Notices
993 Forum 1995-1998
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

Autotrader vs. Cars.com; best to sell a 993

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 03-10-2010, 03:16 PM
  #1  
deadhead1960
Banned
Thread Starter
 
deadhead1960's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 960
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default Autotrader vs. Cars.com; best to sell a 993

Any thoughts or opinions on which website, autotrader or cars.com, has a higher "sell" rate for our beloved 993. It would be great if your responses included where you bought yours. Naturally this site and pca are for the enthusiasts and purists, however a heck of a lot of 993's get advertised and sold on these two other more mainstream websites. I know craigslist and ebay have their supporters as well, just not a big fan of either. Should be interesting.
Old 03-10-2010, 04:41 PM
  #2  
Kika
Nordschleife Master
 
Kika's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Torrance, CA USA
Posts: 5,632
Received 80 Likes on 61 Posts
Default

I bought my car through autotrader.com, for one, that is where it was advertised, but additionally, I liked their search gui a bit better than the others., so it is also where I focused my search.
just my 0.01
Old 03-10-2010, 04:47 PM
  #3  
Mark in Baltimore
Rennlist Member
 
Mark in Baltimore's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Baltimore, MD
Posts: 23,303
Received 499 Likes on 320 Posts
Default

When selling a vehicle, I use both. Cheap way to reach a pile of buyers, IMO.
Old 03-10-2010, 04:49 PM
  #4  
CorrdoBrit
Rennlist Member
 
CorrdoBrit's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Dallas TX
Posts: 2,632
Received 16 Likes on 12 Posts
Default

Can't offer any advice on selling a 993 (haven't even bought one yet) but I found my BMW E46 M3 ZCP on Ebay and sold it a year later for the same price on Autotrader.com. Tried the enthusiasts websites like m3forum and all I got was lowball offers and 'expert' opinion regarding the asking price....obviously my experience on RL would be completely different
Old 03-10-2010, 04:50 PM
  #5  
murfysflaw
Wallflower
Rennlist Member
 
murfysflaw's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: NW Arkansas
Posts: 5,548
Received 2 Likes on 2 Posts
Default

I bought mine here and ultimately sold it here as well, although I did have it listed on Autotrader as well. Got quite a few calls there, but not really serious interest. All of my serious inquiries came from RL itself.
Old 03-10-2010, 05:06 PM
  #6  
CalvinC4S
Drifting
 
CalvinC4S's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: USA
Posts: 2,085
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Default

Ebay grabs a larger market; Place it a few thousand high and close a deal off site.
Old 03-10-2010, 05:08 PM
  #7  
ilko
Agent Orange
Rennlist Member
 
ilko's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 16,190
Received 555 Likes on 199 Posts
Default

As a seller I prefer Autotrader and as a buyer I prefer Autotrader. But when I look for a car I search on both. Don't exclude Ebay either - you can list the car for $1 and only if you sell it through Ebay (which rarely happens) will you have to give them a $125 fee.

Originally Posted by CorrdoBrit
Tried the enthusiasts websites like m3forum and all I got was lowball offers and 'expert' opinion regarding the asking price....obviously my experience on RL would be completely different
Don't fool yourself
Old 03-10-2010, 07:09 PM
  #8  
sbarracl
Racer
 
sbarracl's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Kernersville, NC
Posts: 259
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Default

I sold my S2000 last spring on cars.com. I had it on craigslist for a couple weeks with no interest. Put it on cars.com on a Saturday and it was sold on Sunday. Plus, I believe cars.com includes a complementary carfax which perspective buyers can view - a nice perk, for the same price as an autotrader add without the carfax.
Old 03-10-2010, 08:02 PM
  #9  
95 NC 993
Burning Brakes
 
95 NC 993's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Mountains of NC
Posts: 824
Likes: 0
Received 4 Likes on 4 Posts
Default

A quality car will sell anywhere, even on ebay. I've sold several neighbors' and car club members' collector cars via ebay where it reaches just a massive audience, especially world-wide which is very applicable to 993s. The last two cars I sold for my collector friend (both #2+ cars) went to Nova Scotia ('76 Triumph TR6 with 13,000 original miles) and Dubai ('89 Mercedes 560SL with 30,000 original miles) respectively. People know to scroll through the dealer garbage where every car is 'excellent, non-smoker, garage-kept', etc... The right buyers will find the quality car on ebay. I also like Hemmings very much (printed version) and have had decent success there. Auto-Trader is another favorite and preferable over Cars.com which will not reach as many people if you have the car listed on both ebay and Auto-Trader. Patience is the key as that right buyer may turn up in one day or 3 months. Sometimes even longer as I still have not sold the same guy's '94 Jaguar XJS convertible yet (12,000 original miles and showroom condition). It is listed in Hemmings right now and I'll try ebay again in the coming months since convertibles do well in the Spring/Summer.
Old 03-10-2010, 08:03 PM
  #10  
Texas993
Race Car
 
Texas993's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Dallas TX
Posts: 3,933
Received 22 Likes on 15 Posts
Default

If you are serious about selling, list it on all of the sites. You never know where a buyer is looking.

I also like it when people set up thorough discriptions of the vehicle with pictures, either in the listing or on a special web page.

Good luck.
Old 03-10-2010, 08:15 PM
  #11  
swmic

Rennlist Member

 
swmic's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: PA
Posts: 1,531
Received 40 Likes on 33 Posts
Default

I've had my best luck selling on Autotrader. I think anyone that's seriously looking will check that site. I got lucky and sold my 964 on Craigslist without listing it anywhere else. I purchased my C4S from another rennlister.
Old 03-10-2010, 08:21 PM
  #12  
jes999
Rennlist Member
 
jes999's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Posts: 445
Received 11 Likes on 6 Posts
Default

When I recently sold my 993 I was contacted by several very well qualified and knowledgeable buyers through the ad I posted on the PCA national website (The Mart). You will not get a lot of responses but they will likely be "real" buyers.
Old 03-10-2010, 09:07 PM
  #13  
Magdaddy
Rennlist Member
 
Magdaddy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Oneida, New York
Posts: 4,942
Received 267 Likes on 198 Posts
Default as someone in the market

I would advise you to advertise in as many places as you can. I search RL, Pelican, ebay(three fav searchs), Autotrader, cars.com, 993sitemsh, and about half a dozen highend dealer sites.

I sawmyour ad on Pelican last night.

I'm in the market for a C4 or C4S, a driver, not a low mileage queen. I would suggest you include option codes, any interesting mods, as well as significant recent services. It'll save quite a few initial"does the car have...insert option here" questons.

Good luck
Old 03-10-2010, 10:28 PM
  #14  
gtroth
Rennlist Member
 
gtroth's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: CT
Posts: 1,182
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes on 2 Posts
Default

I followed my car from pelican->PCA->Autotrader->ebay, but spent the most time on autotrader and ebay. Better searching I guess.

I acted quickly when it hit ebay so I wouldn't lose it. Closed the deal off line, then hit buy it now (b.i.n. price was higher than what we agreed to, didn't matter). This was the sellers idea - turned out I liked having that extra little bit of commitment through the rest of the process.

So maybe ebay with a highish b.i.n. just to generate traffic?

Good luck.
Old 03-11-2010, 01:06 PM
  #15  
zschicago
Advanced
 
zschicago's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Walnut Creek
Posts: 79
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

Try Craigslist first. Ive sold 5 cars in the last 3 years. All from Craigslist. I also put ads on Autotader, but Craigslist just keeps surprising me. Plus it free.


Quick Reply: Autotrader vs. Cars.com; best to sell a 993



All times are GMT -3. The time now is 09:37 PM.