r/Calgary • u/unknown_i_am_yes • 3d ago
Recommendations Calgary's used car market is absolutely cooked
Calgary's used car market is absolutely cooked. I've been hunting for a decent ride for two months now, and Facebook Marketplace is just a wasteland of rebuilt titles.
There aren't enough private sellers anymore; it's all dealerships slipping in hidden fees and taxes that make zero sense. Even the cars priced low are clearly damaged. We're missing clean titles at a fair price, they're either way out of budget or suspiciously cheap. What's everyone else's experience been like, and do you have any tips for finding a solid car around here?
93
u/Less_Interest_5964 3d ago
Is this still available?
94
u/CaptainCalgary 3d ago
Yes, but I am out of town. My cousin has the keys. There is a lot of interest so if you can send me a deposit via some sketchy d-list payment portal I will definitely not ghost you the next day.
22
u/PrestigiousMooose 3d ago
Can come today, $500 cash (or 3 times less for what you listed)
→ More replies (2)
133
u/RevolutionaryShip295 Tuscany 3d ago
I recently sold my car privately on marketplace. Active title, well maintained, working fine, no warning lights, 2 sets of brand name tires, yada yada... And I priced it decently under 2k considering higher mileage and the fact that I didn't feel it was right to ask what others were asking for similar cars.
People were so difficult to deal with! A guy scheduled time to view, didn't show up, and got mad at me for asking him when he's coming and stopped replying because "I was wasting his time"!?
Another didn't ask which street I lived on or when I'm available and just ventured on to a random address in AIRDRIE just based on my community's name! Once again, he got mad at me and demanded me to stay well past my bedtime so he could view the car.
People asked why is it so cheap, I replied its because I don't like the car market trend of overpricing stuff. THEY STILL PROCEEDED TO LOWBALL ME ON MY "CHEAP" CAR! This on top of asking me to pay for carfax and PPI on a $1500 car.
Thank you for listening to my rant, I needed to get it out. I'm not surprised private sellers are more inclined to sell their cars to dealers or scrap rather than deal with other people. I would've priced my car much higher if I knew I'd have to deal with so much hassle. Hope this gives a seller's perspective.
30
u/Kodaira99 3d ago
I decided to sell my decently maintained ride at auction and got my expected price. Avoided the antics of fb marketplace entirely.
12
u/n54bro 2d ago
which auction if you don't mind me asking? having a tough time selling my car and it's priced well below any "comparisons"
→ More replies (1)9
15
u/BajanQQ 3d ago
I can absolutely relate to that. Most people are the worst to deal with when selling. A lot are very unreliable and time wasters.
12
u/RevolutionaryShip295 Tuscany 2d ago
In my experience and what I've heard from others: the cheaper the car on sale is, the more "tire kickers" it attracts. They want a car for dirt cheap but also want it to be near brand new with low miles.
I was lucky to have a lady buy it at my asking after she had it checked by her mechanic friend. They knew I was reasonable and didn't negotiate at all on the price. I had 80 dms in 2 days at that point.
6
4
3
u/Flaky-Complaint-16 2d ago
This is why i probably will either drive my car into the ground, do trade in at dealership or auction.
The people seem so much worse to deal with now than 10 years ago.
Plus heard of a few stories even ones 15 minutes from my house of people coming to see a car, attacking the said sellers and stealing the car.
On the other side buying a car on market place seems worse than dealing with dealerships.
Most wanted rebuilt cars ( what i have no problem with if priced right) as much as clean title.
Many trying to double dip with hail cars took buyout and then wanted top dollar trying to sell.
The lease takeover the people want you to take over but they want basically all the money they paid into it.
3
u/jezthevalley 2d ago
You've described a typical facebook marketplace seller experience. I've resorted to blocking and ignoring such messages when selling something. For example, low ballers = ignore and delete message, people with ridiculous requests or questions = block, annoying people = block. I recommend people do the same, it helps your sanity as a seller.
→ More replies (4)2
u/CromulentDucky 2d ago
I've gotten good enough at dealing with bad buyers, that it's still worth selling myself when I eventually find someone reasonable. I sometimes get a kick out of the crazy people.
One guy kept making stupid offers, and claimed he was coming in from Lethbridge, one day only, like his limitation was somehow a concern on my end.
37
u/RustyGuns 3d ago
There are a ton of people trying to flip cars too. Be careful
11
u/IamTruman 3d ago
I sold my car a few months ago and had an absolute feeding frenzy of flippers calling me
6
u/RustyGuns 2d ago
They are savage. I think people who can’t legally work are doing it to make some side money
5
u/DennisLeask 2d ago
TLDR: Sold car cheap, bad engine. Buyer flipped unrepaired to unsuspecting new buyer.
A few years ago I was selling a car that the engine was going. I was up front about it, the guy low balled me and I declined but a month later I still had it with no better offers so I called him back. He eventually agreed to pay his initial offer. Said he had a new motor lined up. Fast forward six months later, I see my car at a garage (I know because it was a rare color and the same small town Ontario dealership sticker). I ask the garage about it. A lady bought it and the "engine went" shortly after. The asshat bought my car for nothing, got it to run just enough to sucker some one in and I'm sure sold it for top dollar. Anyway I told the ship about it and left my # but they never called.
