Motorcars.com

Privacy Policy

Last updated: July 8, 2026

Motorcars.com ("Motorcars," "we," "us," or "our") respects your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and the choices you have when you use our website and services (the "Service"). It applies to visitors, registered users, and guests. By using the Service, you agree to this policy and our Terms of Service.

1. Information we collect

Information you provide

  • Account and profile data — name, username, email, password (stored hashed), role, phone, business or dealership details, addresses, ZIP code, bio, avatars, and verification documents for professional accounts
  • Marketplace and community content — listings, photos, prices, descriptions, posts, comments, club and network memberships, event RSVPs, group buy participation
  • Communications — messages, lead inquiries, appointment requests, and support correspondence
  • Guest activity — email, name, or phone when you contact a seller or continue a conversation via a guest link; saved items associated with a guest identifier
  • Preferences — notification settings, hub/discovery location preferences

Information collected automatically

  • Usage data — pages viewed, searches, clicks, timestamps, referring URLs, and feature interactions
  • Device and log data — IP address, browser type, operating system, device identifiers, and diagnostic logs
  • Location-related data — ZIP code or region you provide, approximate location derived from IP or browser geolocation when you choose to share it, and distance-based discovery preferences
  • Cookies and similar technologies — session identifiers, authentication state, and analytics signals (see Section 5)

Information from others

  • Other users may provide information about you in messages, leads, reports, or community interactions
  • We may receive information from service providers that help us operate the Service (hosting, email delivery, analytics, payment processing when enabled)

2. How we use information

We use information to:

  • Provide, maintain, and improve the Service
  • Create and manage accounts, authenticate users, and enforce our Terms
  • Display listings, profiles, posts, and discovery results (including location-aware features)
  • Enable messaging, leads, notifications, and guest continuation flows
  • Personalize feeds and recommendations using activity and interest signals
  • Process verification for professional accounts and featured placements
  • Detect, prevent, and address fraud, abuse, spam, and security incidents
  • Comply with law, respond to lawful requests, and protect rights and safety
  • Send service-related emails (confirmations, security alerts, inquiry replies) and, with your settings, marketing or digest messages
  • Analyze usage to understand performance and plan improvements

3. How we share information

We do not sell your personal information. We share information only as described below:

  • With other users — Public profiles, listings, posts, club and event details, and information you include in messages or inquiries are visible according to the product's visibility rules
  • With service providers — Vendors who help us host infrastructure, send email, process payments, analyze performance, or provide customer support, under contractual confidentiality obligations
  • For legal and safety reasons — When we believe disclosure is required by law, to respond to valid legal process, to protect users or the public, or to enforce our Terms
  • Business transfers — In connection with a merger, acquisition, financing, or sale of assets, subject to continued protection of your information
  • With your direction — When you choose to share content or connect with third-party services

4. Public and indexed content

Much of the Service is designed to be public and discoverable by search engines — including vehicle, part, tool, and service listings; public profiles; clubs; events; and canonical detail pages. Do not post information you do not want to be public.

If you delete content or close your account, public copies may persist for a period in caches, backups, or third-party indexes outside our control.

5. Cookies and tracking

We use cookies and similar technologies to:

  • Keep you signed in and maintain session security
  • Remember preferences such as location or display settings
  • Understand how the Service is used and diagnose errors
  • Protect against abuse and measure campaign effectiveness

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may limit functionality (for example, staying logged in).

6. Data retention

We retain information for as long as needed to provide the Service, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce agreements. When you delete content or close an account, we delete or anonymize personal information within a reasonable period, except where we must retain records for legal, security, or fraud-prevention purposes.

Messages, leads, and transaction-related records involving other users may be retained in those users' inboxes even after you delete your copy.

7. Your choices and rights

Depending on where you live, you may have rights to:

  • Access personal information we hold about you
  • Correct inaccurate information in your account settings
  • Delete your account or request deletion of certain data
  • Export a copy of your data where technically feasible
  • Opt out of marketing emails via unsubscribe links or notification settings
  • Limit certain processing where required by applicable privacy laws

To exercise these rights, contact support@motorcars.com . We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling a request. If you are a California resident, you may also have rights under the CCPA/CPRA. We do not sell personal information as defined by those laws.

8. Security

We use administrative, technical, and organizational measures designed to protect information, including encrypted transport (HTTPS), hashed passwords, access controls, and monitoring. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure; you use the Service at your own risk and should protect your credentials.

9. Children

The Service is not directed to children under 18, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18. If you believe a child has provided us personal information, contact us and we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

10. International users

Motorcars is operated from the United States. If you access the Service from outside the United States, your information may be processed and stored in the United States or other countries where we or our service providers operate, which may have different data protection laws than your country.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will post the updated policy on this page and revise the "Last updated" date. For material changes, we may provide additional notice to registered users. Continued use after changes take effect means you accept the updated policy.