
Get exclusive money-saving offers and guides
Straight to your inbox
Updated
We’re reader-supported and may be paid when you visit links to partner sites. We don’t compare all products in the market, but we’re working on it!
When you're buying a car, one of the questions to consider is whether you want to do it online or in person. While there are pros and cons to each, 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 the some of the hassle involved with dealing with salespeople. Not to mention, it can save you money. However, it might also be more confusing - if you don't know what you're doing.
The difference between buying online vs in person is mostly a difference in the shopping experience followed by the same buying experience. A test run, followed by driving away in a car that you hopefully didn't pay too much for. It's much of a muchness, either way.
These are the main differences that come with looking for a car online, vs heading over to a dealership:
Online | In-person at a dealership | |
---|---|---|
Benefits |
|
|
Drawbacks |
|
|
When it comes down to it, it might just be a case of personal preference. However, we would suggest that at the very least that you do some online browsing before heading over to a dealership.
When you buy in person, you get efficiency and the ability to ask your car dealer all the questions you need answers to before buying. But, that's basically it. By going online first, you can reap even more benefits:
If you can find a new car for a certain price online, or even a used car in equivalent condition, you might have a lot more bargaining power. You could even try asking a dealer to price match.
Find out how much it usually costs to buy the car you want, and then learn what to look for in a used car and how to pay less for a new car. Many of these tips work both online and off.
Imagine walking into a car dealership and telling them to show you only cars of a specific colour, within a specified price range, below a certain number on the odometer and of a certain make and model. Then imagine asking the dealer to line them all up in front of you so you don't have to walk between them. This kind of filtering service is a normal part of looking for cars online.
When buying from a car lot, your choices are limited to whatever is available on that lot and at any other lot you visit. When you look for a car online, you have a lot more vehicles to choose from and can find cars that closely suit your needs. You can then check those cars out. However, you still have to travel to inspect and purchase these cars, so keep the location in mind when browsing 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:
Getting a car loan can be quick and easy at a car dealership, but as with many dealer extras, there's a good chance you're not getting the value for money that you could. Once again, going online first and looking for a better deal can give you more bargaining power even if you do end up visiting a dealership.
The trick is getting pre-approved for a car loan, with due consideration to how suitable the particular loan is for you. With pre-approval in your pocket, you can simply tell the dealer that you have a better finance offer and then see if they're willing to match the terms.
Getting pre-approved for a loan involves knowing what kind of car you're interested in, which generally means going online and checking your options beforehand. Buying entirely offline can bring convenience and efficiency benefits, but will rarely match the value of going online beforehand, even if you do eventually end up buying from a car lot.
To find out more, get pre-approved or apply for any of the loans displayed below, simply click "Go to Site" to be taken to the lender's website.
For more information on any of these loans, simply click "More Info" to be taken to our review page. To apply for a loan, click "Go to site".
Today's best Finder Daily deals include: 50% off car essentials at Catch, half-price meat thermometers, eBay Plus tech sale.
Want to insure a Porsche 911? Here are things we think you should know.
Find out about how to insure the luxury Mercedes-AMG G 63 4x4 SUV.
Introduced as part of a revised 2020 line-up of vehicles, the Jeep Compass Night Eagle is the starting point in the Compass range, but you probably wouldn't guess it.
From costs and finance options to what materials you’ll need, learn about bathroom renovations in this comprehensive guide.
These are the best gaming monitors you can buy right now in Australia.
Gumtree reveals data that could help used and new car buyers save money
Here's everything you need to know about HDMI 2.1
Compare soon-to-launch electric and hybrid cars.