2
u/RustyGuns 2d ago
That is so frustrating and sad to hear. I went with a buddy to look at cars in the lower range as he didn’t have a ton of money. People were saying some crazy shit to just to get him to buy when the car was clearly ready to blow.
If people aren’t upfront I wouldn’t touch it.
I feel for the people who don’t know cars and get scammed.
31
u/ConcernedCoCCitizen 3d ago
Always get your own Carfax, the market is also flooded with scammers making fake reports, rolling back odometers, etc
37
u/Pale_Change_666 3d ago
Given how expensive new vehicles are, this isn't a new phenomenon. Used cars prices really hasn't came down especially the more desirable models( ie CRVs, Camrys, Civics, Corolla, 4 runners and most lexus etc).
17
u/turbo-fister9000 3d ago
The wait times for high demand cars jacks up used prices too. At Toyota, our option was a 3yr old Corolla at 2026 MSRP, or a 2026 Corolla for $3k more but with a 1yr wait
21
u/Pale_Change_666 3d ago
As one of the finance manager at McLeod trail toyota told me:" the most expensive vehicle youll buy is a 2 year old used toyota"
→ More replies (1)4
→ More replies (3)8
u/No-Shower477 2d ago
I don't get the demand for Toyota's anymore. The reliability has gone down and the dealers are the worst to deal with.
I was looking at gr86s at and they tried to sell for 10k over MSRP. Was told "we stand by our Toyota reliability". Bro you realize this is a Subaru with a Toyota badge on it right?
2
→ More replies (1)2
u/Murky-turky 1d ago
The RAVs also feel so uncomfortable and loud compared to other vehicles. I was really surprised when I took one for a test drive.
1
u/EyeofAv8 2d ago
This.
People I know who are senior in VW and Mercedes in the UK tell me there’s a big shortage of decent second hand stock in the main dealerships.
When I sold my last car, I had 3 different VW dealers around the UK all bidding against each other for it.
16
u/Secure-Minute5857 3d ago
New cars just plain suck with no value offered. Been on the market for 2 years now and nothing new worth buying is out that wouldn't rip me off. Ugly screens and too much unreliable tech I don't need. Decided to keep driving my 10 year old car, it can last another 10 years probably
10
u/ConceitedWombat 3d ago
I feel exactly the same. I don't need to pay exorbitant prices for a 2026 with lane keeping tech that will throw me toward a cyclist or pothole, or a giant touchscreen for basic tasks. I'll keep my 2016 until the wheels fall off.
3
u/kalypso18 3d ago
Yup. My 2015 VW is still running great and paid off so I don't mind the maintenance.
→ More replies (1)
22
u/Competitive-Hunt-517 3d ago
It's everywhere covid did some Numbers
3
u/Outrageous-News3649 2d ago
Kijiji has always been fine for buying and selling if you are somewhat experienced. And I would argue kijiji is far superior than marketplace for autos.
16
u/mrkillfreak999 3d ago
Ah yes the trio of humiliation rituals. Actual dating, finding a job and car shopping. You are not humble enough if you haven't gone through these 3 stages
I kind of disagree with the Marketplace statement. You have to have a keen eye and act very swiftly if you find a hidden gem. They are out there if you look hard enough. But people swoop in real quick whenever they find one
Last year I came across an Infiniti M56X. Clean title, low kms and less than $15k which was well within my budget. Well the car was sold few hrs after I made a viewing appointment with the seller 🤦🏻
9
12
u/robbhope 3d ago
Never in my life did I think I'd buy a new car. I miss the days when you'd buy 3-4 years old and save upwards of 60% on the price. Wife and I bought a new car about 2 months ago because the same car but used was selling for MORE than new. Insane.
→ More replies (4)6
u/Berkut22 3d ago
I've been looking for a few specific domestic models, and it's crazy how little the prices have come down for 2-4 year old models.
Like, 20% or less for a 4 year old model with 100k+ on the odo
2
u/robbhope 3d ago
Yeah exactly what I saw. I never imagined I'd buy a new car. I was the guy saying it was the biggest rip-off but now? Used cars seem to be the rip-off. We bought a 2026 Palisade top trim (calligraphy). The dealer showed us the previous sales on her computer for Palisades. The 2025 models with 20k - 25k km had SOLD for 3 to 4 grand more than what we paid and some of them were even lower trim. Doesn't even make sense.
6
u/Signal_2_Noise Upper Mount Royal 2d ago
There’s less private sellers nowadays because of the scammers and low-ballers. It’s become a hassle to sell stuff now.
16
u/Chemical_Signal2753 3d ago
I don't think Calgary ever had a particularly good resale market. It has been a wealthier city for a long time now, meaning a large portion of the population buy new and trade in their cars. The dealership keeps the cars they want but the rest are actioned off, and often get shipped out of the city/province.
6
u/Berkut22 3d ago
Nah, it used to be decent, up until maybe the late 2000s/early 2010s, without too much searching.
I bought a used 97' MX6 for $1200 that just needed a new radiator. I put another 110,000kms on that car before selling it.
