How to Buy a Car Online

Whether forced by the pandemic or through feedback from customers, many dealers now offer ways for you to buy a car online.

In most cases, you start the process online and never head to the dealership until you’re ready to take the vehicle for a test drive, but that’s not even required any longer. Some locations allow the entire purchase process to be completed online, which makes things convenient for you. If you choose this for your next car, you’ll love seeing your vehicle delivered to your doorstep, similar to ordering a package on Amazon, but only much larger.

How do You Go About Buying a Car Online? 8 Steps to Success

How Much Can You Afford in Your Budget?

More important than some of the other steps is defining how much you can afford to spend monthly for your vehicle. This includes the maintenance, insurance, and fuel costs on top of the actual car payment. Unless you’re going to pay cash for your next vehicle, you will have a car payment. Analyze your budget and figure out how much you should pay and still live within your means. You’ll be glad you started with this step when you move on to some of the others.

Where Will Your Financing Come From?

Your local dealership certainly offers auto financing programs, but are these the right programs for you? When you’re ready to buy a car online, you should search through various loan options and figure out what works best for you. How much will you pay in interest? How much will the loan cost? How long is the loan? These questions are important when determining the financing options available to you. If you belong to a credit union, check and see if you can get financing through them. These banks are often the best option for a low-interest car loan.

Which Vehicle are You Going to Buy?

Why is this step third and not first? That’s a pretty simple question to answer. Before you shop for a vehicle, you need to know what you can afford and have a loan approved. Sometimes the loan you receive might be for much more than you need, which sends you back to your budget. While shopping for your car, you’ll want to check the costs, again and again, to make sure they fit into the budget you’ve set. This can be a tedious process, but it’s worth it when you get to the end.

Are There any Savings You Can Enjoy?

Unless you’re set on which car to buy, you can shop around and find some of the best deals. When a model is nearing its end of a cycle, dealers often add incentives to the price to help them move quickly. Another option is looking at certified pre-owned models that are relatively new, come with an extended warranty, and are typically priced lower than new cars. Shop for the deals and get the most out of the process when you buy a car online.

Have You Checked Out the Inventory at Other Dealers?

Your town probably has several car dealers with hundreds of vehicles to choose from. Don’t limit yourself to one specific location, especially if you’re looking for a relatively common vehicle. All you’ve got to do is go online and start searching for the vehicle you want and the dealers will show up in your search results. Because you’re doing this from the comfort of your home, you have no pressure to commit to a model that might not be right for you. Find the right car at the right price by shopping around.

Are You Ready to Start a Conversation with the Dealership?

Let’s see, you’ve set your budget, secured financing, found the right vehicle, reviewed potential dealers, and shopped around. Now that you know what you want and where you want to buy it from, it’s time to talk to the sales team at the dealership. You can begin an online chat to keep everything online and forgo the in-person function of buying a car. This allows you to respond when it’s convenient for you. Remember when you buy a car online, you’re in control of when and how you respond and engage.

Will You Take the Car for a Test Drive?

The test drive is one of the most important parts of car buying, but it often allows the dealer to have the upper hand. We often can’t help ourselves; we get emotionally attached to a vehicle when we take it for a drive. This happens when the car seems to fit just right. If you’ve followed the previous six steps, it won’t be a problem to take a test drive. During your drive, test and check everything. This is your chance to find something wrong with the car before you buy.

Are You Ready to Finalize the Deal?

Have you made up your mind and the vehicle you took for a test drive is the right one for you? If so, the final step when you want to buy a car online is to close the deal. You can do this at the dealership or ask them to bring the paperwork and the vehicle to you. Many dealers deliver vehicles and had to during the shutdown portion of the pandemic. They’ve found that many customers prefer to get their cars this way.

Use These Tips for a Successful Car Buying Process

Whether you want to shop online or you know that you want to buy a specific vehicle at the dealership, these tips can help guide you to a great deal. It’s important to have a car that fits your budget offers you the features you want and makes you happy during your drive. If you follow these steps during the process, you’re going to enjoy the vehicle you buy and what it gives you every time you take a ride to work or head out of town for a weekend of fun.