Where do you find your cars?

We all search for cars, but where? With the breadth of knowledge and regions covered we all don't only search Craigslist.

So what say you GRM, where do you find your next ride?

I've bought 3 cars from forum members that I found in the classified sections on here

I've bought 2 cars ('13 Flex and '06 Mazda6) off of cars.com

I've bought one (NB) off of Craig'slist

The rest have been forums, friends and seeing them on lots

Craigslist

Autotrader

Local used stealerships bargain row section

Local paper

In reply to BlueInGreen44:

I came across the bill of sale for the Stincoln today while organizing my "important stuff" drawer. Made me smile.

I do the following:

• Kijiji (in Canada - way better than CL IMO)
• Classifieds of enthusiasts boards (find that many of these have way over-priced cars though)
• Classifieds on General Forums (Racing, GRM, etc.)
• I "lurk" all the local car lots for cars that are sitting high in the front (engine out) for project cars. Many people blow motors, have them towed and won't pay to fix.

My job has me driving all over the city so most of my finds are noticing what I call unloved vehicles sitting back yards.

The last one I bought was sitting on the side of the road. Most of them come off Craigslist, but most of those are from out of town. Charleston SC prices are 20% higher than the surrounding areas.

Word of mouth, too. Let people know that you're really looking.

Of my last 8 (in the last 4 years): 3 from Craigslist, 3 from forums (2 from GRM!), 1 from family, and 1 from a dealer. I've been pretty lucky with CL but I think that the best deals are through forums, for me.

My most recent purchases over the past 4 years:

1) Local CL
2) Local CL
3) Made aware of via FB but bought through Ebay
4) GovDeals.com, local
5) Local CL
6) GRM
7) Made aware via NICO Forum but bought at dealer only salvage auction via broker
8) Another dealer auction via broker
9) Non local CL and had it shipped in
10) GRM

Sold:
1) local CL, sold in less than a week
2) local CL, sold in less than a week
3) GRM, sold on second day
4) inside sale to relative

Craigslist, eBay, and various forums- if you're looking for something specific, find the forum for it.

4-Family
7-Autotrader
17-Craigslist
4-Forums
7-Copart
1-Friend
1-Local paper classified add

I don't find cars......they find me.

Mostly CL, occasionally Autotrader and Cars.com. For cheap stuff, pretty much exclusively CL.

I found my 2013 Focus on Cargurus.com. These are used cars sold by dealers. It shows the days on the lot and the original asking price. Gives a chance to contact the dealer just before they send it to auction. One drawback is that it is limited to a 100 mile radius of a zip code, but that can be circumvented by using another zip code.

CarGurus.com

Where do you find your cars?

Usually right where I left them.

Here in van wert theres a pair of shady little car dealers you can find deals at if you know what your looking at. Ones more honest and better priced then the other. I also used facebook groups when i was flipping cars.

Huckleberry wrote:

Where do you find your cars?

Usually right where I left them.

Usually the case for me as well, with one very notable exception. Turned up three days later in a random person's driveway in the next county over. True story.

From my mechanic, customer ruined the transmission in their Outback and told him make an offer you can have it. Put in a used transmission and now it's my daily.

I recently discovered CarGurus. I guess it's sort of like Cars.com as they take ads from all over the place and bring them together, but they also compare the selling price to the market average and tell you if it's a good value or if it's overpriced, and by how much.

In knee high weeds, usually. (rimshot).

Mostly Craigslist, though I have seen a couple sitting for a while at a house or repair shop and stopped in to ask about them and wound up buying them.

I usually find "sitters". My weekend job has me driving around and I just look! Flat tires, expired inspection or license, dirty or unloved are my favorites. Next town over has ordinance days where they red tag cars and a friend sometimes tells me of interesting tagged cars.

I am amazed at how trivial problems will park a car. Bad ground cable, starter, CV axle, silly stuff!

Friends know my tastes and point stuff out all the time. So much so that I have a long list of "unpurchased inventory".

I look on Craigslist often but the last car I bought was one I noticed in the background, behind the Porsche, just peeking out from behind the barn!

Bruce

Dealer lots, Craigslist, parked in the neighborhood with "For Sale" signs on them, friends, and from customers.

Joe Gearin wrote: I don't find cars......they find me.

Does SWMBO agree with that?