Craigslist...BEWARE!!!

[Thermo1223]

I know I am stating the obvious but in my search for another TDI I do go on the dreaded list.

You would not believe the attitude I get for asking the questions we all would ask about TDI's.

Timing Belt changed the proper way?
Camshaft condition?
Proper Oil?...etc.

I guess it's funny the oil is changed every 3k on a TDI He laughed when I asked why in the heck would you even do that...

SMH

 

[TDI smile]

3K ???

Lots of people do not care what they do to their cars. My Gasser was changed at 3K, so - I change my Diesel at 3K too. Take your time to find the right car.

 

[jetlagmech]

its probably a flipper that has only owned the car a short time saying whatever he thinks the person wants to hear.

 

[Thermo1223]

Ya the worst part about that particular car was it was a 2009...3k changes and if true buyer beware.

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

I'm almost embarrassed to list my own cars on CL, the standard for sellers is so low. But buyers are pretty difficult, too. I guess we all deserve each other.

 

[JDSwan87]

I must be the exception to the CL problems. I've bought and sold many items on CL, yeah I've had no shows but always sold what I was selling. I actually bought Molly (see signature) off CL in stock form from the 2nd owner. You definitely have to be weary of CL, I agree but there is good to it also.

 

[dmoonen]

Craislist is uber sketchy and outdated in my opinion, autotrader has became that way too. Kijiji and the forum seem to be the best bets for getting a used car but you need to know your stuff.

 

[mrrhtuner]

Craislist is uber sketchy and outdated in my opinion, autotrader has became that way too. Kijiji and the forum seem to be the best bets for getting a used car but you need to know your stuff.

In the US, I don't think they use or have kijiji. CL is much more common there, while over here it was mainly used for the sex trade lol

 

[Lug_Nut]

You definitely have to be weary of CL,...

Freudian? Im wary (as in 'beware'), but definitely not weary (tired of) of Craig's.
I sold my '02 Jetta in two days on Craig's, the Bug is currently listed on Craig's, all because I declined an '03 wagon listed on Craig's and then bought the '05 wagon listed on Craig's.


That reminds me: time to update the listing of car's owned....

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

I just sold my '12 Golf and '90 Miata on CL. Both sold to the first person who looked at them, both deals went smoothly. I had to fend off some lowballers for both cars, but that was no big deal.

 

[JDSwan87]

Freudian? Im wary (as in 'beware'), but definitely not weary (tired of) of Craig's.

Ya got me... Sigh... I shall go sulk in shame now...

 

[Jetter_Sprinta]

Freudian? Im wary (as in 'beware'), but definitely not weary (tired of) of Craig's.
I sold my '02 Jetta in two days on Craig's, the Bug is currently listed on Craig's, all because I declined an '03 wagon listed on Craig's and then bought the '05 wagon listed on Craig's.


That reminds me: time to update the listing of car's owned....

Ummmm, Mr. Grammar...

But WHAT???!!! YOU bought another "brown car" ?? And sold the Bug and A4? We need a GTG to discuss. Want a nice Audi A4 Avant to move that TDI into?

Back to OP, I have had many amazing experiences with Craig's List sellers and buyers, but like everyone else, I have also considered changing my phone number after some.

 

[Lug_Nut]

Ummmm, Mr. Grammar...

Ouch! Glass houses and all that. Now that you've quoted and locked that quote away from my ability to perform any 1984-ish editing attempt, I have to leave the original as is.

But WHAT???!!! YOU bought another "brown car" ?? And sold the Bug and A4? We need a GTG to discuss. Want a nice Audi A4 Avant to move that TDI into?

I may be a nut, but the new-to-me '05 PD wagon is equally unbalanced.

and transverse, and mated to a manual transmission.

 

[supton]

Yeah, I'm not sure I could buy a TDI off CL. At least not without the expectation of simply going through all the common wear items--so it better be cheap. Actually, if I were to buy off CL I'd expect anything to be cheap.

But it certainly is fun to flip through the ads, looking for whatever whim is in my mind at the moment... Honestly, while I've only done a few deals on CL I think all of them have been just fine. Couple of things I walked from, but I don't think I've driven to see something that was improperly listed. I don't think I have any sort of luck, just dumb luck, all have been good so far.

What I find kinda scary is that I probably could get the asking price on my car there, despite all its issues, by simply omitting to mention all the issues one can't see. Buyer beware indeed.

