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Real people,
Real picks
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No ai. Premium filtering by real people
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No one can buy their way on to our list. Placement must be earned
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Over 20 years experience helping people across all makes & models
Organized strategically by
$5k price points
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The used-car market works in $5k increments
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See The Sandwich Principle & The Compression Zone for strategy
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We intentionally target used-cars below $20k
Local is
in our DNA
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Every listing is local, real, and accessible
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Utilize our vetted mechanics & car services for support at every step
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We are locally owned and operated, crafted with care
Doom scrolling through used-car listings is a pain.
We filter through hundreds of listings per week
so you don't have to.
Imagine a binge-worthy Netflix series.
Yeah, that's the car market for us - can't. stop. watching.
The free used-car list
curated for you &
delivered to your inbox
We find & share the few local used cars under $20k that are actually worth your attention.
Utilize our vetted network of local car-related services to make financially smart car decisions, not just cheap ones.
Local. Curated. No spam.
Stephen
(your neighborhood car nerd)
How are these cars chosen?
The ingredients that go into our secret sauce
20+ years of experience that allows us to choose cars that are historically reliable and hold value well. The expectations and recommendations can vary based on type of car (SUV, sedan, truck) and within the various price brackets.
We use photos and ad descriptions to get an idea of the quality of the seller and car. Is it truly a privately owned car? Where is the car parked in the photos? Is it in a nice neighborhood? Is it a dealer flipper? Can they show ownership history? Reason for sale? Do they note imperfections? Do they sound like they sell a lot of cars?
While cosmetics are not everything, it does tell a story. We want as mint of an exterior as possible, but we actually prioritize the interior condition more (subconsciously, you probably do as well). Cosmetics are also a price-relevant dynamic. (At $20k, we don't expect body damage. But the close you get to $0, it's not uncommon to see light damage.)
We refuse to be paid to list a car. Every listing is organically vetted to protect the integrity of this list at all costs. If any reader wants to list on our site, we encourage them to create an ad (using our many seller tips) and if their car passes our filters, we will feature it.
We do not recommend any cars that have a salvage title or rebuilt title. Clean titles only. Shoppers are recommended to do their own due diligence to confirm a seller's claim to a clean title. (Clean titles do not mean that a car is accident-free. It means that a car has not been in a total loss situation.)
We learned many lessons the hard and expensive way.
The Local Car helps you find a quality used-car faster, avoid common mistakes, and shop with confidence.
Every list is local in its DNA and carefully curated with a lot of love and care.
Stephen
(your neighborhood car nerd)
Become a smarter car shopper in 10 seconds.
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