9.5% of the Market Is Under $3,000. Here Is What You Get.
The bottom of the market is bigger than most buyers assume and far less random than it looks. The cars down there are strikingly consistent — same models, same age, same mileage — which tells you what actually survives to get there.
There Are 20 McLarens for Sale in America. There Are 71,161 Fords.
A used market is supposed to be a mirror of what people bought. Sort 413,888 listings by badge and the mirror turns out to have some very thin spots — and a spelling problem nobody talks about.
502 Used Cars Are Genuinely New. Another 664 Just Say So.
Craigslist lets the seller choose the condition from a dropdown. Nobody checks it against the odometer. We did, across every listing we hold, and the word "new" turns out to mean almost nothing.
When a Model Year Goes Wrong, Owners Don't Cut the Price. They All Sell at Once.
A bad year for a model has to show up somewhere. It doesn't show up in the asking price — it shows up in how many of them are for sale at the same time.
Cars With the Best Rollover Rating Are Written Off Two and a Half Times More Often
A five-star rollover score sounds like the safest possible outcome. Cross-referenced with title status, those cars turn out to be the ones most likely to have been written off.
One in Five Subaru Crosstreks for Sale Has Been Written Off and Rebuilt
Branded titles cluster on specific models rather than spreading evenly. The four at the top of the list got there for four completely different reasons.
The Same Fifteen Cars Cost $14,078 in Seattle and $8,274 in Miami
Regional price differences usually get blamed on cost of living, which would put New York and Los Angeles at the top. A fixed basket of ordinary cars says otherwise.
Electric Cars Are the Youngest on the Market and Carry the Most Branded Titles
Damage history usually accumulates with age, so the newest cars should have the cleanest titles. Sorted by what's under the bonnet, the pattern inverts.
Georgia Has the Highest-Mileage Used Cars and Almost the Cleanest Titles
It's tempting to assume the states with the most worn-out cars also have the most written-off ones. Sorted side by side, the two measures barely relate to each other.
"Buy From a Private Seller" Is Impossible Advice in Half of America
The standard tip for saving money on a used car assumes private sellers exist near you. In several major markets they barely do, and the reason isn't what you'd guess.
When a Car Doesn't Sell, 73% of Sellers Just Post It Again at the Same Price
A car that didn't sell is telling you something about its price. I tracked what sellers do about it, and the most popular response is to do nothing at all.
Sellers Who Publish the VIN Ask 11% More — and Get It
You'd expect a seller who opens the car up to scrutiny to be the one making concessions. Matched like for like, they charge more than the sellers who don't.