I haven't bought a car in a really long time - best places to search?

3,037 Views | 27 Replies | Last: 22 days ago by agracer
SpreadsheetAg
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8:04a, 10/23/25
AG
Is Craigslist still a thing?

I am not interested in going through a dealer.

Facebook marketplace is full of ads where they only list the down payment amount. Carmax and the like seem like they take WAY too much markup.

I want to buy a used vehicle, from a private seller (hopefully), and pay cash (or at least cashiers check - everything up front in one go). I would even be interested potentially in an auction situation.

What's the best approach here?

(Note: specifically I am in Houston, but I would drive up to 4-5 hours for the right vehicle - and I am looking for a large family hauler: minivan, 7-seater SUV, etc.)
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Flaith
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8:11a, 10/23/25
AG
I like Cargurus. The run of the mill former CL seller is likely using FB Marketplace, but you have to sift through the crap.

Since this is the Auto board, and we sometimes try to be helpful, can you list a price range, year upper limit, mileage upper limit, and use case (if applicable)? Maybe we can find some gems.

7 seater family hauler, minivan approved, any towing needs? is the third row going to be used for teens and adults or for littles?
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TSW2012
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8:13a, 10/23/25
AG
It's gonna depend on your budget slagging through FBM and CL are options. Best case put a list and budget in this post and someone is considering selling what they have.
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yocod
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8:24a, 10/23/25
AG
CarGurus is pretty good, and try out Cars.com as well. The dealer listings will overlap a lot, but the personal listings may not. I listed and found a legitimate buyer for a car on Cars.com a couple of years ago, so I feel like it is less sleazy than Craigslist or FB Marketplace.

And even though you don't want a traditional dealer, you might consider something like Carmax or Carvana, where you at least have a certain window to return the vehicle if you don't like it for whatever reason. But, if the private buyer lets you do a PPI, having a return window may not matter much.
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SpreadsheetAg
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In reply to yocod • 8:36a, 10/23/25
AG
PPI??
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Flaith
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8:56a, 10/23/25
AG
Pre-purchase inspection
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SpreadsheetAg
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In reply to Flaith • 9:09a, 10/23/25
AG
Flaith said:
Pre-purchase inspection

Thanks.

We've had a Chrysler T&C since 2015 that we really like, but it's getting up in age and starting to show signs of breakdwon (transmission rebuilt at 140,000 miles; replace the lifters, coils, and fuel rail at 150,000 miles, etc.)

She's got nearly 180,000 now, so I am looking to upgrade next year with a well cared for broken in minivan or larger SUV. It's a family vehicle that will be driven by my wife and I 50/50 probably.

We have a gigantic 12-passenger van (THAT WE LOVE!) that we use to haul our camper, or basically for anything big that we need.

What I am looking for (ideally)
  • Under 60,000 miles
  • 2020 or newer (hopefully)
  • must haves: bluetooth handsfree, backup camera, heated seats
Budget? not set officially, but probably $20-25K? (don't laugh, I am not a pauper, but I hate the idea of spending money on vehicles - I have never been a car lover / officianado)
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TSW2012
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9:12a, 10/23/25
AG
From your driving and spending habits it sounds like you are looking for a Toyota Sienna. May need to come up on your budget or relax your requirements but it will last longer than the Chrysler and hold value better.
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drumboy
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9:17a, 10/23/25
AG
autotempest.com is an aggregator for several of the large online marketplaces.
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SpreadsheetAg
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In reply to TSW2012 • 9:28a, 10/23/25
AG
TSW2012 said:
From your driving and spending habits it sounds like you are looking for a Toyota Sienna. May need to come up on your budget or relax your requirements but it will last longer than the Chrysler and hold value better.

Thanks - I saw the Toyota was the most reliable; I was curious about the Kia Carnival as well, but I've always thought of the Kia as low quality.


Any thoughts on branded titles? I know buyer beware - but I may roll the dice on a rebuilt title vehicle if I think it's a steal.
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Flaith
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9:50a, 10/23/25
AG
For minivan, I think we can narrow down your search in that price range at around 60k miles:

2019-2020 Chrysler Pacifica Limited (premium leather, heated and ventilated seats, a few more bells and whistles): https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/d/fremont-2020-chrysler-pacifica-plug-in/7884507943.html

2022 Chrysler Pacifica Touring (leather, heated seats, bluetooth, cameras all standard): https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/5a54adf4-c200-4bc2-a088-b8eca366109a/?aff=atempst&utm_campaign=atempst&utm_source=autotempest&utm_medium=trp&utm_campaign_id=1&utm_trusted=TRUE

2022 Kia Carnival LX - might need to search for one around 60k miles and under $25k, but they exist.

2018-2020 Honda Odyssey EX-L (this actually might be the sweet spot for your budget/mileage preference)
https://indianapolis.craigslist.org/cto/d/indianapolis-2019-honda-odyssey/7884980978.html
https://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/cto/d/santee-2020-honda-odyssey-ex-clean/7885798074.html
https://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/d/raleigh-2020-honda-odyssey-ex-44k-miles/7889347185.html

Autotempest.com lets you sort for private sellers only, and it combs Autotrader, CarGurus, FB, CL, etc.
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TSW2012
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In reply to SpreadsheetAg • 9:55a, 10/23/25
AG
SpreadsheetAg said:
TSW2012 said:
From your driving and spending habits it sounds like you are looking for a Toyota Sienna. May need to come up on your budget or relax your requirements but it will last longer than the Chrysler and hold value better.

Thanks - I saw the Toyota was the most reliable; I was curious about the Kia Carnival as well, but I've always thought of the Kia as low quality.


Any thoughts on branded titles? I know buyer beware - but I may roll the dice on a rebuilt title vehicle if I think it's a steal.


