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Ask WomensFinance? : Answer |
Q: Is it Possible to
Buy a Car Online?
A: It
is amazing what can be done on the Internet these days-meeting people, watching and
listening to live concerts, stock trading, and more. There has recently been a large
increase in online shopping, from CDs to boats-if you want it, you can buy it on the
Internet.
But cars? Cars are high-ticket items that consumers plan on buying for months ahead of
time. Shopping for them requires research, financial planning and attention to
details...so actually, the Internet is an ideal place for car shopping! There are hundreds
of web sites that cater to the prospective car buyer. Some are locally based, specialize
in used cars or classic cars, or are sponsored by a manufacturer and highlights their car
models. The following are overviews of some of the more general car consumer web sites,
available 24 hours a day, at your fingertips:
Autotrader.com
This site caters to the used car buyer and allows for you to search for the model and
location of the available vehicles. It will help you to find dealers as well as private
owners in your area that are selling the car you want. Also included on the site is
information about comparing cars, financing and insurance.
Site Highlight: An excellent source of used car tips and information. There is advice on
test-driving pre-owned vehicles and buying/selling, among other topics.
Autobytel.com
New and pre-owned cars are found at this site. A search for the car of your choice can be
done by location and for anyone visiting the site from Canada, Sweden or the United
Kingdom, you too can find a car dealer near you. Autobytel.com also offers more
information on safety, buying vs. leasing and many other topics.
Site Highlight: The Loan & Lease Calculator, located under "What Kind of Car Can
You Afford" will let you choose the make, model and year you want, how much you are
willing to put down and how much you want to spend in total. Then it will tell you the
lease length or financing period options available and what the monthly payments will be.
Autoweb.com
An all-encompassing corporation site, autoweb.com allows for you to research autoweb.com
stock while you look for a new or used car. A spotlight vehicle and a search for a car by
make and location are some of the characteristics of this site. A publicly owned company,
investors will find all their necessary information here such as FAQs and financial press
releases. Jobs with autoweb.com and other corporate information are also available
options.
Site Highlight: Atlanta residents are the lucky hosts of autoweb.com's pilot program for
scheduling car service appointments online (other areas are coming soon). Confirmed
appointments and reminders 24 hours prior to the appointment are given via e-mail and
there is an opportunity for users to comment on the service received.
Carpoint.com
If you want general information and articles about buying or leasing a car, this is the
site for you. This is the best place to go first when deliberating which car to buy or if
you are a first time buyer. There is a make/model search available, but the news, tips and
information stand out as some of the most informative and all inclusive in the auto web
site industry.
Site Highlight: The Personal Auto Page. This is a free and private way to post an online
notice about your car for sale. The characteristics of your car are listed on the page and
interested buyers can contact you via e-mail.
Cars.com
For anyone who is sure of what car they want but are not sure of how they are going to pay
for it, this is the place to go. There are new and used vehicles, reviews, and a consumer
search that allows for you to name your price. You can even refine the search by
keyword-choose a color or audio system that you are looking for.
Site Highlight: The interactive car. You can take a tour of a car's insides such as the
braking, engine, exhaust, heating and steering systems. Diagrams of the systems simulate
movement (i.e. the brakes "brake") and show each part of the systems.
Carsdirect.com
For serious car buyers only, this site allows for the viewer to choose the make, model and
location of the car they wish to buy. A list of statistics is given for the chosen vehicle
as well as price information. A list of standard features is available as well as the
opportunity, for a $250 deposit fee, to hold the car for you to purchase it at a
dealership near you.
Site Highlight: You can compare cars to one another at the same time (up to 2 in addition
to the original one you looked at). Thus, if you are stuck between two cars, you can
compare price and features without having to go back and forth or even print anything out.
AutoNationDirect.com
A photo-filled site that lets you research by make, model and use your zip code to find a
nearby dealership with the vehicle of choice.
Site Highlights: The first neat thing on this web site is that it will figure out the
trade-in value of your current vehicle by make, model, year, options and financial
situation. The second great thing about AutoNationDirect is that you can create a personal
notebook on the site of the research you did at one visit so that you can come back to it
later. This is especially good if you are searching on your lunch break or at the library
and you can't be online for hours at a time.
If you do decide to shop around online for your next car, you will most likely find that
most sites offer similar features and information. The best thing to do would be to look
at 3 or 4 different sites for the same information and compare your findings. Buying a car
is a big deal, and now there is a chance to do personal, hassle-free research online
without being sold anything or being pushed into something you don't want. Take advantage
of the hundreds of automobile sites available, and happy shopping!
Courtesy of Article
Resource Association
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