 

[02TDIred]

CL vs local auction

My '02 (ALH w/ 220K on the clock) came from an estate sale. Auctioneer knew little about it, pre-sale inspection revealed some issues but on the whole only needing (so far) about $500 to bring her up to snuff.

A CL '05 JSW (PD w/ 330K on the clock), local seller. An extensive test drive… revealed some issues. Priced low enough that, with the needed repairs, the sale price + repairs is below market value.

Seems "buyer beware" holds true. I feel good about returning to VW TDIs, this late in life. OTOH… if an electrical "gremlin" shows up, be prepared for a few days of hair pulling and/or head scratching.

 

[Lightflyer1]

CL is fine for what it is. List anything for sale any where and you will have some "issues". I have bought and sold quite a few things there with very few problems. Common sense rules though.

 

[Intech]

CL is fine for what it is. List anything for sale any where and you will have some "issues". I have bought and sold quite a few things there with very few problems. Common sense rules though.

I tried CL several years ago, not for any cars, but for another item that I wanted to get rid of. It turned out to be a giant PITA and a nightmare. Since then, I’ve seen numerous items on the news about criminal activity, of all kinds, related directly to CL. Personally, I avoid it like the plague

 

[Lightflyer1]

Criminal activity can be anywhere where money/valuables change hands, not just CL. It isn't for everybody but is useful at times for me. After a while you get to the point where you can usually tell what is for "real" and what is a "scam". As with life now days everything has its issues and plusses.

 

[Intech]

Criminal activity can be anywhere where money/valuables change hands, not just CL. It isn't for everybody but is useful at times for me. After a while you get to the point where you can usually tell what is for "real" and what is a "scam". As with life now days everything has its issues and plusses.

Quite right. However, I went "off the grid", so to speak, about 9 years ago, so I deal in cash only, as much as possible, and don't set myself up for anything, that can be easily avoided, and have a ton of back up for any contingency. But, as I said, avoiding an issue, is better than trying to get out of a problem.

 

[Lightflyer1]

If you deal with people at all you have to be ready for anything. Doesn't really matter the forum that brought you together. It is people that are the problem. People have been cheating each other since time began. Being off grid and cash only could pose its own issues. Nothing wrong with CL that any other medium won't also have. Eventually 2 people have to meet to do the deal. Fortunately I have had only a few "evil doers" to contend with in my life and many, many others that were not. But I have been armed and carrying since before 1977.

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

Quite right. However, I went "off the grid", so to speak, about 9 years ago, so I deal in cash only, as much as possible, and don't set myself up for anything, that can be easily avoided, and have a ton of back up for any contingency. But, as I said, avoiding an issue, is better than trying to get out of a problem.

I'm am so far into the grid it's comical. And I don't lose any sleep over it. In fact using PayPal and credit cards has worked to my advantage recently in resolving warranty issues with vendors. When you can suspend or reverse a charge you have some leverage to negotiate where if you'd paid cash you wouldn't be able to get anyone's attention. Personally I use cash as little as possible.

 

[greengeeker]

If you deal with people at all you have to be ready for anything. Doesn't really matter the forum that brought you together. It is people that are the problem. People have been cheating each other since time began. Being off grid and cash only could pose its own issues. Nothing wrong with CL that any other medium won't also have. Eventually 2 people have to meet to do the deal. Fortunately I have had only a few "evil doers" to contend with in my life and many, many others that were not. But I have been armed and carrying since before 1977.

I'm am so far into the grid it's comical. And I don't lose any sleep over it. In fact using PayPal and credit cards has worked to my advantage recently in resolving warranty issues with vendors. When you can suspend or reverse a charge you have some leverage to negotiate where if you'd paid cash you wouldn't be able to get anyone's attention. Personally I use cash as little as possible.

Sorry - I got a chuckle out of these very different approaches. I guess it depends on where you are relative to the Mason Dixon line.

 

[Lightflyer1]

Not that different at all. I am very connected to the grid and am responsible for part of it (design computer chips). I use it when it is to my advantage or convenience all the time. I find it both very useful and bothersome at times. IBW has a point about being able to use these techs to your advantage at times and I have done the same. I also tend to not have cash on hand unless I know it will be the only thing accepted. I haven't written a check in years (decades maybe) and my cards get a work out. If you are talking about the armed part well I have been armed since I was able to buy one legally and carry one since then, just in case. I find for the most part people to be nice and do what they say. There are those you need to watch out for though. CL is a tool and is neither bad or good. It is the people you deal with that can make your experience bad or good.

