Automobile Scraper - Cars.com, Autotrader, Edmunds, TrueCar & CarMax

Search 5 car marketplaces at once. Get pricing, mileage, dealer info, photos, and specs for any vehicle. Just type what you're looking for (e.g., "BMW X5") and pick your sources.

How It Works

1. Type a car name in Search Query (e.g., "2023 BMW X5")
2. Enter your ZIP code for local results
3. Pick which sources to search
4. Click Start - results appear in the Dataset tab

That's it. The actor parses your search into make/model/year automatically.

Quick Start Examples

Search for a specific car

{
  "searchQuery": "BMW X5",
  "location": "90210",
  "sources": ["cars.com", "autotrader", "carmax"]
}

Search with price and year filters

{
  "searchQuery": "Honda Civic",
  "location": "75201",
  "searchRadius": 100,
  "minYear": 2021,
  "maxYear": 2025,
  "minPrice": 15000,
  "maxPrice": 30000,
  "maxMileage": 50000,
  "condition": "used",
  "sources": ["cars.com", "autotrader", "edmunds", "truecar", "carmax"]
}

Search by make only (all models)

{
  "searchQuery": "Tesla",
  "location": "10001",
  "condition": "used",
  "maxResults": 100
}

Decode a VIN number

{
  "task": "decode_vin",
  "vin": "5UXCR6C04M9123456"
}

Returns full vehicle specs from the free NHTSA database (engine, transmission, safety features, etc.).

Demo mode (free, no scraping)

{
  "demoMode": true,
  "searchQuery": "Toyota Camry"
}

Returns sample data so you can test integrations without using credits.

All Input Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
searchQuery	string	-	What car you're looking for. Examples: "BMW X5", "2023 Toyota Camry", "Used Honda CR-V"
make	string	-	Vehicle make (auto-detected from searchQuery if not set). Examples: Toyota, BMW, Ford
model	string	-	Vehicle model (auto-detected from searchQuery if not set). Examples: Camry, X5, Mustang
location	string	-	ZIP code or city for local search. Examples: 90210, Dallas, TX
searchRadius	number	50	Search radius in miles from location (10-500)
sources	array	["cars.com", "autotrader", "carmax"]	Which sites to search. Options: cars.com, autotrader, edmunds, truecar, carmax
condition	string	all	Vehicle condition: all, new, used, certified
minYear	number	-	Minimum model year (1990-2025)
maxYear	number	-	Maximum model year (1990-2025)
minPrice	number	-	Minimum price in dollars
maxPrice	number	-	Maximum price in dollars
maxMileage	number	-	Maximum mileage
bodyType	string	-	Body type: sedan, suv, truck, coupe, hatchback, wagon, convertible, van, minivan
fuelType	string	-	Fuel type: gasoline, diesel, electric, hybrid, plug-in-hybrid
transmission	string	-	Transmission: automatic, manual
drivetrain	string	-	Drivetrain: fwd, rwd, awd, 4wd
exteriorColor	string	-	Exterior color filter
maxResults	number	50	Max vehicles to return per source (1-500)
includePhotos	boolean	true	Include vehicle photo URLs
demoMode	boolean	false	Return sample data for testing (free)
webhookUrl	string	-	URL to send results when done (Zapier, Make, n8n, etc.)

Output Format

Each vehicle in the dataset looks like this:

{
  "id": "cars-1708123456789-abc123def",
  "source": "cars.com",
  "title": "2023 BMW X5 xDrive40i",
  "price": 52500,
  "priceFormatted": "$52,500",
  "year": 2023,
  "make": "BMW",
  "model": "X5 xDrive40i",
  "trim": null,
  "mileage": 18200,
  "mileageFormatted": "18,200 mi",
  "exteriorColor": null,
  "interiorColor": null,
  "vin": null,
  "fuelType": null,
  "transmission": null,
  "drivetrain": null,
  "engine": null,
  "bodyStyle": null,
  "condition": "Used",
  "certified": false,
  "dealer": {
    "name": "BMW of Beverly Hills",
    "address": null,
    "city": null,
    "state": null,
    "phone": null,
    "rating": null
  },
  "photos": [],
  "features": [],
  "description": null,
  "listingUrl": "https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/...",
  "daysOnMarket": null,
  "scrapedAt": "2026-02-17T10:30:00.000Z"
}

Pricing

Pay-per-event: $0.05 per vehicle scraped.

Vehicles	Cost
10	$0.50
50	$2.50
100	$5.00
500	$25.00
Demo mode	Free

VIN decoding via NHTSA API is free (no charge).

Supported Sources

Source	What You Get
Cars.com	Listings, prices, dealer info, mileage
Autotrader	Listings, prices, dealer info, mileage
Edmunds	Listings, prices, dealer info
TrueCar	Listings, prices, market data
CarMax	No-haggle pricing, inventory

Use Cases

Dealerships - Competitive Pricing

Search for the same car across all 5 sources to see how your pricing compares. Run daily to track competitor price changes.

Wholesalers - Arbitrage

Find underpriced vehicles by comparing the same make/model across marketplaces. Set maxPrice low and maxResults high.

Analytics - Market Research

Track inventory levels and pricing trends by make, model, and region. Schedule runs for historical data.

Lending & Insurance - Valuations

Look up fair market values by make/model/year/mileage for lending decisions and claims.

Developers - Build Apps

Feed vehicle data into car shopping apps, comparison tools, or valuation calculators via webhook or API.

Webhook Integration

Send results to Zapier, Make.com, n8n, or any webhook URL:

{
  "searchQuery": "Toyota RAV4",
  "location": "90210",
  "maxResults": 50,
  "webhookUrl": "https://hooks.zapier.com/hooks/catch/123456/abcdef/"
}

Results are sent as a JSON array when the run completes. Popular automations:

• Vehicle data -> Google Sheets (inventory tracking)
• Underpriced vehicles -> Slack (arbitrage alerts)
• New listings -> Email (market monitoring)

Troubleshooting

"I searched for BMW but got Hondas"

Make sure Demo Mode is unchecked (set to false). Demo mode returns sample data that may not match your search.

"No results found"

• Check your spelling (e.g., "Mercedes-Benz" not "Mercedes Benz")
• Try a broader search (remove price/mileage filters)
• Try a different ZIP code with a larger radius
• Some source + make combinations have limited inventory

"Results are slow"

Real scraping takes 1-3 minutes per source. Stealth browsing is slower but more reliable. Reduce the number of sources or lower maxResults for faster runs.

"Rate limited / blocked"

Wait 10-15 minutes between runs. The actor uses residential proxies and stealth browsing by default to minimize blocks.

---

Built by John Rippy | Actor Arsenal