Skip The Dealership: Buy A Car Online And Save Money

The car-buying process requires extensive research, financial discipline, and, inevitably, a bit of frustration.

Luckily, buying a car online can save time, money, and your sanity. You don’t have to deal with car salespeople, research every claim, and you can save hundreds or even thousands of dollars with just a little bit of work. Let's explore how.

What Are Online Car Dealerships?

Online car dealerships are fully licensed and are very similar to traditional dealerships. They also generally have:

• An extensive inventory;
• Trained salespeople to interact with customers;
• A physical storage place for the vehicles; and
• In-house warranty or financing system.

Every online dealership is different, but most of them have these advantages over a traditional dealership:

Online vehicle listings where you can browse without pressure;

• Complete vehicle details and history available instantly;
• Ability to complete negotiation and paperwork online; and
• Ability to have vehicles shipped via a freight carrier.

Online dealerships came into popularity with the rapid expansion of internet access in the United States. With the ubiquity of mobile phones, laptops, and other devices came a new era of online shopping.

Today's consumers are much more sophisticated than those of yesteryear, and they have much higher expectations when it comes to shelling out their hard-earned cash. The fact is, traditional dealerships often have a margin of several thousand dollars on their vehicles. Discerning customers have started to realize that the value dealerships add isn't worth it.

Much of the cost of running a dealership is reduced when dealing online. The cars still need to be stored, but they can be stored further from city centers, which reduces the cost of the land. No giant, impressive showrooms need to be built. Much of the work of a salesperson has been eliminated with online vehicle galleries. All of these savings are then passed on to the customer.

When Can Buying A Car Online Save You Money?

Because of the previously mentioned costs associated with a physical showroom, buying a car online will almost always save you a good chunk of cash. Because of the large inventories and amount of competition online, the chances of you finding a bargain are much greater. You're also more likely to find the exact car that you want, in the color you want, with the features you want. With advanced search results and filtering, finding the needle in the haystack is much easier than driving to multiple dealerships around town.

How Do You Buy A Car Online?

Buying a car online is generally a simple process. The hardest part is deciding which car you want to take. With so many choices available, getting stuck in the decision-making process is a real possibility.

Discover The Right Car For You

The first step to buying a car online should be to figure out the exact type of car that you want. Deciding on a year, make, and model before-hand is a great way to ensure you get what you want and eliminates much of the confusion when buying a car.

Find That Car

The next step is to browse through inventories of online car dealerships. A quick search will give you many options. Search through the inventories to find the car you want, and compare prices and options. Don't forget about the shipping price if the car isn't local to you.

Figure Out Financing

It's best to have financing figured out before making an offer on a vehicle. Dealerships rarely offer great financing terms. Call around to get the best rate on a loan before contacting the dealership.

Negotiate To Get The Best Deal

With the loan already handled, you'll have the best chance to negotiate with the dealership. Use Kelley Blue Book values, MSRP, and competitor's prices to get the number down a bit.

Get Insured

When the negotiations are over, you'll need proof of insurance before you can drive the car away. Insurance rates vary drastically, and finding the best car insurance can save you hundreds.

Finish Paperwork And Get The Car

Most online dealerships let you complete the paperwork online. Once that's finished, you'll need to wait for the car to be shipped to you, or you may just need to make your way to their office to pick up your new vehicle.

Buying a car online is one of the easiest ways to pad your bottom line by hundreds or thousands of dollars.