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Dot.cars
Buying a Used Car Online
By Emily McDowell
Using the Internet to buy a used car is the latest trend
to hit e-commerce. Now, with the click of a mouse you can
get quotes on thousands of cars, safety, and performance information,
as well as a wide range of financing plans. And instead of
wasting your weekend schlepping from one used car lot to the
next, you can search at your leisure, from home or the office.
But can you really trust these services? And how do they actually
work?
Most online used car buying services, such as iMotors.com,
AutoWeb.com, AutoByTel.com, and CarPoint.com serve as the
"middleman" between you and car dealerships or private sellers.
In other words, these sites don't sell cars from a single
dealership; rather, they have access to countless cars available
for sale around the country. When you use one of these sites
to search for a car, you can limit your search to within a
certain number of miles of your home, or for greater selection,
you can expand the geographic search area.
When you buy a car from iMotors.com, it will arrange for
free delivery, even if you live in California and the dealership
selling you the car is in Missouri. So you get the double
benefit of convenience plus the potential savings from a nationwide
search. But be warned: a cross-country delivery can take up
to 2 months, and you can't test-drive a car that's 3,000 miles
away.
With most sites, you can search for cars by category (SUV,
convertible, etc.), make, and model. Once you've decided on
a make and model, your next move is to fill out a form listing
which year and options you'd like (including accessories and
mileage), how large an area to search, and how much you're
willing to spend. Hit a button, submit the inquiry, and you
are instantly provided with a list of cars that match your
criteria. You can then check out the specifics of each car:
price, options, mileage, and where (and by whom) it's being
sold.
Once you've been armed with information, the services offered
by these e-services vary greatly. Certain sites, such as Carpoint.com
(owned by Microsoft), forward you the contact information
necessary to reach the dealer or individual selling the car
you've asked about. AutoWeb.com follows a similar practice
but delivers more extensive service. If you go so far as to
buy a car using AutoWeb, they will test, certify, and re-warranty
the vehicle before shipping it to you; moreover, all of AutoWeb's
cars comes with a 7-day money-back guarantee.
You've read all the online information and evaluated the
available services, but how can you be assured that you're
not getting a lemon? You can't. Every site promises that their
cars have been thoroughly checked by mechanics, and almost
all offer warranties as well. But even if you can trust that
the shabbiest cars have been filtered out, you should take
the extra steps of test-driving any car you're considering
purchasing and having it checked out by an independent mechanic.
When it comes to buying a used car online, revel in the ease
and convenience, but make sure to follow the basic rules that
apply to purchasing any used car:
- Test-drive the car.
- Interrogate the car's current owner.
- Get a warranty.
- Have the car examined by an independent mechanic.
Follow the rules, and you'll enjoy the best of both worlds:
the ease of clicking through thousands of cars without leaving
home, and the assurance of knowing you've done the legwork
to complete a great deal.
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