# Cars.com Search Scraper (`powerai/car-search-scraper`) Actor Scrape vehicle listings from Cars.com with automatic pagination and comprehensive car details including prices, dealer info, and specifications. - **URL**: https://apify.com/powerai/car-search-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [PowerAI](https://apify.com/powerai) (community) - **Categories:** Automation, Integrations, Other - **Stats:** 46 total users, 4 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 2 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $4.99 / 1,000 results This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours, and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store. In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server. Actors are written with capital "A". ## How to integrate an Actor? If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects. You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## 🚗 Cars.com Search Scraper This actor allows you to scrape vehicle listings from Cars.com by providing a search URL. It automatically handles pagination and extracts comprehensive vehicle information including prices, dealer details, specifications, and more. ### Features - **URL-based Scraping:** Extract vehicle listings by providing a complete Cars.com search URL - **Automatic Pagination:** Automatically navigates through all pages until reaching the end or max items limit - **Comprehensive Vehicle Data:** Extract detailed information about each vehicle including: - Vehicle specifications (year, make, model, trim) - Pricing information (price, MSRP, monthly payment estimates) - Vehicle images - Dealer information (name, rating, reviews, phone) - Vehicle identification (VIN, listing ID) - Stock type (new/used) - **Smart Deduplication:** Automatically removes duplicate listings - **Proxy Support:** Optional proxy configuration for better reliability ### Input Parameters | Field | Type | Required | Description | |------------|---------|----------|------------------------------------------------| | `searchUrl`| string | Yes | Complete Cars.com search URL to scrape | | `maxItems` | integer | No | Maximum number of vehicle listings to fetch (default: unlimited) | | `proxyConfiguration` | object | No | Proxy settings for the actor | #### How to Get Search URL 1. Go to [Cars.com](https://www.cars.com) 2. Use the search filters to find vehicles (make, model, location, price range, etc.) 3. Copy the complete URL from your browser's address bar 4. Paste it into the `searchUrl` field Example search URL: ```` https://www.cars.com/shopping/results/?stock\_type=new\&makes%5B%5D=nissan\&models%5B%5D=nissan-rogue\&maximum\_distance=50\&zip= ```` ### Output The output is a dataset of vehicle listing objects, each containing: - `searchUrl`: The original search URL used - `listingId`: Unique listing identifier - `listingUrl`: Direct link to the vehicle detail page - `title`: Full vehicle title (e.g., "2026 Nissan Rogue Rock Creek") - `year`: Vehicle year - `make`: Vehicle make/brand - `model`: Vehicle model - `trim`: Vehicle trim level - `stockType`: New or Used - `price`: Current listing price - `msrp`: Manufacturer's suggested retail price - `monthlyPayment`: Estimated monthly payment - `imageUrl`: URL of the vehicle image - `dealerName`: Name of the dealer - `dealerRating`: Dealer rating (out of 5) - `reviews`: Number of dealer reviews - `location`: Dealer location - `phone`: Dealer phone number - `vin`: Vehicle identification number - `dealerId`: Dealer identifier - `scrapedAt`: Timestamp of when the listing was scraped Example output: ```json [ { "searchUrl": "https://www.cars.com/shopping/results/?stock_type=new&makes%5B%5D=nissan&models%5B%5D=nissan-rogue&maximum_distance=50&zip=", "listingId": "580b2f91-fcbe-4dfe-aaee-f8e7d1d2bd90", "listingUrl": "https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/580b2f91-fcbe-4dfe-aaee-f8e7d1d2bd90/", "title": "2026 Nissan Rogue Rock Creek", "year": "2026", "make": "Nissan", "model": "Rogue", "trim": "Rock Creek", "stockType": "New", "price": 32895, "msrp": 35895, "monthlyPayment": 561, "imageUrl": "https://platform.cstatic-images.com/large/in/v2/12eced4b-43c0-5d7b-838f-7859e42c55ca/d49db05b-691b-4335-bbdb-fc64eec2568f/lTdQiMoRZfpR7t7NV9oFvkLh1Hc.jpg", "dealerName": "Mankato Motors", "dealerRating": 4.8, "reviews": 1244, "location": "", "phone": "8778117193", "vin": "5N1BT3BBXTC693951", "dealerId": "17672", "scrapedAt": "2025-11-07T09:28:28.023Z" }, ... ] ```` ### Use Cases - Vehicle price comparison and market research - Inventory monitoring for dealerships - Lead generation for car buyers - Price trend analysis - Dealer performance tracking - Used car market analysis - Competitive pricing research ### Notes - Results are saved incrementally as they are found - All timestamps are in ISO 8601 format - Price values are in USD - Monthly payment is an estimate - The actor respects pagination and will automatically navigate through all pages *** **Start scraping vehicle listings from Cars.com today!** # Actor input Schema ## `searchUrl` (type: `string`): The complete Cars.com search URL to scrape (e.g., https://www.cars.com/shopping/results/?stock\_type=new\&makes\[]=nissan) ## `maxItems` (type: `integer`): Maximum number of vehicle listings to fetch ## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`): Proxy settings for the actor ## Actor input object example ```json { "searchUrl": "https://www.cars.com/shopping/results/?stock_type=new&makes%5B%5D=nissan&models%5B%5D=nissan-rogue&maximum_distance=50&zip=", "maxItems": 100, "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": false, "apifyProxyGroups": [ "RESIDENTIAL" ] } } ``` # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = {}; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("powerai/car-search-scraper").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); items.forEach((item) => { console.dir(item); }); // 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs ``` ## Python example ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient # Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token # Replace '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = {} # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("powerai/car-search-scraper").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{}' | apify call powerai/car-search-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=powerai/car-search-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Cars.com Search Scraper", "description": "Scrape vehicle listings from Cars.com with automatic pagination and comprehensive car details including prices, dealer info, and specifications.", "version": "0.0", "x-build-id": "ToglQSjb9i8cmcJpq" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/powerai~car-search-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-powerai-car-search-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/powerai~car-search-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-powerai-car-search-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/powerai~car-search-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-powerai-car-search-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "required": [ "searchUrl" ], "properties": { "searchUrl": { "title": "Search URL", "minLength": 1, "type": "string", "description": "The complete Cars.com search URL to scrape (e.g., https://www.cars.com/shopping/results/?stock_type=new&makes[]=nissan)", "default": "https://www.cars.com/shopping/results/?stock_type=new&makes%5B%5D=nissan&models%5B%5D=nissan-rogue&maximum_distance=50&zip=" }, "maxItems": { "title": "Max Items", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 5000, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum number of vehicle listings to fetch", "default": 100 }, "proxyConfiguration": { "title": "Proxy Configuration", "type": "object", "description": "Proxy settings for the actor", "default": { "useApifyProxy": false, "apifyProxyGroups": [ "RESIDENTIAL" ] } } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```