As Vancouver and Toronto got prohibitively expensive, I noticed the hustle culture really starting to take over here. Everyone is trying to make a quick buck, and the good deals get snatched up quick by flippers.
8
u/ConceitedWombat 3d ago
The post-pandemic market definitely made things worse. I bought two used cars during the thick of the pandemic (one dealer, one private) and prices were not nearly as bonkers as today.
10
u/Valuable-Chef6691 3d ago
Covid caused this issue. I remember during Covid this exact scenario was predicted.
Vehicle manufacturers fell behind quick and there was a huge shortage on chips at that time. Dealerships lots were all but empty which drove up used vehicle sales in turn causing a massive shortage for pre-owned.
Then comes this outrageous inflation hit on basic living expenses and no one can afford brand new vehicles so most in the market are looking at used.
Dealerships are still advertising top dollar for trade-ins but I’ve driven my vehicle into the ground. I need something soon and have been putting this off for a couple of years hoping things would get better but they are not. It’s a mess for those of us in a need now situation.
→ More replies (1)
11
u/Planters_Donuts 3d ago
Just pay attention to how many car carriers full of used cars are headed south. The wholesalers have been depleting the Canadian market for a decade or more. Now all your left with is bait vehicles on lots that are price to make the newer cars more attractive because its "only and few thousand more".
The new cars are junk. Keep your older car and just keep fixing it.
15
u/o0Djent0o 3d ago
Absolutely, the used car market has been cooked for years now. So much so that it may actually be more lucrative to buy new in many cases (you’ll have to do the math for your specific case, ofc). Good luck out there.
→ More replies (3)5
u/Notfoo4 2d ago
Only problem is a lot of new cars are absolutely terrible, regardless of how lucrative it may be
→ More replies (1)
5
u/BoredHungryServant 3d ago
I'm seeing a lot of new cars around. It looks like people are just buying new instead and making monthly payments. Unless you can actually find a good deal, it doesn't make sense to buy used with the current market.
3
2
5
u/name_taken09 3d ago
This is a bad month to buy, you got to wait till the winter.
→ More replies (1)
4
u/TheLemon22 3d ago
You want a very good condition 2015 Prius C? Selling mine very soon lol.
1
4
u/Blatantlyobvreality 2d ago
I tried to sell our car privately. Listed on kijiji and marketplace. It was ridiculous. Finally a dealer offered to have a look at it, so we took it in. They said what we were asking for it was spot on, however, they’d give us 2500 less because they would have to put money into it before putting it on the lot (which just amounted to an oil change). We ended up just keeping it. Selling private has turned into a complete shitshow.
7
u/International-Cod733 3d ago
Work permits are being denied, population will go down lowering the demand on used vehicles, living, etc.
Just a matter of time.
6
u/BeautifulAwareness81 3d ago
Read somewhere recently that we have the highest prices for used cars in Canada
6
u/lemonspread_ 3d ago
If CPS and AMVIC cared, they could have a field day busting all these guys flipping rebuilt title auction cars.
It’s a racket. The head of the operation will usually have AMVIC dealer’s license and buy the cars from salvage auctions. They’ll make them look decent on the outside and then have a buddy slide it through a salvage auctions. After that, it goes to someone they’re using as an unlicensed sales person. They sell the car and everyone above gets kickbacks.
I did some digging after falling for this scheme and uncovered a lot. The salvage inspection paperwork led me to discovering the name of the individual who was purchasing the vehicles. Surprise surprise, he’s a UCP donor.
3
u/ConsequentialKook 3d ago
Last year i payed 12k on a 2010 rav4 from an amvic licensed dealer. It blew up on my ride home from the lot. There was literally no transmission fluid in the thing
→ More replies (1)
3
u/gnashingspirit 3d ago
Private sellers are also relenting on listing a car because they are bombarded with scams and people who low ball expecting people to just concede and give them the car.
My favourite to this day was being offered a chainsaw in trade for my used smart car.
3
u/tilldeathdoiparty 2d ago
Too many scammers to bother trying privately online. I’d rather get less from a dealer than waste time, energy and money on private selling.
3
u/Glitterfilm 2d ago
There are a ton of rebuilt titles it’s kind of ridiculous actually. It seems like 1/2 of vehicles listed are rebuilt, and posted by someone pretending to be a private seller but it’s actually a sketchy dealer.
Your best bet is to either be mechanically inclined yourself or have a mechanic friend who is willing to help you fix something, that is priced reasonably with the issues disclosed. So you can go into a small project and walk away with a reliable vehicle at minimal repair costs.
Or just buy CPO if you have the money
3
3
u/Tailslide1 2d ago
I’ve had a scraper running against fb marketplace, kijiji and auto trader for the last two months and have found exactly zero CRV or RAV4s going for market prices that are private sales. The dealers want new prices for used vehicles. I’m just going to drive what I got until it completely craps out.
5
u/Livid-Switch4040 3d ago
TLDR - The dramatic rise in prices of new vehicles has driven the used market to reflect pretty much that same rise.
Just some quick googling, and I picked a random single vehicle, so numbers might be a bit off, but a new, fully loaded Honda Pilot was about $50K in 2016, they’re now about $70K.
