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It's pretty much universally agreed that the "New Car” smell is one of the best feelings in the world. Getting into your dealership-clean car with brand-new features makes you feel like a little kid all over again. That's why buying a new car is one of the most exciting times in your life. But we're all also familiar with the dealership process. Haggling for prices and feeling pressured by overzealous salespeople can easily turn your excitement into frustration.
With online auto sales, gone are the days of heading blindly over to the nearest dealership, hoping to find something you'll like, and being largely at the mercy of the salesperson who greets you at the door. Now, you can do extensive research online before ever setting foot on the lot - and that's assuming you're not having the vehicle delivered directly to your home. Today's new car-buying experience is totally different from what it was even ten years ago.
Monday, November 4th
CarGurus, founded in 2006, ranks among the top US online automotive marketplaces, offering detailed car value analytics and a wealth of information under the Research tab. While its initial search tools are basic, CarGurus has an impressive inventory of over 32,000 new vehicles, with clear listings and a payment calculator on each. Despite some mixed feedback about dealership experiences, its massive inventory and pricing insights make it a competitive option, earning our 5-star rating and highest recommendation.
Kelley Blue Book (KBB) is a trusted name in the auto industry, offering detailed car pricing, reviews, and listings for new and used cars. With over 28,000 new vehicles, extensive filters, and a unique long-distance delivery option, KBB makes car shopping easy and informative. Despite some negative reviews mainly about its car valuation system, KBB stands out for its competitive prices and earns a near-perfect rating.
Cars, headquartered in Chicago, offers millions of car listings with an easy search function, detailed listings, and over 24,000 new vehicles available, Cars provides a wealth of options, though some details may vary depending on the dealership. Overall, Cars earns an excellent rating, praised for its efficiency and wide selection, but noted for some inventory limitations compared to other platforms.
Auto Tempest is a great tool for finding cars by combining listings from major car sites like eBay and Carvana into one search. You can build and price your dream car or browse used car listings with detailed information and comparison tools. Although it lacks free browsing for new cars, it offers a complete search experience, earning it a solid rating.
Edmunds has been a trusted name in the automotive industry for over fifty years, providing video test drives, detailed reviews, and comparisons to help you choose the right new car. Although their inventory of new cars is smaller than some competitors, they still offer 12,448 new vehicles with various helpful filters for easy browsing. While Edmunds has competitive prices and strong BBB ratings, delivery and return policies are handled by individual dealerships, which may require extra research.
True Car, launched in 2005, is an online marketplace for buying new and used cars, supported by services from companies like American Express and Sam's Club. It offers helpful tools for research, including reviews, rankings, and calculators, and even has a quiz to help you narrow down your car options. While it has a competitive inventory and good BBB ratings, some customers report issues with dealers not honoring True Car prices, making it more reliable for research than final pricing.
Driveway is a new platform for buying cars from home, offering over 41,000 new cars and a 7-day or 400-mile return policy. It has easy-to-use filters and detailed listings but lacks popular models like Toyota and Tesla. Despite its large inventory and convenient features, Driveway receives mixed reviews due to poor customer service and undisclosed car issues, leading to a mid-tier rating.
Autotrader is a popular site with over 3 million vehicle listings from dealers and private sellers, offering a helpful payment-based search tool and detailed listings. They have a wide range of cars, including home test drives and delivery options, but most new cars are from well-known local dealers. However, despite its extensive inventory and features, Autotrader has a poor reputation, with low ratings from the Better Business Bureau and other review sites, leading us to give it a lower rating.
Web2Carz may look outdated, but it offers detailed information on new cars. Unfortunately, you need to provide a lot of personal information just to see the inventory, which feels unsafe and inconvenient. With issues like lack of pricing transparency and difficulty contacting the site, it's better for research than for actually buying a new car.
Cars Direct, established in 1998, offers a limited filtering system and a small inventory compared to other platforms, with only 366 new cars available. Despite competitive prices starting at $17,015, the website lacks transparency in policies for delivery and returns and has a poor reputation for selling poor-quality cars and bombarding you with spam emails. With its browsing difficulties and low customer satisfaction, Cars Direct may not be worth the stress, and higher-rated services are recommended for purchasing new cars.
Buying a new car is an exciting experience, and getting one through online services can make it even more enjoyable. Instead of spending hours at a dealership, you can browse through numerous makes and models from the comfort of your home. Online platforms provide detailed information about each car, including safety ratings, features, detailed photos of the interior and exterior, and prices (including monthly payment or lease calculator tools). This helps you make a well-informed decision without the pressure of a salesperson hovering over you. You can take your time, compare different options, and find your dream car.
One of the biggest advantages of buying a new car online is access to a wide range of options that may not be available at your local dealership. Online car-buying platforms often have a larger inventory from multiple local dealerships (or those in completely different states if you don't mind making the drive to pick it up or paying for transport), allowing you to find the exact model and color you want. Plus, many online services offer home delivery, so you can have your new car brought right to your doorstep. This convenience saves you time and effort, making the new car-buying process smooth and hassle-free.
Plus, purchasing a new car online can help you pick out the newest models (even those that are just released and harder to find on dealership lots). When it comes to safety and mechanical features, you can find details and trim levels that offer advanced driver assistance systems, adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, and lane assist. Since you're browsing the collective inventory of many dealerships and sellers, it's much easier to find that top-level model than it would be just shopping locally.
So, if you're ready to start the process of getting a new car, there are plenty of places to begin your journey. But if you don't know which site is best for you, don't worry. When looking for a new car online, here are several factors to consider to help you get the best deal and experience:
To help you in the search for your new set of wheels, Top Consumer Reviews has evaluated and ranked the best options for online car shopping out there today. Whether you're looking for a new family vehicle, something to haul your trailer, a first-time car for a new college student, or that dream sports car you've been saving up for, we're sure that this information will save you time and get you connected with a vehicle you'll love to drive!
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