 

[hey_allen]

I bought my 2000 TDI off of CL back in November, and as expected, it had a few faults.
It also had redeeming features that made it worthwhile, at least for me.

The price was reasonable for what it was, and the condition it was in.
The included extras were of interest to me. (genuine VCDS cable, and Metelnerd timing belt tool kit.)

The seller in this case was a family guy who was looking to downsize the family fleet.
That said, I did go with a friend for backup if something shady had gone on, and for entertainment/conversation on the trip out to see the car.

Your results may vary, but exercising some skepticism and common sense in your shopping makes it a useful tool.
Keep in mind, it's only a electronic classified ad site. The printed classified ads can be just as worthless, depending on who posted each advertisement.

 

[thechoochlyman]

Here's my CL buying experience.

The seller had it listed on Craigslist for $2k, and I ended up going to see it (and bring it home) the day after it was posted. What they didn't mention was the low power issue the car had, and what I'm assuming to be the reason it was for sale. I took it for a little drive and immediately noticed how tiny its balls were. I got back to the old guy's house and asked him about it, and apparently this issue just cropped up immediately after taking it out of winter storage. I popped the hood, and just started looking around at things. He went over to grab a wrench so I could remove the top engine cover, and I started taking apart the air filter housing. I pulled out the filter and it was completely covered in mold, with an ant's nest to boot. I threw it on the ground - with him standing there the whole time - and took it back up the road. This time it was perfect. At this point I was afraid he was going to back out of the sale, but he didn't. I wrote him a check and he accepted with a sheepish look on his face.

Other than that, they were pretty responsible previous owners. Sent me a package a few days after I bought it with maintenance receipts for a whole laundry list of repair done less than 5k miles ago, including timing belt.

 

[Intech]

I'm am so far into the grid it's comical. And I don't lose any sleep over it. In fact using PayPal and credit cards has worked to my advantage recently in resolving warranty issues with vendors. When you can suspend or reverse a charge you have some leverage to negotiate where if you'd paid cash you wouldn't be able to get anyone's attention. Personally I use cash as little as possible.

A very good friend of mine, who swore by internet buying, got nailed for over $100k. It took him about a year to get most of it back. He lost $15k, and considers himself "lucky". The last time I used my credit, my score was 822. That was in 2007, when I bought a house for my daughter. When I saw what was happening around me, I "changed my way of doing business". In 2009, I bought a watch at Costco, and needed some links removed. Costco told me to go to the mall and a jewelry store would do it. I went and when I got there the girl said they'd do it for nothing if I applied for store credit. I said OK. A week later the store notified me that my credit had been turned down, because Experian and Trans Union, both said "Insufficient Income". That year I grossed close to $300k. Nuff said.........

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

If you use credit cards on the internet you have no liability. I don't know how someone could manage to lose $100K through a compromised card or account. However, I will admit I've been strangely fortunate in that department.

I don't know my credit score, but I borrow very infrequently. But I've never had problems. And to get back OT, people are only going to have trouble with CL purchases if they allow themselves to be vulnerable. I recently sold two cars using CL, and in both cases decided to meet the buyer for the first time somewhere other than at my house. As it turned out both buyers were decent people who I had no problem with knowing where I live. But I wanted to meet them first.

I've bought several cars using CL: Honestly, I don't know where else, other than word of mouth, you'd find a used car. Most dealers advertise used cars on CL. Seems like in the US these days that's your option.

Sure there are a lot of flakes out there, but they're pretty easy to spot.

 

[quartersaw]

I just sold my '12 Golf and '90 Miata on CL. Both sold to the first person who looked at them, both deals went smoothly. I had to fend off some lowballers for both cars, but that was no big deal.

Interesting that you moved away from the Common Rail platform-as did I.
Hmmm... we even have nearly identical rides......

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

Jetta Wagons are the best. I'm hoping to get mine to 500K miles.

 

[quartersaw]

Jetta Wagons are the best. I'm hoping to get mine to 500K miles.

The 2002 Jetta Wagon is new to me. It had really crusty front fenders,(replaced w NOS fenders) but the rest of it was in nice shape. It has a pristine leather interior. I love the car already, even though I'm still rectifying its problems.