Selling Car on Craigslist – How To

One of the biggest mistakes sellers make when posting ads on Craigslist is not including enough information.

I posted thousands of ad on Craigslist as an Internet Manager for a major car dealer in the San Francisco Bay Area. I finally learned to include a simple template at the bottom of the ad to make sure I didn’t forget crucial data. I always copied it after a complete, normal ad and didn’t worry about duplicating information. I’ve copied that template below.

The second mistake most sellers make is not pricing their vehicle correctly. Price it too high and no one calls, too low and you leave money on the table.  That’s why car dealers use a pricing strategy versus picking a price and sticking with it. I explain how to price your car by developing your own pricing strategy in my new book, HELP! I Gotta Sell My Car NOW!

In HELP! NOW! I also provide other car dealer Best Practices that can benefit private sellers. These include how to safely test drive, how to negotiate like a pro, and how to complete the paperwork.

I also teach you how to write a compelling and personalized ad for your car that will help you sell it quickly and profitably. Also, which pictures to take, and even how to do a video walk around, something that I used as a secret weapon when I was actively selling cars as an Internet Manager. This is simple to learn and will help set your ad apart from the many dealers and private sellers posting on Craigslist.

You can download FREE chapters of HELP! NOW! to see if you want the entire book? Look on the right hand column of this page.

Buying a car?

Download my FREE report, The 8 Biggest Mistakes Used Car Buyers Make and How to Avoid Them! Learn from my experience as an Internet Manager – don’t make mistakes that can cost you hundreds, even thousands of dollars. Get this PDF report for free. Look on the right side of this page.

A note about the Craigslist Ad template

If the following items don’t apply (or you don’t have the information), then simply delete them from the template before posting it to Craigslist:

Gas Mileage – 

Vehicle History Report Available – Yes

Video Walk Around Available – Yes (ask me to send you a link)

Pictures – More available, just ask.

Clear Title? – Yes

Craigslist vehicle information Ad template

Copy the info below AFTER the content of your actual ad. It’s fine if information is duplicated. BTW, it’s better not to have a space between each line, but this is a wordpress site and extra space may be included in the template you receive:

Here are the vehicle details:

Year –

Make – 

Model – 

VIN – 

Miles – 

Body Style – 

Engine – 

Transmission – 

Drivetrain – 

Exterior Color – 

Interior Color – 

Gas Mileage – 

Vehicle History Report Available – Yes

Video Walk Around Available – Yes (ask me to send you a link)

Pictures – More available, just ask.

Clear Title? – Yes

Price – 

Contact –

What a completed Craigslist Ad template may look like

Here are the vehicle details:

Year – 2008

Make – Nissan

Model – Rogue S

VIN – JN8AS58T48W0136B

Miles – 16,441

Body Style – SUV

Engine – 2.5L, 4 cyl

Transmission – CVT – Automatic

Drivetrain – FWD

Exterior Color – Silver

Interior Color – Black

Gas Mileage – 22 mpg/city, 27 mpg/hwy

CARFAX Report Available – Yes

Video Walk Around Available – Yes (ask me to send you a link)

Clear Title? – Yes

Pictures – More available, just ask.

Price – $16,950.00

Contact – Call Phyllis at 510-648-0000 or click on the email link.

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L. James Johnson’s new book, HELP! I Gotta Sell My Car NOW! New Rules for Selling Your Vehicle Online! is available for download at BayAreaCarGuy.com. You can also download his FREE report, The 8 Biggest Mistakes Used Car Buyers Make & How to Avoid Them!