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Ok, i'm looking to find a car. And i do not want to go to a dealership, i
want to do the shopping online. So my question is, which site would be the
best to use? i also want to choose a car thats close to me for pick up not
across the country. suggestions would be awesome guys, thanks!
pimpmyride
autotrader.com
bullrage2003
Call me old fashioned, but I still believe in shopping at a dealership,
especially if you are looking for a reliable car. Of course, if you are
looking for a rare, or dirt cheep car, online or in the paper is a good
place to look, but be prepared for surprises. Sure there are still good
people out there, but there are plenty of people looking to make a fast
buck. Depending on where you live there may not be many dealerships, but
where I live there is a plethora of them. If you are looking for a low cost
car, look around in the far corners of the lots, that is where the cheaper
cars are, but most dealers are not willing to ruin there reputation by
selling garbage.
The problem with shopping online, or among private sellers, is that it is
hard to hold someone accountable if they sell you complete crap. To counter
this, be sure to give every car a thorough and complete checkup, and run a
carfax. Take it to a mechanic to look over it if you don't know what you
are looking for.
I have no problem with looking online to decide what type of car to buy,
but I prefer to make my purchase through a dealer.:2cents:
I also find that many of the cars that are sold online are the runts of the
litter that can't be sold in a dealership, or more expensive cars that need
to reach a larger audience to find a potential buyer. just an observation.
dvdrose18
I've got to disagree with you. Cars sold private party are owned by people
who aren't lazy. Dealers give you squat for trade-ins. Further, there are
plenty of shady dealers who know the laws and exactly how much they can
bend them. NYer and Dodger here work at dealerships I believe. Perhaps
they can chime in, but I firmly believe that if salesmen were 100% honest
they'd sell half as many cars as they do, because the dealership across the
street will tell customers whatever they want to hear. Not outright lie,
but bend the truth.
Further, I think the bullshit ads most stealerships run would make most
people blush if they ran the ad themselves. 9/10 of dealership ads I see
have the price in big red numbers, with a star next to it, and at the
bottom explaining that that is the price if your trade is worth 6K. That's
like saying a car FREE (after you pay us $20,000). I think your average
Joe-shmoe in the paper is more honest than that.
They're not all bad, but it's hard to be honest when you're competitors
aren't.
giant016
When you buy a car from a private party, I doubt they will offer any form
of warranty, so what do you do if they failed to mention that the trans
leaks like a sieve, and the engine is on its way out? Sure, a private party
seller is fine if you know a thing or 2 about cars, but for the average
Jane or Joe it is too easy to get fooled.
I agree with the part about trade ins, because the dealer buys to sell for
a profit. However, I don't believe in trading in vehicles, I rather run
them into the ground.:laughing:
No one in their right mind shopping for a car looks at dealer adds, I
already said look in the back corners of their lots. And look around when
there is no salesman hanging over your shoulder. The car the salespeople
are pushing is the one to avoid like the plague. You can't be afraid to
walk away from a pushy sales person.
Shopping private party is the best if you know cars, or are willing to pay
a mechanic to look over them, but with a dealership there is someone you
can hold responsible if they sell you crap. This being said, I believe
anything is better than shopping online. Unless you are looking for local
cars and just using the internet as a search tool, the internet is probably
the most risky.
dvdrose18
