It would be great if you could go to a dealer lot full of used diesels, but unfortunately it isn’t that easy. If you have a broad idea of what you want and you’re willing to buy what comes up locally, chances are you’ll find something in the local papers or classified magazines. If you’re looking for a specific model, year, color, etc., you’ll probably have to look outside your immediate region.
Resources for finding a vehicle:
Craigslist is a free classified ad website that has pages for most major cities and regions. You can click on the cars/trucks section and type in a search for diesel to narrow things down. Another nice feature is that many of the ads have pictures attached.
Craigslist is supposed to have only personal classifieds in the regular listing section. Watch the listings for a while and you’ll start to notice some dealers posting ads. Wow, that guy Terry from Dover, NH sure has a lot of vehicles for sale! Hmmm, how about that…
I found cars.com to be very helpful when I was looking for my car. This site searches nationally through dealer stock and published classified ads, and has an advanced search feature that lets you search for diesels, and a whole list of other search parameters. It also lists how far the seller is from your town. It is a fast way to see what’s available throughout the country. Some of the cars I called on were already sold, so I don’t think it’s updated frequently enough.
This is how I bought my car. Ebay also has advanced search features that help you find the exact vehicle you’re looking or. If you want to get into the auction/bidding process, there is a whole world of strategy and also programs to help, but I won’t get into it here. I contacted the seller through Ebay and got him to add the ‘Buy it Now’ button for an agreed-upon price. I drove down to New York and paid for it in person after I could inspect it myself. Another great feature of Ebay is that you can have Ebay email you every time a vehicle is added that fits your description. I saw some great deals this way that were gone in a few hours.
In the Massachusetts area – The Want Advertiser
The Want Advertiser is a weekly classified magazine that can be found at many local convenience stores. I found a handful of diesel VW’s and Mercedes each week. The Want Advertiser hits stands every Tuesday – if you’re seriously shopping you need to get this first thing Tuesday morning, make the phone calls, and go see them very soon if you want a chance.
The word is out that diesels are more fuel efficient, so if gas prices have gone up when you start looking, then good luck and may the battle begin.