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Up until recent times, many car buyers may have never imagined that the possibility of buying cars online would turn into a reality. Car dealers that sell both brand new and used vehicles have almost always been physical shops. For many car buyers, there’s also nothing better than actually being able to walk into a car dealership, go through all the options with their naked eyes, sit in the car, and get a feel of what it’s like to own it.
Nowadays, however, almost anything can be bought online, cars included. For many who’ve taken this route, it’s a matter of convenience and efficiency. The possibility of foregoing the stress and anxiety that come with car shopping is an exciting thought. But, before jumping right into it, you have to ensure that this is, indeed, going to be the best choice.
To help you make a more informed decision, here’s a list of the pros and cons of buying vehicles online:
The Pros
- It Saves Buyers A LOT Of Time
There’s emphasis on A LOT because the time savings associated with buying cars online is really one of its most attractive advantages. If you’ve tried buying a car before (or, perhaps, even accompanied a friend or relative in this process), you’d be aware of how tedious and time-consuming the process is. The prospect of owning a new car is exciting, yes, but not the work that goes behind it.
When you shop for a car online, you’re able to save so much time by cutting down on all those physical visits to the car dealer. You can stay right in the comforts of your home and do the search yourself, covering multiple websites and dealers at a single time.
For busy individuals, this fact is really good news. Your time-tied schedule doesn’t have to get in the way of looking for the car you’ll wind up buying.
- It Comes With No Sales Pressure
One of the reasons why car buyers dread physical visits to a car dealership is the fact of how many sales associates may unknowingly pressure potential buyers, even when they’re still window shopping. Remember that their goal is to close a deal with every buyer that walks in. So, you can expect them to really sell hard.
In the online setting, this pressure is absent. You can go through each car option in peace, without fear of any sales associate influencing or disrupting your thought process.
- It Gives You More Options
You can have more options when shopping for a car online simply because you aren’t limited by time and geographical constraints. When you shop physically you may choose to forego looking through other car dealers simply because they’re quite far, or that you’re already exhausted from all those weeks of searching. It can also be normal that, as of the moment, the car stocks where you’re from are limited, and you have no time to wait for new stocks to come.
Such problems are rarely experienced when shopping for cars online. You can have more options with just a few clicks.
The Cons
- It Comes With A Slim Avenue For Negotiation
Because you’re buying online, there’s that very narrow opportunity or chance for negotiation. This is unlike meeting physical dealers wherein you can actually take the time to meet, talk, and haggle the price. With online transactions, you’re limited only to virtual consultations, which may hamper the opportunity to haggle and negotiate.
- It Has Limited Financing Options
Second, online car dealers may also only come with very limited financing options. Typically, when you buy a car online, you have no choice but to finance it with their chosen lender. This is done by online sellers for their protection and security, given how you aren’t meeting physically. With their chosen lenders, it’s easier for online car sellers to collect payments from those lenders they’re already associated with.
This is a big disadvantage especially when the online car dealer’s lender has quite a high interest rate. You may already have your preferred credit institution in mind, and, now, you’re left with no choice but to conform with the seller’s lender.
This limitation here isn’t just associated with the financing option per se. It can also include car insurance providers, which come in handy for local and international claims, and even the warranties.
Final Thoughts
Given how many consumers nowadays are actually getting more comfortable with buying almost anything online, car dealers have also evolved and taken this route. If you’ve been thinking about the prospect of buying yourself a new car very soon, the thought of going online for this can be strong.
Now that you’ve read through some of the benefits and drawbacks of shopping for cars online, you should be feeling more confident about whether or not this truly is the best choice for you. Ultimately, each pro and con above should be weighed in connection with your personal preferences and whims.