If you keep vehicles as long as you do unless you know the full history first hand I would steer away from them.
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sts7049
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9:58a, 10/23/25
AG
i posted this site recently. might be useful.

Visor | See the whole market
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txyaloo
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In reply to SpreadsheetAg • 10:00a, 10/23/25
AG
SpreadsheetAg said:
TSW2012 said:
From your driving and spending habits it sounds like you are looking for a Toyota Sienna. May need to come up on your budget or relax your requirements but it will last longer than the Chrysler and hold value better.

Thanks - I saw the Toyota was the most reliable; I was curious about the Kia Carnival as well, but I've always thought of the Kia as low quality.


Any thoughts on branded titles? I know buyer beware - but I may roll the dice on a rebuilt title vehicle if I think it's a steal.

Google every single vin you look at. 99% of cars with branded titles will have the pre-fix auction pics available online. Some you might have to pay a small fee to get. 95% of them you will run away from quickly after you see what was repaired. 5% are gems that were totaled during covid due to parts availability.
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Complete Idiot
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10:46a, 10/23/25
You might appreciate this link: https://tiller.com/7-free-car-comparison-spreadsheets-for-buying-your-next-car/
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javajaws
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12:01p, 10/23/25
AG
I would suggest starting from a bar.

Because you're going to need a lot of drinks when you see the prices and then again when having to deal with dealer BS.
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mefoghorn
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1:14p, 10/23/25
AG
When the private seller option does not work, try carfax.com.

They provide lots of good information on cars from their dealer network and include a carfax report on each vehicle. So you're not blind to the true history of the car - very valuable.

Only drawback is that dealers tend to keep their cars listed even after they have been sold. So it's best to focus on the newly-listed ones, and check availability before you go to far.
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txyaloo
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In reply to mefoghorn • 3:43p, 10/23/25
AG
mefoghorn said:
When the private seller option does not work, try carfax.com.

They provide lots of good information on cars from their dealer network and include a carfax report on each vehicle. So you're not blind to the true history of the car - very valuable.

Only drawback is that dealers tend to keep their cars listed even after they have been sold. So it's best to focus on the newly-listed ones, and check availability before you go to far.

There's lots of services online that will give you a carfax and autocheck report for $5-10 a VIN vs the $50 carfax charges. Worth it to check around though I wouldn't rely on them. Plenty of crashed cars running around with a clean carfax.

You can get a lot of the info on carfax for free from a NMVTIS report. Site below works well. Will give you most of the title history, some accident/salvage info, and pictures of newer listings/sales.

https://www.vehiclehistoryreport.com/
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coolerguy12
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9:03a, 10/25/25
AG
In the past year I have sold two cars and bought two cars via FB Marketplace. Sure you have to sift through crap but there are some deals out there to be had.

Also, get an Excursion. They are awesome.
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aggiepaintrain
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10:00a, 10/25/25
AG
very hard to buy from
individuals these days

try your local newspaper classifieds, craigslist, FBM

run carfax on whatever you buy to verify most recent title
number matches the title the seller provides

good luck, total PITA and usually not worth it
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AggieMainland
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4:07p, 10/25/25
Autotrader - filter for private sellers
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erudite
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In reply to aggiepaintrain • 11:37p, 10/26/25
Should also mention to bring an OBD-II scanner even if you intend to do a PPI. I had someone try to pass off the car being fine by removing the immobilizer and airbag lights in the console. Just because the light isn't on doesn't mean there isn't an issue.

Also bringatrailer if you have money to burn.
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MouthBQ98
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8:26a, 10/27/25
AG
Bro, I did almost this exact same thing a few months ago, for almost the exact same vehicle category. Did some online searches, they would usually push to links from sites like cars.con which was fine because they would help filter settings to what we were looking for. A lot of the links actually go to dealer networks used inventory. There is a markup but they also prep them and inspect them and sometimes offer a short warranty. It is a more professional buying experience than dealing with an individual, which I have also done. It takes more work to buy from an individual, especially if the vehicle value is higher, because neither party wants to get exploited. You can get a better deal, but you'll have to work for it.

We got the 2019 odyssey at a dealer, and paid a bit of premium/markup for sure, but I detest hassle and wanted the transaction to be easy.

I got a bit lucky and struck gold. First one I looked at had a Vietnam veteran sticker still on the back window. Retiree couple, most likely. Easy miles. Then the owner took it religiously to the same dealer for service on the car fax. It was well cared for.
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SpreadsheetAg
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11:14a, 10/27/25
AG
Found a 2010 Ford Expedition on FB Marketplace that belonged a much older deceased guy. His wife is selling it and it only has 40K Miles - wants $10.5K

Pretty good deal for an older low-mileage car.
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MouthBQ98
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In reply to SpreadsheetAg • 12:00p, 10/27/25
AG
Cool. The others "in the family" have been real workhorses. Just make sure it isn't a too good to be true deal. Aside from being careful with plug changes, they're very easy to keep running.
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Buck Turgidson
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In reply to SpreadsheetAg • 12:29p, 10/31/25
Carvana

Bought an old school Sequoia and an F150 from them. Very easy, no BS tricks, no sales pressure.
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SpreadsheetAg
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6:59p, 11/17/25
AG
So … update - been talking to the wife and are now expanding body style to any minivan or SUV with 3rd row seating (and even the tiniest bit of cargo space with the 3rd row deployed).

Our daughter will start driving in about 2.5 years (yikes!) and this could wind up being her first learner car with us.
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agracer
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4:11p, 11/18/25
AG
An Odyssey or Sienna would fit what you're looking for.

For SUV, Toyota Grand Highlander (but that's a newer model) or Honda Pilot, Hyundai Palisade.

Mazda's seem to have a good following here but when I looked at them the interior felt very smallish to me.
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