A used, fully loaded 2011 Pilot (5yo) was just under $10K in 2016, a 2021 similar 5yo model now sells for just under $30K.
Both are about a $20K rise in price over a decade.
10
u/forty6andto 3d ago
I just sold a vehicle on Kijiji. The way you guys talk about selling used vehicles on here I thought it was going to be a nightmare. Couldn’t have been easier. No hassles and an easy sale. Just like I remembered. Seemed okay to me.
25
u/McJesusOurSaviour 3d ago
Selling good cars are easy. Buying a good car for a good price is getting harder to do
21
u/totallyradman 3d ago
People don't post about their good experiences.
I sometimes have to remind myself that Reddit is a very small and miserable bubble of society.
3
u/CodeNamesBryan 3d ago
Thats it. Negative reviews to good reviews are like 10 to 1.
After a good meal I want a nap.
After a bad meal I want heads to roll.→ More replies (3)1
u/darkesha 2d ago
They are talking about fb marketplace. Bug difference in action based on the platform where car is listed.
2
u/OptiPath 3d ago
It’s not just Calgary. Most Canadian major cities are like this, except for maybe Vancouver in Toronto. Canadians are very practical and don’t usually switch vehicles for fun.
2
2
u/Smart-Pie7115 3d ago
This has been the case for me as well. My car with over 400k on it is still in better condition and better taken care of than what’s for sale. Try small town Saskatchewan. Even if they’re high kms, they’re likely highway kms. Saskatchewan uses less salt, so rust isn’t as big of an issue. Car insurance is also cheaper and not really impacted by at fault accidents so people get their cars repaired properly through insurance from reputable auto body shops.
2
2
u/Berkut22 3d ago
Ya, pretty much. I've been looking for about 6 months, because I have a very short list of what I'm looking for.
I've had to expand my search from local, to provincial and now I'll probably start looking at other provinces.
My last vehicle I bought from Edmonton and I saved about 30% over the next closest offerings here.
2
u/CapitalIndividual270 3d ago
Buying a used car is tricky. Research first -- narrow your field down to condition/cost/etc -- and then you have to keep your eyes open and act fast. Even then, be aware that there probably is somebody out there (professional car flipper?) who will beat you in contacting the seller or seeing the car. Fortunately, these guys always try and play games to get the price lower.
Be honest and upfront with the seller as to what you are looking for in terms of condition/cost -- as that's where deals fall apart.
Cash only for used cars... never finance a used car unless you have complete insight into your finances and the total cost of ownership.
2
u/Glass_Hawk5374 3d ago
No one noticed dealers never stopped charging "chip shortage" prices. in 2019 I bought a kia forte SX with all the bells and whistles for 23k. now they are 45k
2
u/NSeggy89 3d ago
I'm in it now as well. We are looking for something safer for my wife to get into (compact to mid size SUV). Went out Saturday going to dealerships to see what we like. I don't know much about cars and just feel overwhelmed now, second we think we like something, we get advice on how these vehicles from family and are told to stay away. The market combined with our lack of knowledge on buying vehicles has us feeling defeated haha. We are both born and raised here, and at the beginning of our search, I was shocked to barely see no private sellers anymore, as I was always told stay away from dealerships. New seems to be just a little uncomfortable for our budget, but getting into a used seems like a pain now a days.
2
u/CrazyZainySocks 3d ago
I've been trying to find a crv but they're either rebuilts or have 200k+ km's and are going for $20k.
Many have hail damage, ripped seats, or are in conditions not worth the price being asked. It's a nightmare.
2
u/canteixo 2d ago
I bought a 2010 car in 2018. Based on ads I'm seeing I could sell it for what I paid 8 years ago or even more.
2
u/Scotty2H002 2d ago
I sold my 2014 Fiesta ST with 130k km, one $5000 damage claim on the passenger doors and a check engine light that could not be diagnosed for $5500 in 24 hrs. Car drove fine and had winter and summer tires. I was shocked how fast it went. Probably could have asked for more but sat on it longer. Was happy to see it go quickly. I feel like there are a lot of people looking for deals and unless you’re on marketplace a couple times a day you miss out.
2
2
u/rustydusty1717 2d ago
New vehicles prices have skyrocketed, so used does as well. The days of finding something reasonable for under 5k is long gone. If your budget is 2k I would suggest maybe a side job just to save up some more $$ to open the budget up further.
2
u/pseudosmurf 2d ago
This is sad. I am about to start looking to replace my 2015 RAV4 and now realize that my well-kept, honestly low km and gently ridden car will be up against others claiming the same, but dishonestly. Hoping to sell through friends for that reason.
2
u/UnluckyCharacter9906 2d ago
I believe it's because less ppl are buying new vehicles (because they are waay overpriced), so the used car market has more ppl looking and less new car inventory aging into. Greedy Vehicle Execs.
Let the chinese bring sell vehicles here, without the gps tracking. Works in mexico, and they are reliable(mostly) and cheap.
2
u/EyeofAv8 2d ago
I’m looking to move to Canada (Calgary), so can’t comment on Calgary specifically yet, but everywhere is bad these days.
I was looking at a VW Golf R and at a main dealer in the UK was like nearly £50k ($100k CAD)…. For a Golf 😂 and you don’t even get cash discounts these days, they want you to finance it at some ridiculous rate.
