Sometimes it is difficult to know if buying a car or vehicle online is right for you. Buying a car online requires a certain amount of trust. When buying a vehicle online you are often dealing with a vendor from another country or even a different continent. It is very easy to do research into a place but it is difficult to be sure about selling and buying a car or vehicle from another country.
The industry though is mature and is growing at a steady rate. It is estimated that over 80% of cars sold online are bought for personal use. The cool thing is that there are also lots of options available. You will not only be able to find second hand cars and vehicles but also brand new ones which not a lot of people know about. If you are buying a car for personal use. Maybe you fancy a new car, maybe you want to go green or maybe you just want a car with all the latest gadgets. There is a wide variety to choose from.
If you are thinking of buying a car online or you have just bought one, here are some questions you should be asking to make sure you are getting the best deal.
1. How much do I pay?
The first thing you need to determine is how the vehicle is to be paid for. There are obviously 2 options, cash or bank transfer. Cash is normally the recommended option but bank transfers have a number of advantages such as getting a vehicle delivered to your nominated address.
It is important to know the currency in which you will be charged. The exchange rate can differ and a lot of vendors use an intermediary which means you are unlikely to get a good deal. The one exception to this is using a currency trading platform, but you pay commissions.
2. Who do I buy from?
There are many places from which you can buy a car online. There are so many sources that it can get very confusing very quickly. When it comes to buying a car, it is essential that you make sure you are buying from a reputable dealer. There are a few places you can look.
The first and easiest would be eBay. Most of the reputable vendors will sell their second hand vehicles here. You can compare vehicles and see which ones are within your budget.
Other places to buy from are Craigslist and Oodle. Oodle is similar to eBay, where you post ads and buy and sell, the difference though is that Oodle does sell new cars and vehicles. The other option is to try a search engine. Google and Bing will pull up a list of vendors in your area and can provide you with some options to look at.
3. Are there any fees involved?
This maybe obvious but it is definitely worth asking. A lot of dealers will charge fees for vehicle transfers. This is something which needs to be discussed and agreed in advance.
Other fees which may be involved include payment transaction fees, insurance fees, vehicle preparation fees and delivery fees. These are all things which you need to consider and clarify with your vendor.
4. How can I trust you?
When buying a vehicle, it is important to make sure you are buying from a reputable source. There are many unscrupulous people looking to take advantage of those who are not aware of the process.
There are a few things you can do to ensure you are dealing with a legit vendor.
Use verified payment methods
Once you have chosen the vendor you are looking for, try to request payment via a certain method. They should be able to offer this or at least offer a reason for this decision. For example, the vendor may prefer to use a wire transfer due to your payment method.
Try to ask questions
If there is something about the car that you would like to know, just send them a message. Things which may seem obvious to you are important to the buyer as well.
Check vehicle history
Check the vehicle history to make sure everything is ok. You can usually check that online but it may be expensive.
Make sure you have all the details
Make sure that you have all the details. Make sure that you know what is required to register the vehicle. Talk to the vendor to make sure that you are aware of what is required and that you know when you will need to do so.
5. Am I being ripped off?
When purchasing a car or vehicle online you have to be a little careful. There is no way of knowing what you are getting into. The upside though is that as long as you do your homework and are thorough then you should be alright. If you follow this guide and you have done your research then you should not need to worry about not getting a vehicle which you were expecting.