About CarSignal
The data, the method, and why it costs nothing
What CarSignal is
CarSignal watches used car listings on AutoTrader, Kijiji, and Craigslist around the clock, scores each one against a live market benchmark, and emails you when a listing is priced well below what the market says it should cost.
It also publishes the benchmarks themselves: median prices for 1,685 model years across 9 makes, an instant deal check for any car you are looking at, and 26 reliability guides. All of it is free.
Where the numbers come from
Every benchmark is built from live Canadian listings posted in the last 90 days, filtered for outliers. We use the median, not the average. A $500 scam listing or a cluster of optimistic dealer prices will drag an average around, but the middle of the market holds steady.
Each price page shows the median price, the typical range, and the median mileage for that exact model year, along with the date its numbers were computed. A benchmark is never adjusted by hand.
How a deal alert is decided
A listing has to clear two bars before an email goes out: a score of at least 7 out of 10, and a price at least 15 percent under its benchmark. Anything short of that gets one of two other verdicts. Negotiate means the ask is close enough that a few hundred dollars of haggling makes it work. Pass means the numbers do not.
Most listings are a Pass. That is the point. An alert is only useful if it stays quiet until the numbers actually make sense.
The reliability guides
Each of the 26 guides covers one model generation and names the specific problems it is known for: which years are affected, which engines or trims avoid the trouble, and what a pre-purchase inspection should look at first.
Every guide links to the price benchmark for each model year it covers, so once you know which year to buy, you can see what it actually costs.
Independent and free
CarSignal does not sell cars, host listings, or take money from dealers or listing sites. There are no ads, no sponsored placements, and no referral fees. Nothing on this site is paid to rank well.
The data is the product, and the product is free. Enjoy it.
Questions
Anything unclear, or a number that looks off, goes to hello@mycarsignal.com. How your email and alert details are handled is covered in the privacy policy.