Buying on Craigslist from a private owner may bring you a better price, but you will not have easy financing, and you will not be sure of the reputation of the person you are buying from. There are also some dangers associated with buying privately, such as your personal safety, the risk of buying a stolen car, and the risk that you will buy a vehicle that does not function properly. Buying from a reputable dealer is much safer to do and will give you that benefit of being able to obtain a loan so that you may be able to buy a little better car today than your cash could buy. When using Craigslist for shopping for a used car, most ads will have a picture of the car and a thorough description, including the price being asked for the car. You can make a list of the cars that interest you and then plan your travel to the surrounding area dealerships to view the ones you are interested and test drive them. While you are visiting, you can also view other great used cars for sale.