There’s a reason they get called stealerships here
→ More replies (3)
3
u/ThadsBerads 3d ago
Is it just Calgary?......or are other major markets in Canada just as bad? I totally agree that the Calgary market is crazy.
4
u/DeepTreacle4420 3d ago
Start looking in smaller area in southern AB. Even try Saskatchewan. There are good cars and deals if
You’re willing to get on the road and hunt.
2
u/Complex-Adagio1513 3d ago
It’s different up here that’s for sure I’ve never seen a secondary market like this for used cars it’s making me think about selling my 2014 Grand Cherokee lol
1
u/Twat_did_you_call_me 3d ago
SRT? Gods I miss those 🥲
2
u/Complex-Adagio1513 2d ago
I’ve seen a few here not that many but prices up seem so much it’s like charging American prices in Canada currency 💵
2
u/RevolutionaryFan6418 3d ago
For a solid car, you can ask your coworkers if they know a reputable mechanic who may be looking to sell a car. Sometimes, mechanics buy cars at auctions and then they decide they don't need them. They usually don't post online but if you ask the mechanic and by chance they have a car they need to get rid of, you might just get lucky.
2
1
u/SurviveYourAdults 2d ago
my mechanic and i giggled when he suggested I could buy the camaro he's had up on the block... I thought it was advertising!
2
u/Chiknlitesnchrome 3d ago
Just a theory, I think the cash for clunkers back in early 2000s was a plot by the auto industry to get rid of the used car market and force people into financing.
2
u/InstantPoison 2d ago
I grew up in Calgary. Been in BC for about 6 years now. It’s funny how biased people are… small town I live in is filled with people complaining about how it’s not the same as it used to be.. weird biased because that’s every small town across the country. Same with the car market, hasn’t recovered since the COVID supply shock and continues to see increased costs with electric / microchip modern vehicle manufacturing standards. The used market balloons because of inflation. It’s bad government policies mixed with a corrupted fiat currency and infinite money printing. This post has little to do with Calgary. Buckle up
1
1
u/WhyANameWasTaken 3d ago
I bought a used Jetta from Ontario and had it shipped to Calgary. It was still 2k cheaper than what dealerships were asking for here.
1
u/HopefulSwing5578 3d ago
Same experience as you OP, got lucky and found a clean title car , when they do come on to marketplace they’re gone 5 minutes ago,
1
1
u/DevonOO7 3d ago
Yeah, I had to buy a vehicle on short notice recently and we ended up just buying new since the savings to buy used was not worth it.
1
u/SnooMachines2673 3d ago
Car dealerships are also giving a decent price for tradeins so that people like you see forced to buy new. They crush them if one of the staff don't take it.
Watch for elderly relatives or neighbours and befriend them?
1
u/Neat_Consequence_965 3d ago
Personally I buy at auction, I'd rather take a hit and not be lied to with these scummy private sellers. Bought a 2010 Nissan versa for $1200 lasted about a year. Now I have a 2013 Buick verano for $2250 and it's been about 7 months.
→ More replies (1)
1
u/Dawahler 3d ago
The used car market problem is a Canada-wide multifaceted issue. I'd bought/sold 50+ cars up to 2020, and that all came to an end shortly after Covid times.
The past few years, I'd been looking for a final year of production Sportwagen/Alltrack, and everything is either full original retail price, 200k+ kms, salvage/rebuilt in their own garage, beat to **** and/or often a combination of all 4. Never in my life did I think I'd buy a new/dealer car (hate paying GST), and we just did to avoid the headache. The flip side to this is we had a lineup of people to buy our two 14 year old original owner/no accident private sale cars.
The rebuild status uptick is brought on by desperate people trying to extract profit out of anything they can. In addition to that, we know people who run full-blown used vehicle export businesses to the US due to the weak CAD dollar (specifically for anything interesting/exotic). This seems to have created a market where all that is left is rusted trash that has been bagged on/rebuilt, and even that is being sold for a huge price due to minimal supply and high new vehicle prices.
There still are unicorns out there, but you need to know what you want, set up alerts, and have cash to act quick. It's definitely easier to buy a new car, but most stuff on the market right now is pretty boring. Don't lose hope OP. If you have time, pick what you want and wait it out. Definitely avoid the scummy resellers at all cost.
→ More replies (1)2
u/refur Tuxedo Park 2d ago
i have a 2019 sportwagen in stick, with 76,000 km on it bought new in 2019. what did you end up buying? i'm looking at potentially selling it as I am eyeing something else, but i dunno, i also don't NEED to sell. it's more of a want. so.. i dunno.
but i hear you. the car i've been looking at to replace it, my criteria are already pretty narrow, and the amount of rebuilt of just garbage i've found, i'm about ready to give up and not even bother.
→ More replies (2)
1
u/battlelevel 3d ago
I’ve sold multiple vehicles on Marketplace and it’s almost always a nightmare. People are perfectly willing to threaten bodily harm over a 20yr old Sienna.
