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About

Built for one thing: cars.

Throttle is a new marketplace for used cars, trucks and SUVs, sold by the people and dealers who own them. It’s free to list and free to buy, and it’s built so the honest way to sell a car is also the easy one.

  • Vehicles only
  • Free to list and buy
  • United States

Why it exists

Selling a car meant picking a problem.

There were two usual ways to sell a car, and neither was built for the person selling it.

The old classifieds were cheap or free, but your car sat next to everything else for sale. The details were whatever you typed into a text box, and your phone number often went in the ad.

The paid listing sites were more organized, and you paid for it. Fees per ad and monthly dealer plans are common, and so is paid placement for anyone who wants to be seen first.

Throttle is the third option: organized and free. It does one thing, used vehicles, and it leaves out what made selling a car a chore.

  1. The old classifieds

    Cheap, and a free-for-all

  2. The paid listing sites

    Organized, and you pay to be seen

  3. Throttle

    Organized and free

    Free to list and buyBuilt from the VINYour number stays private

What it is

What Throttle is, and what it isn’t.

A marketplace puts buyers and sellers in touch. It doesn’t stand between them.

What it is

  • A marketplace for used vehicles. Cars, trucks, SUVs and vans, sold by the people and dealers who own them.
  • Free to use. Free to list, free to buy and free to message.
  • Built from the VIN. Enter the VIN and the specs are decoded for you. No VIN handy? Pick the year, make and model from a list instead of typing them.
  • Private by default. Conversations stay in the app, and contact details are removed automatically.
  • Local. Made for in-person deals in the United States.

What it isn’t

  • A dealer. It doesn’t own, inspect, hold or ship vehicles.
  • A party to any sale. Buyers and sellers deal directly and pay each other in person.
  • A payment service. No payments, no deposits, no escrow.
  • An auction. Sellers set a real asking price.
  • A general classifieds app. Vehicles only. No furniture, no phones, no clutter.
  • International. It works in the United States only.

How it makes money

It doesn’t make money yet.

Listing, buying and messaging are free. No listing fees, no buyer fees, no subscriptions, no paid placement, no card needed.
  • Listing
    Free
  • Buying
    Free
  • Messaging
    Free
  • Bump to top
    Free, once every 7 days
  • Paid placement
    None
  • Card on file
    Not needed

Listing, buying and messaging will stay free.

If paid extras are ever added, they’ll be optional, they won’t be paid placement and they’ll be announced on this site first.

There are no ads in the app, and Throttle doesn’t sell your information.

More answers in the FAQ

Principles

How it’s built.

Six principles. Each one is in the app today, not on a roadmap.
Free to list, buy and messageNo listing fees, no buyer fees, no subscriptions and no card needed.No paid placementNobody can pay to be seen first. Any listing can be bumped to the top for free once every 7 days.Facts from the VINWhen a seller enters the VIN, year, make, model, engine and drivetrain are decoded from it using NHTSA’s public VIN decoder and locked on the listing. Sellers state the title status and mileage; Throttle doesn’t check titles.Your number stays privateBuyers message you in the app. Phone numbers, emails, links and social handles are removed automatically.A person reads every reportReport any listing, profile or message. We aim to look within one business day.Your information isn’t for saleThrottle doesn’t sell your information, and there’s no advertising SDK in the app.
The Post a vehicle screen after a VIN lookup, headed From the manufacturer’s record: a sample 2019 Chevrolet Silverado LT with body, drivetrain, engine, fuel, transmission and doors filled in.
A sample conversation about a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado LT. The buyer’s phone number shows as [number removed], and a Meeting up safety card appears when they ask to see the truck.

Sample listings and people. Pre-release app.

Contact

One address for everything.

Write to support@throttlemarketplace.com. We aim to reply within two business days.

Help and safety

A question about your account, a listing or someone you’re talking to. In the app, you can also tap Report on any listing, profile or message.

Email support

Dealers

Selling as a business? Tell us about your lot, or see how business mode and CSV import work.

Email us about your lot

Press

Boilerplate, product facts, brand marks and screenshots are on the press page. For anything else, use the subject line Press.

Press kit

For the whole US, launching first in Dallas⁠–⁠Fort Worth. Deals on Throttle are local and in person.

VIN decoding uses NHTSA’s public vPIC service. Place names come from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), and ZIP code areas from the US Census Bureau.

Be first on the lot.

Get one email when Throttle opens, then post your car in minutes. About a minute if you have the VIN.
Email me at launch

Opens an email to support@throttlemarketplace.com. We’ll write back once, when the app is live.

Coming soon to iPhone and Android.