The Best Car-Buying Websites
The internet is a wonderful place. It’s also a place so full of information that it’s easy to get lost in all of it. Trying to find your next car on one of hundreds of sites can be burdensome and confusing. We’re here to make sure that doesn’t happen to you. We’ve put together a list of the top ten car-buying sites you should visit as you consider your next vehicle. Not only do they have listings, they also have great information about the models you’re looking for so you can be as prepared as possible to sell your old car and get a new one. As always, please leave any comments below to tell us what you think.
Cars.com
Cars.com is my first choice when I’m looking for cars, even if I don’t intend to buy any. The layout is simple and clean, and there are many filters with which to narrow down your search. They’ve even added a feature under each listing letting you know if the price offered is a good one or if it’s not. They also have a feature that allows you to look for service and repair listings so that you can keep your current car running for a long time to come.
Autotrader
Autotrader offers most of the features that Cars.com does including a trade calculator, a “value my car” calculator, and reviews on various models. Although I don’t think the layout is quite as clean as Cars.com, I think that Autotrader is just as comprehensive. They also have “quick search” options where you can search for classic cars, exotic cars, and even motorcycles and RVs with one click. The other thing they have over the competition? Doug Demuro. If you don’t know who that is, just click his name to find out. It’s a pretty big advantage…
Kelley Blue Book
Kelley Blue Book is renowned for their car value calculator. Even when I didn’t have a car, I would go onto KBB and type in the specifications of my imaginary Lamborghini just to see how much it would be worth if I were to sell it. Everybody uses it, but did you know they also offer car reviews for just about every car you’d want? You can also search for cars in your area just like Cars.com and Autotrader. Now that’s convenient!
TrueCar
TrueCar is like the trendy new kid that shows up at school and gets right in with the popular group. Compared to most of the other sites here, they are simpler to use, just as comprehensive, and while they don’t have the myriad of features that the previous sites have, they are committed to finding discounts and deals so you can save as much money as possible.
Auto Tempest
Have the first couple listings still given you too much information? Are you still finding yourself running around to different internet locations trying to make sense of it all? Try Auto Tempest! It basically gives you everything we’ve covered so far by going through each site and placing the information at your fingertips in one place. It even runs through the listings on Ebay and Craigslist, which can be helpful sometimes. Think of it as the google of car-buying.
CarMax
We all know about CarMax. It’s the new way to find and buy your next car. They’re famous for giving appraisals for any car, though some YouTubers have proven that “any car” doesn’t quite mean literally any car. At any rate, you can find your car, lock in your offer, and get it with no-haggle pricing. Is it my favorite place to look for cars? No, but it is certainly one of the easiest places to sell and get your new vehicle.
Carvana
Even I hadn’t heard too much about Carvana until I started looking into them more recently. Think of it as CarMax except with delivery. You can also do all your paperwork online along with the opportunity to return your car within a week of your purchase! Who ever thought that buying a car would be as easy as ordering a pizza? Well now it very nearly is!
Edmunds
Edmunds’ primary goal is to give you information about a car rather than search for a car. They do have that feature though, and it’s incredibly helpful to see the pros and cons they give you before making a several thousand dollar purchase. That’s why Edmunds is helpful. Even if it’s not my primary search engine for finding a car, I almost always have Edmunds open in another tab while I search one of the other sites because of the consumer reviews and test results they have available on their site.
Vroom
Vroom is fairly new for me. I didn’t know a whole lot about it until I stumbled upon it the other week. I have to say that it’s rather impressive. Even though it isn’t as large as any of the other places mentioned thus far, they have a fantastic selection of nice, well-kept used cars, some with incredibly low mileage. If you’re like me who doesn’t want just another used car from just another used car dealer, this is the place for you to shop.
Bring-a-Trailer
If you’re just looking for a car, this site might not be for you. If you appreciate a good car, this site is definitely worth a thorough once over. If you are an enthusiast, Bring-a-Trailer is like going Christmas shopping. There really are cars that anybody can buy here, but most are going to be low mileage cars that are better off being taken out over the weekend and kept in a garage or museum the rest of the time. Their inventory is fantastic, but it’s also an auction site, so the prices will vary over a period of several days as bidding occurs.
Of course, there are more places on the internet to buy and research new and used cars, but these definitely stand out from the crowd. Buying a car is almost always a pain, but it can be a little less painful when you know where to look. Hopefully we’ve given you a good place to start! Have fun shopping!
–SWF
