ALT-1 How to Buy a Car Online
You shop for clothes there. You buy the latest electronics there, as well. So why can’t you do all of your car shopping online the next time you need a new or used car? Well, besides having the ability to test drive the vehicle you are interested in there really is no need for you to go down to a dealership to buy a new or used car.
But being as the internet is such a vast place where should car shoppers start if they plan on doing their car buying over the internet? Well first and foremost you need to decide what type of car you want be it a minivan, crossover, luxury sedan, convertible or sports coupe and then set your budget. If you feel like there is a car just out of reach of your budget that you just feel like you must have remember that is also what people think right before they get their cars repossessed.
Once you have chosen the type of car you want then narrow your choices down to the three best contenders for your hard earned dollars. You should then go out and test-drive these three cars on their own before doing any further research. The point of your test drive is to evaluate your experience with the car and not let your judgment be clouded by some auto journalist’s opinion.
Let’s say for example that you have narrowed your choices down to the BMW 328i, Mercedes C300, and Audi A4 2.0T. You have already gone out and tested all of these cars and you know what your heart is telling you but will you have the same opinion of your “favorite” once the research is done? Often times not.
Most auto websites offer “Cost of Ownership” ratings in which they discuss average maintenance, fuel, insurance and fees that go along with owning a car for five years. You would be surprised how much these figures can vary from car to car. Would you really love that C-Class as much if you knew it would cost $4,000 more to own over five years than the BMW? Probably not. (Note: This is mere conjecture to make a point and does not reflect anything true about the C-300.)
Websites like Automotive.com also offer an abundance of features that help make a car shoppers life that much easier. You can estimate how much your trade-in will be worth, what your lease or finance payments would be based on your down payment and what sort of annual percentage rate (APR) that the automaker is offering at the time.
There is also a full section devoted to short term rebates and lease specials. You never know, the car you are interested in might just turn out to be quite a sweet deal. Other things to check on this site are warranty terms, reviews and recalls (the number of recalls out on a new car can tell you a lot about the quality of the vehicle or lack thereof).
While some other websites like Edmunds.com also offers similar programs, the system used by Automotive.com to get you a price quote from a dealer couldn’t be easier. Just type in your name, contact information and the exact vehicle you are interested in and you should be getting a call from an Internet Fleet Manager within a day or so with a specially lowered internet price.
After that if you are satisfied with the final price, APR and monthly payments that the dealership is offering feel free to make them drive the paperwork over to your home or business. It is a buyers new car market and most any dealership wouldn’t think twice about having you sign all of your paperwork in surroundings where you are more comfortable.
Besides, dealership finance offices always have this bizarre smell: cigarettes mixed with peppermint and just a hint of body odor. If you can avoid having to go through that just by doing a little work on the internet wouldn’t that make your life a whole lot better?
Sources:
Automotive.com
Edmunds.com
