Car Shopping Redefined

I remember back in the day when shopping was something you did in stores. Today we have the internet so shopping is now something we do wherever there is an internet connection. When purchasing a used car this year I was able to use online shopping to give me the advantage over the car dealer.

I started off by finding what is called a “web forum” which is a website where people who have an interest in a topic go to share knowledge. This was a good place to hear people's experience and complaints with the car and give details on what to look for in evaluating the car. To find a forum simply enter the subject you are interested in plus the word “forum” in a Google or Yahoo search. (e.g. “BMW forum”)

I then used “Yahoo Autos” (www.yahoo.com) to search the available cars in my area. Many of the dealer listings provide a link to a free CarFax report that gives the history of each car. Dealerships usually maintain inventories of the used cars they have on the lot at their websites. What this allows you to do is watch the movement of their cars over a period of time (I shopped for about 3 months) and tell when a car has been sitting on the lot for an extended period. This gives you a huge advantage when negotiating the price at the dealer. If the dealer says “I can’t sell the car for that price” you simply reply “How much will it cost you to let it sit here another month?”

Of course your mileage may vary but I think these tools can certainly help you get the killer deal I got in my recent car purchase.

I should be charging for this crap but you get it free for visiting MOSSNEWS!