Cargurus vs. Cars com Review & Comparison 2023

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Which is Better for Selling the Car?

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Between CarGurus and Cars.com, CarGurus is a better option for selling your car. It accepts most cars and only requires a valid VIN to confirm if they can buy your car. You have two options to sell, letting you get the most money for your vehicle. 

If you go the instant cash route, you can request a quote from anywhere in the country, unlike Cars.com. After all, the latter still needs to confirm whether instant offers are available in your area. 

Additionally, CarGurus offers are valid for up to 7 days or 250 additional miles, providing you more time to consider their offer or check other car-buying sites. This is way better than the 3-day validity at Cars.com. 

Although payment processing can take up to two days, CarGurus lets you skip a trip to the bank by offering a direct bank transfer. It also guarantees a free pick-up service, so you can complete the sale without leaving your home. 

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Company	CarGurus	Cars.com
Logo
Cars accepted	Most cars	Eligible vehicles
Fees	$0 for instant offers, $4.95 listing fees	$0
Requesting quotes	Online application	Online application
Offer validity	7 days or an additional 250 miles	3 days
Payments offered	Cash via bank transfer or check	Depends on the dealership
Payout	Within 2 business days	Same day
Car pick-up	Free pickup	Depends on the dealership
Physical locations	None	Partner dealerships
Turnaround time	Up to 3 business days	Up to 72 hours
Customer service	Chat, phone, and social media	Chat, call, fax, and social media
Reviews	2.4	3.1

Cars Accepted

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CarGurus buys cars in most conditions. However, you’ll need to check if your vehicle is among those. To do that, go to their website and enter the Vehicle Identification Number or license plate number. Cargurus will consider your car based on its

• Aftermarket customizations
• Age
• Other relevant factors

In comparison, Cars.com will accept your car as long as they are not any of the following: 

• Without VIN
• Imported illegally or not built in the US
• Registered at a car auction
• Trade-in commercial vehicles
• Had a taxi, fire, livery, or police history

Fees

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Both companies offer free services, such as getting an instant offer and having your car inspected. CarGurus can even pick up your car for free if you decide to sell them.

However, Cargurus charges a $4.95 listing fee if you prefer to use their platform to sell your car to private buyers.

Requesting Quotes

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CarGurus lets you request a quote through their Sell Your Car webpage. You’ll need to enter your car’s VIN here. If you don’t have the VIN, you can provide the license plate number and state where your car is registered.

From there, its website will direct you to another page where you can specify more details about your car’s condition, history, and mileage. Before sending your online application, you’ll need to enter your email address. 

Within minutes, you’ll receive the instant cash offer from CarGurus, with the option to schedule a pick-up time. 

Cars.com also has its own version of the Sell Your Car page on its website. However, it starts with entering your zip code to confirm if instant cash offers are available in your area. If it is, you’ll need to enter the VIN or license plate number next. 

After providing that information, you’ll need to enter the following:

• Mileage
• Condition
• Number of keys
• Ownership
• Leasing details, if applicable

Once done, the website will ask for your contact details, such as phone number and email, so participating dealers can contact you with their offers.

Offer Validity

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CarGurus allows you 7 days or an additional 250 miles to accept their offer. Beyond these, you’ll need to do the online application again to get an instant offer. Meanwhile, Cars.com only has 3 days of validity for their offers.  

Payments Offered

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CarGurus pays in check or bank transfer once you accept their instant cash offer. Payments offered at Cars.com vary across their partner dealerships, and it’s best practice to check it with them first before accepting their instant offer.  

Payout

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CarGurus processes payments within 2 business days of finalizing the sale. Meanwhile, Cars.com partner dealerships pay within the same day of selling your car to them. 

Car Pick-up

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CarGurus mostly operates online, and you can only sell your car to them by having them pick it up. Fortunately, this option is free. 

Most partner dealerships at Cars.com, on the other hand, may not offer free pick-up services. You can, however, confirm with a partner dealership if they can pick up your vehicle before accepting their offer. 

Physical Locations

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Cars.com has physical locations across the country through its partner dealerships. When you accept an offer from their dealership, most of the time, you’ll need to bring your car for inspection and completion of the sale. 

Turnaround Time

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Overall, selling to CarGurus and Cars.com can take up to 3 days or 72 hours. Getting an online quote from CarGurus can only take 2 minutes, while their pick-up duration might take only an hour. 

However, CarGurus processes long payment times of up to 2 business days, and this can take overall turnaround time longer.

Similarly, filling out an online form at Cars.com can take a couple of minutes only. But, dealing with partner dealerships and setting up an appointment to have your car inspected can take much of your time. 

Customer Service

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CarGurus offers three ways to reach their customer service: chat, phone, and social media. You can find a blue chat icon on their website, and just click here to connect with their chat representative. 

If you prefer to talk to them via phone, their hotline is 877-492-4737. You can connect to them on social media through their Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Cars.com also offers the following channels to connect with their support team:

Reviews

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CarGurus received positive reviews from car sellers at Trustpilot and Consumer Affairs. Most of the compliments are about the

• Efficient process 
• High offers compared to other dealerships. 
• Straightforward process of listing their cars
• Able to find private buyers quickly
• No hidden charges

In contrast, CarGurus received complaints at the Better Business Bureau about customers receiving spam calls after listing their cars on the CarGurus website. However, the company was able to address these issues. 

Cars.com received great reviews on Trustpilot and Consumer Affairs, with customers liking their website as a resource for buying and selling cars. At BBB, most negative reviews came from car buyers and dealers looking to list their vehicles on the platform.

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Peddle

Peddle is one of the alternatives to CarGurus and Cars.com you should consider if you’re looking to sell your car. You can also get an instant cash offer by completing their online application and scheduling a pick-up service for free. 

Compared to CarGurus and Cars.com, Peddle buys vehicles in any condition, including the ones that those two companies might not accept. Additionally, Peddle lets you get an instant offer by contacting their hotline. 

Finally, selling to Peddle can be as fast as 48 hours, faster than CarGurus and Cars.com’s 3-day turnaround time.

CarBrain

Similar to CarGurus and Cars.com, CarBrain is one of the go-to platforms if you’re looking to sell your car with minimal hassle. The company lets you do everything online: from providing details about your car to getting an offer and setting up pick-up times. 

However, CarBrain’s customer service is among the best in the industry. You can reach them through various channels, including chat, email, phone, fax, online form, and social media. 

It’s also one of the highly rated companies at Trustpilot and Better Business Bureau, averaging 4.8 and 4.91, respectively. 

Wheelzy

Wheelzy is one of the car-selling sites like CarGurus and Cars.com, as it lets you connect with buyers instantly. Through its instant offers, you can sell an old vehicle for cash and have it towed without paying anything. 

Wheelzy also lets you list your car on their platform and sell it to private buyers. But unlike CarGurus, there’s no listing fee, and Wheelzy assures every service they offer is free.