What web sites sell good used cars?

Where can I find used cars online? What are the best web sites for buying cars? These are common questions on automotive consumer web sites and question/answer boards. We answer the questions here.

Although there are many off-line places to look for good cheap used cars (see Cheap Used Cars), many people enjoy the ease and convenience of on-line searching and shopping.
So what are the best sites for cars?

cheap used carsMany people are familiar with eBay.com, the popular online auction site. A separate section of the web site called eBay Motors conducts online vehicle auctions. Sellers might be individuals or dealers. What are the benefits? There are thousands of cars to choose from, in all price ranges, and eBay has a good buyer protection program. Some parts of the program are free, some cost you money. What's the disadvantage? It's an auction. There may be many other bidders for the car you want. Unless you are willing to pay more than the car is worth, you may not win. Furthermore, the car might not be close to you. You can't see it, you can't inspect it, and you can't drive it – until after you buy it. It can cost you extra to have it inspected and shipped to you.

cheap used carsAnother popular site for buying and selling used cars is Craigslist. It is a classified ads site, not an auction like eBay. Sellers are primarily individuals but dealers advertise there as well. You can search for cars in your city and talk via email with buyers. One big caution – scammers love Craigslist, which has no buyer protection program as does eBay. See Car Seller Scam for more details.

cheap used carsOther sites such as AutoTrader.com, Edmunds.com, and Cars.com primarily feature dealer cars and have full-featured search capability. UsedCars.com is one of the largest and most popular of this type of site.

cheap used carsMany new-car and used-car dealers have their own web sites on which they list and display used cars for sale. Use Google to search for used car dealers in your city or town.

cheap used carsMany newspapers who have classified ads also have web sites on which the classified ads are shown. Find your local newspaper's web site and look for the automotive classified ad section.

cheap used carsAnother excellent place to look for used cars online is on enthusiast web sites and forums. If you know the vehicle brand you want, use Google to search for owner/enthusiast sites. Most have buy-and-sell sections. For example, the BMW enthusiast forum, BimmerFest, has a classified ad section where members can buy and sell.