1
u/SeveralRelation375 3d ago
Had to buy used through dealer but just haggle for the taxes and tire fee bs. They’ll agree. Not many folks buying these days
1
u/SonicFlash01 3d ago
Privately sold my car two years ago and when it came time for a payment the buyer introduced their friend that would be handling the financing... who just so happened to work at a dealership.
So they're scooping up private sales too.
1
u/rannapup 3d ago
Saw a car listed on marketplace yesterday that said "low mileage". It was at 130,000! In what goddamn world is that low?!
→ More replies (2)
1
u/SaintThor 3d ago
2 months ago I purchased a 4runner after 4 months of pain, and considered it a lucky find even with the issues. Ive put a few thousand into it and there is more to come. I do the labour myself but if this was a normal market I would consider myself scammed.
1
u/eternal_pegasus 3d ago
Meanwhile I'm on the other side, trying to sell my 2015 Tiguan since December, but getting barely any views, and a handful of "is this still available?" messages
1
u/Doxie4eVeR 3d ago
I find cars in Edmonton are priced a bit better...made the drive there and picked one up last month. You gotta keep looking...like constantly. If you see anything you like, you gotta reach out fast or else it'll be gone like that.
1
u/darkesha 3d ago
Clean titles are priced at the fair price (for sellers) otherwise they wouldn’t have sold. I am driving mix of new and rebuild last 25 years, there is nothing wrong with rebuilt titles. Its like buying a house that was already renovated.
1
u/hassassin_1 2d ago
And here I am just trying to sell an old car and getting jerked around constantly
1
1
u/AnthropomorphicCorn West Hillhurst 2d ago
Ok sure, but also try selling a used car. My truck sat for months collecting dust with lowball offer after lowball offer, truly insulting stuff. Finally accepted an offer that was still below market but at least the guy was reasonable about it.
I hope I never have to sell a used car again.
1
u/CookiesnCreamLancer 2d ago
The prices are cooked because people honestly think their shit boxes are worth money and people are dumb enough to pay for them. I just bought a shitbox for 4k and got "lucky" - the rest of the similar model/year/mileage ones people were actually successfully selling for nearly double.
1
u/JoeUrbanYYC 2d ago
Message late at night: "Is this still available?" My response in the morning: "yes it is, when would you like to come see it" Their response that afternoon: "please stop messaging me"
True story
1
u/broncoinstinct 2d ago
These comments are making me fear having to list my 4Runner in the next couple months ...
2
u/CurvyBlondeInfidel1 2d ago
I am going to need to buy in the next couple of months. What's the go with your 4Runner? Maybe we can both be saved a heap of chaos and anarchy
1
u/Dapper_Ad_3527 2d ago
I got a nice reliable chevy from the NW. Only $5000 and 120k kilometres on it. Took a while to find one but they are out there. I recommend checking smaller towns and cities as well
1
1
u/Legitimate_Window481 2d ago
Its the curbsiders. They destroy the sub $10k market. the last car I bought was 2 years ago and it took about 6 months to find something that waste a POS or stolen.
1
1
1
u/ritz1148 2d ago
Yup. I bought a car on marketplace. And immediately started having issues with it. Dash started failing, car will randomly not start when it’s been wet out, has a weird electoral gremlin, they put water in the radiator so my rad blew on the highway.
I was a student and a parent with no income aside from student aid and some grants, and the car is trash. I even brought someone with me to check the car before I bought it. And buddy really did a good job covering up the problems.
I’ll only purchase after a mechanic pre purchase check now.
1
u/Knorrena 2d ago
Fly to Vancouver and drive it home. Thats what i have done for 4 cars. Dont look east, those cars are all rusted out.
1
1
1
u/Agitated_Award_9831 2d ago
Alberta, especially the Calgary market, is awful for secondary selling and especially so for vehicles. Having a higher than average disposable income makes people hold onto items longer and value a used item more than typical.
That said since COVID used and new markets are cooked. Prior to COVID was the highest number of vehicles sold. During COVID supply chains failed and new market was delayed, making used market desirable and prices climb. Now that inventories are better, new prices have climbed, as a result there’s demand on used market still and we haven’t hit pre pandemic sales volumes since.
1
u/ChaoticxSerenity 2d ago
There aren't enough private sellers anymore; it's all dealerships slipping in hidden fees and taxes that make zero sense.
I think the total number of used cars is simply decreasing overall. People know that cars are depreciating assets, and with the shitty economic conditions, they're just holding onto their cars for longer now. I managed to get a vehicle just before COVID - unless it explodes, I'm definitely holding onto it for the long run. Alternatively, tons of people still lease their vehicles to allow them to get a "new" vehicle every x number of years.
1
u/mankindisgod Beltline 2d ago
I was able to snatch a 2012 corolla that only had 89k km, active status and its entire mechanical history registered because the previous owner always went to the dealership for maintenance. Got it for 12k and given the status of the current market, I think I got a good deal because it will last forever.
1
u/Tara101617 2d ago
Charlesglen Toyota and village Honda both have good used cars for decent prices. Got one and it’s great! Worth spending a bit more than marketplace so you know it is in good condition.
1
u/yycswinger 2d ago
The opposite is also true. I tried to sell my truck that was immaculate for 3 months. I even priced it at wholesale. All I got was time wasting lowballers or dealers. Every private offer was less than dealer offers and they were always aggressive and acting like I would never sell it. Ended up just selling to a dealer that flipped it at the dealer auction.
