dozen emails in the last month just asking "manual or auto? wagon or sedan?"
I'm willing to bet 90% of the flagging of legit private ads is done by sleazeball dealers trying to get "competing" ads removed.
BoxheadTim wrote:Yes, it's really funny how your legit ads tend to get flagged, but the effing scammers plaster the place...
The scammers flag the legit ads. 
I would bet that your average 18-34 yr old Craigslist user is only vaguely aware of the existence of cars with three pedals and a shifter that moves along two dimensions rather than just one. Why would they go out of their way to point out that the car is an automatic when they have never been inside a car with a stick?
The flip side of this; have you ever tried to sell a car that isn't sporty looking with a stick? When I put my 5 spd. Contour up for sale every person I explained the concept of a manual transmission to hung up on me. Maybe if I'd excluded that little detail from the ad I could have conned somebody into buying it after they showed up and found out it was a manual.
In reply to deveous9:
What?
Wow. I've got cash money in pocket. I contact five sellers: two corvairs, one e30 and two refrigerators. I get one response about a refrigerator, and the e30 seller relists his car at a higher price. Not a peep otherwise.
WTF?!
I think that two things are going on. First, a critical mass has been reached where most people are so sick of Craigslist flakes that they become flaky themselves. Secondly, it's a reflection of the general loss of manners in our society, and my region in particular. 25 years ago in Ohio I'd throw a party and 95 percent of the invitees would show up, and the other 5 percent would apoligize personally. Now in California I can't even get a "sorry it's sold" or "I'll take calls this weekend".
grrrrrrr!
Pretty much all the previous posts could have been written by me, as I also think folks are clueless when it comes to selling cars. I saw a '76 Camaro on CL yesterday, that looked like a refugee from the scrapyard. After listing most/all? the things wrong or that would need to be replaced/fixed to get this car rolling...the seller concluded by saying "...that basically, it just needs some cosmetic TLC". At the very least, the car needed a paint job as it looked like it had been towed UPSIDE DOWN along 10 miles of bad road.
I believe CL reached maximum efficiency a few years ago and has been declining since.
I'm waiting for the next popular classifieds system to show up.
But it is fun to look at.
In reply to BoostedBrandon:
Heck, if it's a car where a manual is a rarity, say, a Cayenne, Grand Cherokee or a C-class, you'll find that most sellers just don't know what they have. On sites that track this sort of information, (like eBay or Autotrader) most of the cars listed as manual-equipped are automatics.
This is why I am glad kijiji is the top dog here. There is a drop down box for sellers to list the transmission type and most due. Even better you can filter by transmission type. Of course you still get useless sellers.
CL has become a waste of time. Sellers can't spell or return emails. Buyers offer a fraction of asking without even looking at the car.
My new rules are no response to buyers unless they want to set up an appointment and buyers have 24 hours to answer an email. Otherwise just forget it.
