jimlikeschevys

I recently tried to sell my 2002 Vette. I purchased an 8 week, enhanced ad from Autotrader for 70 bucks with a Money Back guarantee.

After about 7.5 weeks, I sold the car via another avenue. The Autotrader ad generated ZERO interest if you don't count people trying to run a scam. I got many more inquiries from Craigslist.

I filled all paperwork with Autotrader to get a refund, since after the ad expired I still had no one interested in the car. However they denied paying me the refund because I had sold the car before end of the ad.

All communication goes thru Autotrader, so they would know if anyone had contacted me regarding the car. They know that my ad, did not lead to the sale of the car, but still they are refusing the refund.

My advice to anyone thinking about an Autotrader ad.... Save your money.

mclaugj

Thanks for the info. Very helpful......

bob guzzy

That is usually the case with those company's they promise you the world but will shaft you at the first chance.

I took out an ad with a local place that when the car sold you payed a fee, I sold my car the day before the paper came out through word of mouth, yet they still wanted their pound of flesh.

You get just as many eyes on your ad on CL, between word of mouth and CL I usually sell my cars, it's slow but it works.

5thgenvette

The print clearly states that it only refunds if the vehicle is not sold within the time period, not if the vehicle is not sold exclusively via our advertising. It's one of those pesky things where how it's worded can get you

rrwirsi

I never sold a car through AutoTrader but I did buy my 04 vert from a dealership advertising it in AutoTrader. No problems with buying

2003Evo

Craigslist is nothing but weirdos, scammers and occasionally serial killers. When i am looking for an expensive car or sports car I never use craigslist...actually found my Z through cars.com

maroman88

the cost is ridiculous and varies by your location. the only calls i ever got from autotrader when i tried to sell my C5 there was from companies that promised to sell my car for me.

fisher auto

Ain't this the true!

etekberg

Easy to call BS on this one. I sold 4 or 5 vehicles through craigslist.

bjones7131

I bought my vette on CL and listed and sold a friends car on CL just last week. No problems with CL for me, just be careful

DetroitPlac

A few years ago, I had a friend try to sell his car on Autotrader. He got no interest in it, and at the same time I had been trying to make contact with a different seller of another car on autotrader to no avail. I then attempted to contact my buddy through his ad on autotrader, and he never received any notification of the contact! I tried to e-mail and get his phone number, both didn't work. He called autotrader irate, and they promptly refunded his money. They said that they have "technical issues with browsers" from time to time that cause communication errors. My buddy sold his car two days later through a craigslist ad.

I've bought and sold all my used cars through craigslist (10 or so now), and if you're really careful, selective of the ads you respond to, bail at the slightest odd feeling, chat with the buyer/seller thoroughly, meet in crowded neutral places when showing and making transactions, you won't have any issues. I consider autotrader, cars.com, etc to be mostly worthless.

acroy

I've had best luck with forums (such as this), Ebay, and Facebook enthusiast pages.

Autotrader is spendy and attracts few buyers, many scammers.
There are some jewels in Craigslist but digging through all the $hit has not been worth it.
Forums are excellent but you have to invest some time in it.

Last car I sold (fairly rare, well-built RX7) I listed on Ebay & posted a link on facebook RX7 group. Car was sold in 45min at full price! Maybe I should have asked more

QCVette

It is all about finding the right buyer. Sometimes different methods work depending on which that "right" buyer uses.

I have sold a couple on Autotrader a few years ago. I had a good transaction with an Impala SS where someone flew in from about 1000 miles away. I met them at the airport and we had the transaction at his bank. He drove the car home. Although 10 years ago they were one of the better ads for attracting a wide geographic area for buyers, I think Autotrader might have lost its edge to others and is now an expense for the seller. The cars also seem to be higher priced there.

I have bought and sold a bunch of cars through Craigslist the last few years. It seems to attract more than just the local area too. I sold a couple Corvettes to people from a couple of states away ('85 to Indiana and '94 to Kansas). I have bought a few Corvettes from further away too. ('95 from Ohio, '85 from Indiana, '88 from Iowa). Plus bought and sold about a dozen more cars/trucks local or at least in the same state.(including '99 FRC, '99 targa, '94 coupe)

I have had a lot more responses from my Craigslist ads than anywhere else. Yes, I also got a bunch of scams, but most are pretty easy to tell they aren't for real. Be careful, but Craigslist does seem to work pretty well.

Good luck.

MLS1

Agreed. When I'm looking to buy I check ebay, CL, and Autotrader regularly. Some of the best deals/cars I've owned I found on Autotrader. When selling, I usually post up ads on craigslist first and then move onto the pay sites after a week or 2 if there's no interest.

KNSBrakes

I don't like Ebay at all as a seller and have not used it much as a buyer. The $ I save is not worth the wait and the scam is way more present. Selling on EBay... no thanks. If I need a laptop battery - I go to laptop batteries dot com. There is always a specialist and they are almost always worth the $$ if it's even more.

Autotrader is a dealer website. Great place to find a 2009 Subaru Outback w/ the auto trans, M&S tires, a good stereo and the roof rack already installed. Cars . com is trying to compete w/ them. GL.

Private ads on AT just look bad. Especially for a modded car. It's just not meant for that.

CL is a bit weird - but weird cars get results there - especially if it's broken and local.

Forums are good but the downward price pressure kills sellers will to live.

There is no place to sell your car if it's even remotely 'special'. EBay is the closest - and they are $$$ to sellers killing the damn deal.

roadbike56

I flip some bikes from time to time. I use craigslist to sell them. It used to be a great vehicle, but now there are scammers and some pretty weird folks answering ads. One helpful hint I'd like to pass on. I insist that the responder provide a phone number. No phone number, no meeting. That turns off most of the scammers and weirdoes. It's extremely effective and I'd recommend it to anyone using CL. I also agree with the previous post about talking with the potential buyer before setting up a meeting.

Vetteman Jack

Sold my previous C5 right here on the forum. Took about six months, but a very nice forum member bought the car. Haven't tried any of the other avenues for selling a car.

Forcedvert

I mean no offense, but you can't say for sure the autotrader add did not help, I look at all online info when looking for cars. The more info the better for the buyer. I just placed a wtb add for someone on cf just yesterday he ended up buying a Vette on autotrader from private seller.
Your car sold via a different source, good for you, but I assure you people were looking at your car on autotrader also... maybe the buyer knew this and chose to buy before it sold to someone else? Just another point of view... the guarantee is a different matter altogether I don't trust any of them. I hope you got what you wanted for your car and good luck with your next purchase.

Ps, use autotrader for info .... it's free to look, I'm old enough to remember buying them, how dumb was I!

300zib

Autotrader is garbage. Ebay or Craigslist all day. Heck even Carsdotcom offers free 30 day listings.

mike1944

I sold my Vette on Autotrader. Had several people interested and sold it to a guy from Colorado. So for me it was a good experience.