Which is Better for Selling the Car?
CarGurus is the better choice if you’re looking to sell your car. Compared to CARFAX, it has a longer offer validity – 3 days versus 7 days. Additionally, CarGurus has a free pick-up option, so you can just stay at home and wait for them to process the sale and get your vehicle.
Their customer service is also way ahead as you can talk to them through chat, email, and phone. In comparison, CARFAX customer support is available only through an online form.
Best for Older & Damaged Cars
Buys used, damaged or junk cars
Free tow and no hidden fees
Pays by ACH trasfer or check
Top Pick for Junk Cars
Free, no-obligation cash offers
Offers free paperwork service
Pays on the spot upon pick up
Highly Rated by Customers
Excellent customer service ratings
Honors guaranteed offer for 7 days
Can pick up a car within 48 hours
Great for Low-Mileage Cars
Gives a real offer in 2 minutes
100% hassle-free online process
Free car’s Value Tracker available
CarGurus vs. CARFAX Comparison
| CarGurus | CARFAX | |
|---|---|---|
| Cars accepted | Any cars, subject to restriction | In good condition |
| Fees | $0 | $0 |
| Requesting quotes | Online application | Online application |
| Offer validity | 7 days or an additional 250 miles | 3 days |
| Payments offered | Cash | Cash |
| Payout | Bank transfer, check | Check, direct deposit |
| Car pick-up | Free pickup | Drop off |
| Physical locations | None | Partner dealerships in the US |
| Turnaround time | Up to three business days | Up to 72 hours |
| Customer service | Chat, phone, email | Online form |
| Reviews | 2.4 | 2 |
Cars Accepted
You can sell your car to CarGurus as long as it’s not in their ineligible category. This category depends on the age of the vehicle and after-market customizations.
You can find out if your car is eligible for instant cash offers by going through their website and starting a quote request using the VIN.
CARFAX accepts cars that are in fair, good, or excellent condition. The company defines these three conditions as the following:
- Fair refers to cosmetic flaws and mechanical issues in need of part replacement or repair
- Good means the vehicle has minor cosmetic flaws and no major mechanical problems
- Excellent refers to vehicles without cosmetic flaws or mechanical issues and generally considered good as new
Fees
CarGurus and CARFAX charge zero rates when you sell your car to them. You can use their website to get an instant offer for free. When you bring your car for inspection, they also won’t charge you anything. CarGurus even offers to pick up your car for free.
Requesting Quotes
To request a quote at CarGurus, simply go to their website and click the Sell option, then Sell My Car at the top of the home page. You’ll see the field where you can enter your car’s VIN or license plate number.
After that, CarGurus will ask for specific details about your car. These include your vehicle’s:
- Color, trim, and transmission
- Condition
- Mileage
- History
Finally, to get the instant offer, you’ll need to provide an active email address.
Similar to CarGurus, you can also get an instant offer from CARFAX through an online form. Their website also has a Sell My Car page, and once you’re there, you’ll also need to provide either the VIN or the license plate number.
CARFAX will ask for further details about your car’s description and condition, as well as your personal contact information. Once done, you’ll receive the instant offer by email, and you can set up an appointment with a local CARFAX branch to redeem the offer.
Offer Validity
CarGurus offers are valid for 7 days or an additional 250 miles on the odometer. This means that even if you already received the instant offer to sell your car to them, you can still use it.
During the inspection, CarGurus will check if the mileage has increased by 250 miles or less. If the increase is higher than 250 miles, you’ll need to request an instant offer again.
In comparison, offers at CARFAX are valid for 3 days only.
Payments Offered
CarGurus pays out cash for your vehicle through a check or a bank transfer. CARFAX also offers cash for cars through checks or direct deposit.
Payout
Both CarGurus and CARFAX send out payment within 3 business days of accepting your car.
With CarGurus, you’ll need to link a bank account to the account you created when you requested the online quote. Doing this allows them to automatically send you the payment after finalizing the sale.
If your bank account is unable to link with your CarGurus account, you can choose to receive the payment through check. CarGurus will send the check by mail the same day they pick up your car.
Car Pick-up
Only CarGurus offers free pickup when you sell your car to them. You only need to schedule a timeframe for them to pick up your car. The pick-up process typically takes only up to 30 minutes, assuming you have important documents and the keys ready.
Physical Locations
CARFAX has partner dealerships across the country where you can bring your car to claim an instant offer. After requesting a quote online, you’ll get to a page where you can view a list of nearby CARFAX dealerships.
You’ll need to choose one from the list and set up an appointment to bring your car to them. Note that only that dealership will honor your instant quote. If you prefer to bring your car to another partner dealership, you’ll need to request an instant quote again.
Turnaround Time
Turnaround times for selling your car with CARFAX and CarGurus are pretty much similar. CarGurus takes up to 3 business days to complete the selling process. After all, you’ll need to schedule the pick-up, which depends on the availability of the CarGurus team.
CARFAX, meanwhile, lets you set up an appointment at a nearby store. That means you can get a shorter turnaround time since you can set it up within 24 hours of requesting a quote.
Of course, you’ll need to bring all required documents and get your car ready before taking it to the store. That way, you can sell your car within a 90-minute appointment at the store.
Customer Service
There are three ways you can contact the CarGurus customer service team:
- Phone: 877-492-4737
- Email: user_support@cargurus.com
- Chat through the chat icon at the bottom right of the home page
The phone support team is only available between 9 AM to 9 PM ET, every Monday to Saturday.
CARFAX has the following support channels for customers:
Reviews
At Trustpilot, CarGurus received a 2.4 rating while CARFAX has a 2.0 rating. Both companies received an A+ accreditation from the Better Business Bureau. Their customer ratings are at 1.54 and 1.06 respectively.
Customers liked that CarGurus offers a free pick-up service, and there are no hidden charges when you sell your car to them. Also, some were happy that the company paid them the same amount indicated on their instant offers.
On the other hand, few customers felt that CarGurus took a long time to process payments. One customer even noticed CarGurus could have easily handed them the check payment when they picked up their car instead of mailing it.
| CarGurus | CARFAX | |
|---|---|---|
| Trustpilot | 2.4 | 2.0 |
| BBB | 1.54 | 1.06 |
| Consumer Affairs | 3.7 | 2.8 |
CARFAX also had its fair share of positive and negative comments from customers. Some customers find the vehicle reports helpful when trying to sell their cars to private buyers. Others were thankful that CARFAX is accessible through its partner dealerships.
In contrast, some customers felt that CARFAX could have paid them more for their vehicles. Also, some users believed that the vehicle reports they acquired were inaccurate, causing them issues with selling their cars to private buyers.