Advice on buying used car

[Pauliwago]

Hi guys,
I'm interested in buying a 2005 Honda Civic I spotted on Craiglist. The guy wants $5k for it, but the kelly blue book private sale value is at $4,179/$4,320 for good/very good condition respectively with a trade-in value at $4,194. So basically, he wants to sell the car for roughly $700-$800 more than the car is worth on kelly blue book. The car has 120k+ miles on it, but it looks like it's in very good condition (new tires, good maintenance records, etc.) Assuming the car is in good condition, do you guys think this is a reasonable price? Is it reasonable to expect to pay more than the kelly blue book suggested price? It seems that every listing on craigslist is higher than the kelly blue book price.

Thanks a bunch!

 

[QueBert]

I sold my 02 Camry on CL for a decent amount over KBB, the rest I saw were going for as much as mine, if not more, and imho mine was in better condition with lower millage. I put it online and in a matter of 3 days it was sold. Had about 4 people interested, 1st to come with the money got it. Civics are reliable and people like them so selling above KBB would be pretty normal. A lot of Craigslisters seem to pull numbers out of their asses when deciding what to sell something as.

Also how long has the ad been on there? Some people will not be in a rush to sell, so they'll list it high and wait and wait and wait hoping to get a buyer. A lot of potential buyers are clueless about KBB. ON the flip side the car I ended up buying I got well under KBB because it was one that isn't known and in high demand.

 

[xaeniac]

Offer him 4200 with that amount in your hand. Many times it is too tempting. Typically people want to sell as much as you want to buy. 4200 is a reasonable offer, be prepared to walk and go get a coffee/beer and he will more than likely call back if you have to walk. Remember 4200, no more