The information age and car dealers

[sephiro499]

My question is:  are most used cars available on the internet?  As in do you still have to physically go from dealer to dealer?  And if so, is there a good place to review dealership ratings before arriving?  I'd like to canvas the 'joint', where I live now, and try to find something locally.  Being a child of the internet this 'shopping in person' is a new phenomenon. For example I'm familiar with sites like cargurus(though you can't search for a conversion van) autotrader, carmax, and edmunds. Don't want to miss anything!

 

[NeedAnEscape]

Most dealers will have their offerings online. I have seen some nice deals from private sellers just by driving around in rural areas.

 

[sephiro499]

Most dealers will have their offerings online. I have seen some nice deals from private sellers just by driving around in rural areas.

So will those dealers be mentioned in the vehicle aggregator sites?  As in I wonder how these index sites work.  Do the businesses pay a fee to have their vehicles listed?  Do I or should I find each dealer individually (through their own site) and find their listings that way? 

I hope I'm making sense here.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

I spent about 6 months seriously looking for my truck.  I gave up on Craig's list after the first couple of months, seemed like there was nothing but old junk there, at least by my standards.

I used Truckpaper.com, Autotrader.com, and Cars.com, as well as Ebay.  Also, there was a local rag called Want Ad Digest.

Then I used Kelly Blue Book and Carfax.  Take Carfax with a grain of salt. They may not know everything about the vehicle in question, but any thing they DO know is accurate.  A good way to make sure a vehicle wasn't in a flood, whether it was repaired after an accident, etc.

Finally, I used the Better Business Bureau to check out the dealers and weed out the ones that seemed to have too many complaints.

Regards
John

 

[BradKW]

The larger used car lots and ones connected to new car dealerships have a person who's basically an internet sales manager, and their job is to get their inventory online through as many portals as they can. Like any job, their performance can be effected by any number of things, dual duties being high on the list. But in general they seem to be pretty thorough.

Mid and smaller size lots, I have often found a difference between what's shown on the portal engines (guru, cars.com, etc) and what they have on their own site. I'd be curious to learn how getting listed on those engines works too.

Seems to me that dealerships take internet advertising pretty seriously, understanding that's how most people look for a vehicle anymore. They still want to get you on their lot though, and you see a lot of "bait" out there...things that just don't exist, or don't exist at that price. If part of your concern is dealing with salesmen in person, that is both understandable and worth talking about specifically...difficulty handling high pressure sales can turn vehicle shopping into a much more expensive adventure.

 

[Lj Unlimited]

Looking online is a great start to narrow down what you want to go look at in person. Dealing LOCALLY is always best if you are going to a dealership. Chances are you will know some who has had dealings with them. And above all, have anything you are serious about buying inspected by a mechanic you know and trust. If you do not have one, ask friends or family. Then check with your local B.B.B. You can also check with your states licensing department for mechanics and repair shops for complaints they have received.

Personally I avoid "Gimicky" dealerships. If they are riding horses around the lot for the cameras, or take anything you can push,pull, or drag to the lot on trade I'd keep looking. And while I know it may be necessary for some, "Buy Here Pay Here" lots should be passed over as well. Even if you are paying cash. And unless you NEED new wheels right now have patience. That best price a salesman gives you today will fall after a few weeks if it don't sell.

 

[SaltySeaWitch]

If you google "Used Car Dealers" in your area, a list of names, numbers and if they have one, their website will also be listed. I sell used cars but our lot is very small and we are not online. Most larger dealerships. and actually even smaller ones, are online these days though. You can also read their online reviews.

Not all vehicles in stock will be listed on a website even if the dealer has one. The best thing would be to call local dealers and ask if they have what you are looking for. If they do, ask to be sent pics via email/text of the vehicle along with pertinent info about it. Any sales person will be happy to comply. I get calls all the time and will go take pics for a potential buyer. If a salesperson is too lazy to go outside and take pictures for you, I wouldn't buy their vehicles anyway.

I keep a list of what people are looking for if i don't have it and will try to get it for them or will call when I have something that matches the description they gave me. Most dealers, large or small, have vehicles come in daily or at minimum several times a week. Leave your name and number with the sales person and ask them to call you if they get something for you. Check back with them weekly.

Good luck finding the right vehicle!