Not really political but Craigslist for autos is beginning to look like scam city.

[Shardik]

I've started shopping for a "new" used car for my daughter for Xmas and went to craigslist in Atlanta and started perusing. I have never used them before but have heard many others sing its praises.

I saw a GREAT deal on a 2006 Mercedes C class and sent an email (wish I hadn't). Then I copied the VIN number and threw it into Google. What I found was interesting.

The same car was for sale in LA, Boston and Moscow as well as several other sold listings on other sites. It even sold on Ebay once.

Shit, I hate it when the "too good to be true" deals are too good to be true.

Anyway, just a heads up to others. CraigsList is rife with scammers.

[tridim]

1. Same with the motorcycles, I've been shopping for months..

and it's always a challenge to weed out the spam and scam. Mostly it's the commercial spam that pisses me off.

Still, thank gawd for Craigslist.

[hendo]

2. thats why you always meet someone

in person to conduct a transaction over Craigslist.

Out of curiosity, how did you get the VIN from the person selling the car?

[Shardik]

3. It was posted in their listing

as it was in many others according to Googlemeister.

[Double T]

4. Too good to be true always is.

[liberalhistorian]

5. Hell, 80% of Craigslist

is just a giant scam.

[Luminous Animal]

21. I find that sentiment odd...

I've bought practically everything I own that is not clothing on Craigslist... furniture, appliances, computers, car... I've probably saved 20-30 thousand dollars over the years buying quality stuff damn cheap. Maybe it depends on what city you live. I've run into a few scams but they've got the handy alert feature and it works really well.

[SmileyRose]

6. Why not? Craigslist for everything else is scam city. Which pisses me off no end.

What started with so much promise for people to shed their used stuff has turned into the worst pile of hog snot ever. If the worst thing that happens to you is that someone makes an appointment and doesn't show, or gives you an address that turns out to be a Taco Bell way across town - well consider yourself lucky.

[deadmessengers]

7. You think that's bad, try selling one there

A few months ago, I was trying to get rid of a working but un-needed car that I have. I put an ad on Craigslist, and a full three quarters of the responses I got were from people saying they were African, who wanted to send me a check much larger than what I was asking and have me wire them back the difference. The other quarter of the responses I got were from people who didn't have any money or apparently couldn't read the ad in the first place, asking questions that were pretty tough to miss in the text or photos of the ad.

Needless to say, I still have the car, and I'm unloading it in a lot easier way: I'm bartering it with a handyman who does some work for me - he gets the car in exchange for the labor replacing the front door and a couple of windows in my house next week.

[Shardik]

8. OMG!!! Here's the reply to my inquiry (Must be related to the Nigerian Scammers)

Hello,
You made the right choice! My 2006 Mercedes-Benz C-Class is in great shape,no engine problems,damages or hidden defects. I`m a single mother with 2 children because i divorced with my husband and after the divorce i own this car,i don`t need it and that`s why i`m selling it so cheap. The price is $4,900. We will use eBay`s protection program for our safety. I just need your full name and address so i can open a case. (with no further obligation or fees).
Have a nice day!
P.S : Please don't forget to send your full name and shipping address if you are interested to buy.

I'm going to send her a fake name and address to see what happens next...

This is getting fun.

[hendo]

16. she wants your address because?

she wants to mail you the car?

[Shardik]

17. Well, the emails stopped coming when I asked for an address. n/t

[foo_bar]

20. the scary part is it works

I got caught squarely in this exact fraud regardig a 2004 Honda CRV for $2,890. I told myself over and over again “if its too good to be true, it is”, but then rationalized each concern because of wanting that great deal. <...>

“Hi,
you made the right choice! my boat is in great shape,no engine problems,damages or hidden defects. It was always garaged and never kept outside. I`m a single mother with 2 children because i divorced with my husband and after the divorce i own this boat,i don`t need it and that`s why i`m selling it so cheap.The price is 6500$.we will use eBay`s protection program for our safety. I just need your full name and address so i can open a case. (with no further obligation or fees).” <...>

I admit,I got scammed. My work schedaul makes it hard to have alot of time to check things out,stupid,stupid,stupid. Found a 2006 Honda Rebel on Craigslist. <...>

hi everyone. unfortunatly i came to this site too late. i think i have been scammed by this alex guy. these stories look familiar. i made a payment about 2 weeks ago and he said the car would take 10 days to ship. <...>

I just got scammed with this shit…i think that the same person is probbaly doing all the scamming because all the emails say the same thing!. most of them are from a “SGT.” and most of them end with BEST REGARDS! <...>

I just got scammed by [e-mail] for a 2007 Mercedes Benz CLK350 with 12,000 miles. I just got screwed out of $16,000!!! <...>

http://www.tacticaltechnique.com/vehicle-classifieds/ebay-vehicle-protection-program-scam/

[tammywammy]

9. My advice (and I work for a dealership)

Look at the local dealership's websites. Any price you find online is going to be the best price. But still! Email their internet dept. Internet departments are for quantity (not gross), so they'll give you the best price too.