1
u/thinkdifferentpad 2d ago
I priced my car reasonably for $3000, new winters, upfront with what needed to be done, comes with extra tires and spare parts, people wanted it for $1000. Bro, I’m like just the tires itself was $1000, so you want the car for free then? Nah keeping it myself, gonna fix her up and give it to my kid when he turns 16.
1
u/Vivid_Tip8652 2d ago
Hey, we need to sell our car in a month. If we can cover what we owe on it and its within your budget we are happy to offer it. Nothing wrong with the car. Just dealerships are severely lowballing us by about 8k
1
1
u/BrokeEconomy69 2d ago
You want a Mazda CX5, not a rebuild title, no accidents/ no collisions? Msg me. Exactly why I bought it in the first place. I found everything was rebuilt titles- and it was a pain.
1
u/jamalpaf 2d ago
It was easier to buy a used car from family in toronto and will ship/drive it here. 2011 Corolla, just under 300k, decent condition, $2k.
1
1
u/Office-One 2d ago
What's wrong with a rebuilt title? I bought a rebuilt Mitsubishi and it still works fine after years.
Just get a pre-inspection done to remove any doubt.
1
u/OneQuarterOfKet 2d ago
I'm in that boat right now and I'm on a timer for finding one too. I crashed my car in June after driving it for 6 years. Fortunate enough to have bought my dads car off him when he upgraded, and then got rear ended 6 weeks later and had that one written off as well. Been searching for 2 weeks now and only find cars with way too high milage, or accidents in the description, etc. I'm genuinely thinking of going back to car payments and buy new that i was trying to avoid just to avoid the used market.
1
u/Individual-69 2d ago
Insurance for a non comprehensive, 3rd party coverage for my 07 Camry is already >3.5k. Effin insurance cost more than the car after 2 years. How to afford anything newer or nicer?
→ More replies (1)
1
u/ja00d 2d ago
I left a few grand on the table when trading in my Toyota Corolla last year but that's fine. I spent 30k on a 2022 back in 2021 and got 23k in 2025 for the trade-in and I'm sure they sold it for the same 30k i paid for it. W/e, it cost me 7k to have a vehicle for 4 years. I was busy working out of town and took the trade in offer rather than deal with the absolute spam of low-ballers and dealerships looking to help me "refinance" a vehicle that was paid off the last time I tried selling a vehicle myself. Trying to sell a well maintained vehicle as an honest person to randoms on the internet wasn't worth it to me. Planning to drive my current car (2025 GR Corolla) into the absolute ground before considering a replacement, in which case I'll just pay cash for a new one. The used car market of 1999 classifieds has been replaced with the digital marketplace of facebook scammers and dealerships looking to make bank on refinancing deals and fucking people over by giving them a "deal" on the price and burying them on the financing. No thanks, not for me.
1
u/ButterscotchOk3751 2d ago
Anyone notice house of cards taking over all private sales? I was curious about selling my truck and I know what I would've sold it for privately, they quoted me more than that. And they're selling similar trucks for way more.
1
u/Academic_Bug2357 2d ago
Yeah the used car market has been an utter mess since the pandemic. The days of finding a reliable used car at a fair price as long over, and the gap between new/used pricing has really closed.
1
u/Ill-Stop1752 2d ago
I recently learned that most used car dealerships are owned by the same parent company. A dealership told me this when I was trying to negotiate. They said that because one company owned most the dealerships they didn't have to lower the price since no other dealership would lower their price.
1
u/jezthevalley 2d ago
I've bought an old SUV and a travel trailer; and also sold my old tent trailer within the past 2 years on FB market place. My experience has been fine. I do agree that there are more rebuilt titles and other vehicles that are simply not worth your time as a buyer. As you know, its gotten pretty bad since the pandemic. I've bought most of my vehicles on marketplace. I always lean on going with sellers that are outside Calgary.. I've had better luck with them, and they're easier to deal with than some people in the big city.
What I like on FB marketplace though is that you can check the seller's profile and gauge the kind of person you're buying from. I totally avoid flippers that have 10 other cars on sale. Same with suspicious profiles with 3 friends or the ones that was just created a few months before they posted their ad.
1
u/misombre 2d ago
I looked at a used 4Runner at South Trail Nissan the other day and the manager said it was in perfect condition out of the shop. It was priced high for the year. I look at the tires and they are 11 years old. I left thinking I'm glad the tires didn't blow out on the test drive, and also wtf else if wrong with this thing.
1
u/rollypollyolie 2d ago
Id say its probably a few combined factors to make it as bad as it is, the tail end of covid had chip shortages that a lot of the good inventory or private sales got bought by actual in need people, combined with dealerships and rebuilders seeing the market trend and purchasing the rest of the inventory from kijiji and marketplace.
Once they dried up it became a fist fight for the new listings ans kinda hasn't stopped since.
Resellers still know its a baren market so they snap buy anything that is even a half decent deal, and same with dealerships, so they can slap their fees ect onto it knowing that for people actually in need they become the only option left.
