I've been without a car for nearly two years, so every now and then I browse my local craigslist to see if there's anything worth my time and tiny savings. I've looked at a few, and since I have a small budget, most of them have been total crap.

Has anyone ever gotten a car from a craigslist ad, though? Did it last long or was it a total POS? less

I didn't but a friend of mine did, it lasted her about two years and then it crapped out on her but it got her around until she could afford a better car and it was dirt cheap so for her, it worked, but she also could've just been lucky! I'm not sure if I'd trust it or not. I'd feel safer just getting a loan for a dealership car (not a car on a lot) or maybe look in your local paper. less

I've been without a car for nearly two years, so every now and then I browse my local craigslist to see if there's anything worth my time and tiny savings. I've looked at a few, and since I have a small budget, most of them have been total crap.

Has anyone ever gotten a car from a craigslist ad, though? Did it last long or was it a total POS? less

Keep in mind you pay more for a car from a dealership BUT in the long run how much more would you pay not to be stranded in a shitty place because you got a good deal. I have to depend on my vehicles alot more than most and it kills me in payments but ive never broken down and im always on time to my jobs. less

I haven't purchased a car, but have purchased about 72 motorcycles over the last year and a half. I have gotten everything from a premium '79 Honda Elsinore (pd. $650.00 & sold $2900.00-no work done) to rare parts bikes, (1974 Indian MX70). I have sold many bikes and three cars on it as well. RESEARCH!!And look at the item first! less

I've bought my last few cars off of Craigslist. My last one was a good deal, but as soon as winter hit we found out it needed a motor. I had had it for something like a month and a half at that point. It lasted me until I sold it to a friend the following June or July, at which point they flaked out, something happened with the car that they tried to blame on us not telling them about, and they got completely screwed by the shop it got towed to and tried to force us to pay to get it out. I lost so much fucking money on that.

But the car I have now I found on Craigslist, paid a lot more for it than the last one, and it hasn't needed anything major that we didn't expect. It's a decommissioned police car, so some things we knew were going to be really worn out, but the only time it's ever let me down was when the battery died with no warning one day. Just stopped holding a charge while I was at my night job. less

No, all of my vehicles were purchased through friends. I'd probably have been screwed less if I had gone to Craigslist.

My first car was held together with electrical tape. My second car needed a new clutch (that I replaced myself) and then my idiot brother-in-law used anti-seize on an engine mount bolt and it slid out, causing the motor to drop two inches while I was driving. My third vehicle was my favorite, but the clutch was getting soft and I had to replace the radiator and the brake pads...luckily some asshat came barreling down a side street at 50 miles an hour and totaled it by slamming into my driver's side door. The wheel was smashed into the engine, pushing it about six inches to the right. I haven't had another vehicle since and I think I'll keep it that way until it's absolutely necessary otherwise. less

I paid $2,600 for my Crown Victoria, and $750 for the Celebrity that needed the engine. $1,200 may get you a total POS, but if you can find something like an old Civic, you should be ok with that. Civics and older Toyotas are usually pretty good about lasting for hundreds of thousands of miles with nothing terribly major. less

You mean when the woman t-boned me? Yes, I was. I was slammed into the gear shift and thrown into the passenger side. I haven't had the desire to own and maintain another vehicle since. My husband does all of the driving now. The really weird thing? I have zero issue driving someone else's car, I just don't want one of my own anymore. less