Cars.com vs. Autotrader?

onewhippedpuppy · 02-28-2005, 06:35 AM

Anyone tried both that can compare/ contrast the results? Pricing is similar, one advantage to cars.com is it will print in the local paper as well. The A4's gotta go, as of next week I'll be the proud owner of an '87 951!

Steve Carlton · 07:36 AM

Do craigslist.org in addition to whatever you do. It's free, and I've had better luck with it than other chargeable places on motorcycles. Put pics in and mention "photos" in the subject line...

onewhippedpuppy · 02-28-2005, 09:57 AM

Thanks Steve, I've already put it on craigslist.

Stanley · 02-28-2005, 11:05 AM

I’ve had great luck on Craigslist for buying and selling all kinds of things, including a truck that we recently sold for full asking price.

Just a Craigslist hint: make sure to include all possible names of the car and items that would be commonly searched for. For example, my buddy was selling an F250 truck he wasn’t getting any interest at all. Turned out he had it written as F-250 (it wouldn’t show up on searches). It looks like you are selling an A4, so you won’t have any trouble with that, but make sure that you have key words like turbo, AWD, etc.

CarreraS2 · 02-28-2005, 11:09 AM

I've had really, really good luck with Auto Trader for that kind of car.

Just price it reasonably (make it competitive with the others in Auto Trader), clean it up nice, and it will be gone!

carnutzzz · 03-10-2005, 12:50 PM

I would go with AutoTrader.com.

Of course, I helped launch the website and now work for the parent company, so some might consider me "biased".

kaisen · 03-10-2005, 12:58 PM

AutoTrader is way better than cars.com

E

onewhippedpuppy · 03-10-2005, 01:13 PM

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=178840339&dealer_id=56013825&car_year=1999&make=AUDI&distance=100&lang=en&max_price=&model=A4&end_year=2006&min_price=&certified=&address=67226&search_type=both&advanced=&start_year=1981&isp=y&cardist=0

I've had it up for a week now, hopefully it won't take too long. With the 951 coming Saturday, the wife is going to be getting antsy.

mikester · 03-10-2005, 02:10 PM

I've always felt that Autotrader kind of sucks. I have tried it twice to sell two different cars and while I did not have any success the most irritating problem I had was that there was no way to tell how many people were looking at my ad. Even a simple hit counter would have made me feel a little better about it.

carnutzzz · 03-11-2005, 05:24 AM

You couldn't sell your car on the most heavily trafficked automotive site on the planet. Yeah- the site must have sucked.

I sold my Formula Firebird in 3 days on AutoTrader.com.

As we all know, many factors contibute to the success of a vehicle sale.

I know dealers can track interest in their cars for sale on AT.com, but adding that feature for consumers is a good idea as well. I can pass it along...

mikester · 03-11-2005, 07:06 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by carnutzzz
You couldn't sell your car on the most heavily trafficked automotive site on the planet. Yeah- the site must have sucked.

I sold my Formula Firebird in 3 days on AutoTrader.com.

As we all know, many factors contibute to the success of a vehicle sale.

I know dealers can track interest in their cars for sale on AT.com, but adding that feature for consumers is a good idea as well. I can pass it along...

If you pay attention to what I said I feel I disconnected my gripe from my failure.

While I understand that the autotrader is heavily trafficed I don't see it as a great marketing tool It's simply the best of breed. The breed in and of itself is, in my opinion, severely lacking.

My failures were on a 2000 VW Passat with low miles that was in excellent condition but likely priced too high (though priced comparable to other cars on the site). It was a rare package of 4motion and no leather. The other was a 2001 Xterra with average mileage that was in good condition. I had a few bites but never a firm offer.

I've sold a 914 via ebay and had complete control over how the ad looked and I could tell how many people were looking at it. Now with ebay's newer features you can even see how many people are watching your auction. Autotrader in my experience does not have these features and thus is limited in it's ability as a tool. The car sold before the 7 day auction ended. Of course this is apples to oranges.

Now; While you may have a personal stake in AutoTrader I did not intend to offend you with my comments as they are simply my experience with the service.

carnutzzz · 03-11-2005, 11:42 AM

Oh no- my skin is thick enough that I don't get offended that easy.

And besides- having worked that closely with AutoTrader.com, I very much know in what ways it is deficient. I just thought the "sucked" comment might have been a bit harsh.

Can't say I would feel totally different if 2 cars didn't sell. It is a good bunch of people over there trying to do the right thing. It will never be enough for all folks, but I guess you don't need to please everyone and still make money (thank-God, I'd be in trouble).

I like the Ben Franklin quote in your sig. How true, how true.

Peace,

84porsche · 84porsche's Garage

I like Autotrader mostly because you get the print ad as well. The thing I dislike is the time it takes for the ad to take effect. The print ad usually takes about 1-2 weeks to get to the stands. I am also hesitant to list my car because the last time I did that, the next day I totalled the car.