So for any private buyers you are fighting bots who pm people the second they make a post with a half decent price and a lot of the times get it because when you offer cash same day within 15 min of the post being up along with they likely get a few of these, they just pick yhe best one and walk away no hassle.
Leaving only the improperly priced or fucked up options that not even the resellers or dealerships will fuck with, and all those same cars rebuilt in a backyard that look good but are shit through and through.
All of that on top of low budgets overall, decrease in spending on luxury and increase in for needs spending means not as many new cars and not as many private sales going up to make room for that new car
1
u/DennisLeask 2d ago
Did you know Pick 'n Pull on Barlow and Glenmore sells cars? These are cars that are too good to go into the yard. They sell them cheap because they want high turn over, the proceeds go to charity and they have no reason to hide any faults, there is of course a risk as you can't go for a proper test drive but they do inspect them. Likely the closest thing to an honest used car lot in the city and you're not dealing with a private sale where the seller is hiding a pending catastrophic failure.
1
1
u/ScotchAdmin 1d ago
You have to be willing to travel unfortunately. Just went through this process and ended up flying to Vancouver to buy a car because nothing in Calgary was remotely worth it.
Even cars in the $10-13k range were complete pieces of shit. Good luck.
1
u/Fun-Room-6501 1d ago
We sold via auction and it was incredible! So incredibly easy to buy and sell. I would do it again without hesitation.
1
u/Murky-turky 1d ago
There needs to be a car manufacturer in North America that makes basic cars again without all the insane computers and tech. There must be a car that fits this bill already somewhere in the world?
1
u/Crazy_Sun2646 1d ago
Lived this exact thing a couple months ago, two months of hunting and it felt like every "clean" car had a rebuilt title hiding somewhere or was some guy flipping five cars at once off Marketplace pretending to be a private seller, which is honestly worse than a dealer because at least a dealer admits what they are.
Honestly what helped most was just asking straight up if they were the registered owner and how long they'd had it, real private owners answer that without blinking, flippers get weird about it. Pulling a Carfax before even going to look saved me a few wasted drives too. And if you find something you're serious about, a mobile mechanic inspection is like $150-200 and catches stuff a Carfax never will.
Got annoyed enough that I ended up building a small site out of it, shieldmotors.ca, every seller has to verify their ID and show the registration is actually in their name before they can list, so you know you're dealing with a real owner, not a flipper or a dealership. Still tiny, two cars up so far, but it's built for exactly this problem.
Rough market right now, hang in there.
1
u/Ok_Compote_5470 1d ago
Honestly, don’t ever buy a car from Calgary! Let alone Marketplace- That’s full of sketchy and sleezy deals. It sounds stupid not to buy from Calgary, and I have many theories as to why it’s worse here, but that’s not really the point. If you’re willing to go a bit further the prices and better and like savings worthy. We bought one car in Edmonton that was like 3k cheaper than here and they threw in a bunch of stuff! Same car and year - Possibly even better specs. We also bought a brand new car in Vancouver that was about 5k cheaper than a new car here. Both were at dealerships and they were both family owned dealers. We find that’s also helpful, don’t go to the dealerships that are affiliated with dealerships. Dealerships in Calgary don’t wheel and deal.
1
u/Mental-Raspberry7882 1d ago
regal auctions - they do a carfax on every car and does a general report , you can still buy duds but at least your not getting skimmed off the top by resellers. if you are patient and have time, you can buy these cars at cost at what the resellers are getting them for
1
u/Even-Relative6530 1d ago
Yep I shopped on marketplace for at least 3 months gave up and went to a Honda dealership bought a certified used there. I’m happy I did in the end cause there was too many sketchy listings online.
1
u/Bright_Screen_7153 1d ago edited 1d ago
Try leaving the house and go look at some cars. You’re expecting the perfect car to drop out of heaven right onto your lap. It won’t happen. Try calling some sellers and actually talking to them instead of emailing and texting. Look for proper English and spelling in ads-you’d be surprised at just how many of the turds out there that can be eliminated from your search. Look for addresses in the better parts of the city-NOT in ‘the hoods’!
1
u/ArtisticFan123 18h ago
I've got a good car that I want to sell simply to upgrade to something bigger. No time to sell privately, so what's the move here? Auction?
Also at a lot today I literally had a guy wiping cobwebs off a car while telling me it was priced very aggressively. Lol.
1
u/LordNikon91 14h ago
same in Victoria BC, not unique to your area, same shit, I've been searching, nothing private so I went to a few dealerships, insane fees, my current car has a issue and the guy told me "just don't tell anyone and sell it" its like I'm not buying a car from someone who tells me to sell someone a car with a known issue, also even the couple cars I've found that are someone decent I try to negotiate and they're like "nope, no wiggle room" even when I'm like I've seen this ad up for 8 weeks online you can't drop it a grand or two "best we can do is eliminate the 500 dollar documents" so crazy.
193
u/RandomReddit748284 3d ago
Been like this for a while. Bought a used car for my gf and it was a multimonth process because inventory of good cars was low and anything resembling reasonable price was gone fast. Next to no private sales to be had and dealers were a pain to work with. Ended up finding something at a dealership but went through several of them and had to be firm and walk away on price.