Also, in my experience any car on Autotrader or Cars.com are the best price that the dealership has for that car. Sure you can get a little more off the asking, but it's mostly at the cost price.

[Shardik]

11. Thanks.

My daughter lives in a different state and I have no idea what dealerships are in her locale. Any suggestions on how to find them?

[tammywammy]

13. Well

If you're looking for a specific brand do a google of "Honda, CITY."

Honestly, from my experience whatever the internet department offers is the BEST offer coming out of a dealership, most especially for used cars.

You might also look into the demos for cars. For instance if you're looking for a Volkswagen Jetta (super safe!) you can look at a VW dealership for when their demos are up. A demo you know has gotten all maintenance, and you still get the standard warranty, it'll be a 2008 or 2009 and will be a whole lot cheaper than a model off the lot.

[Whoa_Nelly]

14. You can enter her zip code, and choose within "x" miles

At least, on edmunds.com you can.

I like Edmunds.
You can shop for certified cars so yo are guaranteed not to get a lemon or scam, and they use CarFax to check things out.

[StClone]

10. Very Similar story

My daughter is looking for a car in the area. Craigslist had a 2001 Honda Accord "Hot rodded" excellent shape with many extras and 79K miles for only $3,900! Scam as it was flagged, de-listed then a very similar ad popped up on Craig's the next day.

[InvisibleTouch]

12. Problem with CraigsList is that it has no feedback system.

Sure, it's free, but you get what you pay for. While I've sold some things, they've been more aggravation than they were worth; for every person who shows up and buys an item, five more say they'll be there but never appear and never e-mail me back; others will inquire and then never reply to my answer, even to give me a "sorry, no longer interested."

Unlike with Ebay (which has its own set of problems), there's no feedback system, so you have no way of knowing if the person you're dealing with has a history of being honest or dishonest. Ebay by now is too closely regulated, too restrained and restricted, and far too expensive. But CraigsList is the opposite end of the spectrum - no oversight whatsoever. Between the two of them, I prefer Ebay.

[hendo]

15. craigslist is all anon

protecting privacy and all that.

However, you should never buy something on Craigslist without meeting the person you are buying it from.

[Luminous Animal]

22. The best way to sell things on CraigsList

is to have an "appointment" time. That is, if I get any emails, I'll tell any or all interested parties that I will be available on Sunday from 2-4. Then, whoever shows up first and wants it, gets it. The best thing about this is that after my response usually someone will offer to be at my door in 15 minutes to take it off my hands.

[InvisibleTouch]

25. Ah, now THAT'S a good idea!

I will try that next time. I refuse to play phone tag with these people; one of the big reasons I went into internet sales for a living is so I wouldn't have to use the phone (silly personal phobia). I figure if someone has access to the net in order to contact me via my listing, they also have access to the net to set up a pick-up time by e-mail.

Anyway, thanks for the tip! Might make my life a whole lot easier.

[cemaphonic]

18. Unless you are really nonchalant about buying a car, you should be able to cut through any scams.

Check the vin against Carfax - arrange for a test drive and mechanic's inspection - make sure the title is clear before handing over any money.

If you do these three things, a scammer would have to be pretty creative to cheat you.

The scammy things I've noticed both on Craigslist and sites like Autotrader, and even the sites that individual dealers maintain (I just bought a car a few weeks ago) is that a lot of dealers will leave an especially good-looking deal up for weeks or months after the car has been sold, presumably to attract people to look at their other cars.

I had one dealer even tell me that a car was still on their lot the day before I was going to go look at it. It showed up a few days later in my Carfax search history as having been sold almost a month before.

[madrchsod]

19. i spent a week doing nothing but alerting scammers

on the craigslists around where i live...it`s like shooting fish in a barrel

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

23. I had 4/4 scammers

I went looking for a used car after my beloved old Toyota got half-destroyed in a freak accident (don't park next to dumpsters on wheels).

I contacted four people selling 2004 or later Honda Civics or Accords

Seller #1: Was out of town but if I sent him a deposit by Western Union he would hold it for me, I replied about two hours after it was posted.
Seller #2: Seemed to be on some sort of VOIP connection and didn't know the basic geography of Southern California. I hung up before he asked for money.
Seller #3: Was looking for a quick sale because he was about to leave town and if I wasn't bringing cash not to waste his time.
Seller #4: Wanted me to meet her and her boyfriend in Baja, and naturally I should bring cash.

I suspect only Seller #3 actually had a car to sell of perhaps questionable origin, because he did e-mail me some photos taken exactly where he said he lived. But the claim that he was selling and had to sell fast because he was going back to Vietnam to take care of his dying parents was just a little too contrived. I suspect Seller #4 would have put me in a shallow grave. While #1 and #2 were just the usual send me money scammers.

[Greyhound]

24. Flag it. There is a link in the upper right corner of the page. n/t

[sarcasmo]

26. Most of the jobs in the job section on Craigslist are spammers trying to get your information.

[applegrove]

27. My brother put up an ad for a used washer & dryer on craigslist.. he was giving

them away for free...and by the next day they were gone. Craig's list is an amazing convenience.