As COVID-19 spreads, many people are doing what they can to minimise contact with others. Like buying groceries and other items online. And when you want to buy a used car during the pandemic, it’s not impossible to do it online. But should you buy a used car online, or should you buy it face-to-face?
We have been in the automotive industry since 1984, ranging from apprentice to master technician, workshop foreman, controller, service advisor and service manager, in numerous premium vehicle businesses. We have built a level of loyalty that in the 21st Century is vital. After all, customer service and care is a point of difference.
We hope we are able to help you out with your needs. Our business is also known as Prepurchase Check.
Before you buy a used car online, you should know there are pros and cons to it. There are also pros and cons to buying a car in person. In fact, depending on your buying style, you might have been doing it wrong all this time.
Buying from a dealership allows you to speak to experts face-to-face. However, you might not get as good a deal. Dealerships have more overheads than online retailers, and those overheads will usually be covered by the price of the cars.
Buying a car online can remove some of the hassle involved in dealing with salespeople. Not to mention, it can save you money. However, it might also be more confusing. Especially if you don’t know what you’re doing.
Benefits Of Buying A Used Car Online
You Can Take Your Time
Going online lets you do your research, comparisons and bargain hunting at your own pace. It also lets you look over more vehicles more efficiently and do it outside the pressured environment of a car dealership.
You Won’t Find Hagglers Online
Car dealers are professional hagglers. Going online can lead to dealing with someone who knows just as much, or just as little, about cars as you do.
Compare Prices Easily
Want to compare prices online? You can simply search for other cars that are the same make and model.
Drawbacks Of Buying A Used Car Online
Going Online Takes Longer
You can’t just grab the car you want and drive away.
You Don’t Know Who The Seller Is Online
Car dealers also sell online, and you often don’t know who the seller is until you’re buying.
You Can’t Compare Prices Accurately
You can’t really see what kind of condition a car is in if you just have a picture and a short description. This makes it harder to accurately compare prices online.
Where Can I Buy A Used Car Online?
The benefits of going online, compared to visiting a dealership, can also vary depending on which websites you’re using. Each one is different, and one might suit your needs more than another. The following are some of the sites you can visit:
• Carsales: Carsales.com.au lets you filter cars by make, model, body type, price and location.
• Gumtree: This is a popular place to look for second-hand cars and find low prices.
• Drive: Drive.com.au also has handy filters for finding the perfect automobile.
• eBay: Australia’s most popular shopping site also hosts a large range of second-hand cars.
Spend Less Time At The Dealership
When it comes down to it, it might just be a case of personal preference. If you decided to visit a dealership, make sure it’s an honest used car dealership.
Here are some tips to reduce your time at the dealership. Please remember to practice social distancing and wear a mask.
Communicate
Reaching out to a dealer doesn’t have to involve showing up in person. Get in touch by phone, email, or text—whatever works best for you and the dealer.
Do Online Research
Figure out which model, trim level, and features the best suit your needs. Then search online to see which dealerships have vehicles with your preferred specifications.
Test Drive
At some point, before you’re ready to buy, you’ll need to test-drive cars. You can try to set this up ahead of time, over email or the phone, and minimize your time at the dealership. Keep notes regarding what you like and don’t like.
Decline Invitations
Say no to invitations to the dealership to see a vehicle you’ve already taken for a test drive.
Negotiate The Price
Once you’ve decided on a car, negotiate a price from each dealership—either over the phone or via email—and carefully review the price breakdown. Make sure there are no extras you didn’t want or fees you don’t agree with rolled into the final price.
Stoke Competition
If you’ve obtained various prices from different dealers, you can let the dealers know this and put them into competition with one another to get the best deal.
Find Out About Incentives
Make sure you ask about incentives, such as customer loyalty (owning the same brand of the vehicle) or conquest (switching from a competing brand). CR’s car buyers find that these are easy ways to shave a few thousand dollars off the price, even on just-released vehicles.
Resist Pressure
When communicating with the dealer from home, be upfront about how much time you will have when you arrive at the dealership, as well as your expectations regarding price. Be ready to walk away if the dealer insists on upselling or adding on extras you don’t want.
Drive Away
By doing as much as possible remotely, you will be able to show up at the dealer and drive away because your car will be there, waiting for you.
Hire A Professional Car Technician In Melbourne
We have engaged with many clients for independent, personal car purchase advice. Whilst we are not a CAR BROKER, we have assisted clients with discussions on MAKE/MODEL/YEAR/VERSION of vehicle best suited to their needs, and with low ‘grief’ factors. In some cases, clients, especially repeat clients (and we have many), have asked us to either source a car for them, or assist in the negotiations.
As much as some of us think we’re backyard mechanics, you can’t go past actually getting a used car checked out by a professional to determine whether it is mechanically sound. There’s nothing worse than driving away with your new purchase, only to find that it has an issue that is going to cost you dearly.
And if you want to buy a secondhand car, have a professional inspector like German Precision to do a thorough pre-purchase car inspection in Melbourne to ensure that your dream car is operating properly and not a scam.
If you are looking for the best pre-purchase car inspector in Melbourne, do not hesitate to contact German Precision or Prepurchase Check today!
sources: finder.com.au, consumerreports.org
