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The actual art of buying a car can be somewhat of a cautious and cantankerous experience. The downside of it includes any of the following in-person shortcomings: high-pressure salespersons and tactics, a lack of inventory or simply the thought of driving around haphazardly with little or no direction.
Then, of course, you get the car dealerships that tell you you're car is worth a few hundred dollars and then when you are about to leave it suddenly doubles in value. What exactly changed in the last few minutes? While no salesperson can answer that question without using the phrase "talking to their manager," the act of actual visiting a dealership right out of the gate seems a bit passe.
While you're pondering the inner-workings of the car sales cat-and-mouse game, technology has caught up with the process and thus online car buying and selling web sites were born out of necessity and practicality. And, of course, convenience.
But what is the best web site for buying or selling cars online? That question really depends on you, first and foremost. The kingpin of the online selling game is Autotrader.com, which is the largest and sports the most inventory. Cars.com and CarsDirect.com showcase their own online buying and selling flare. The former nearly mirrors AutoTrader in terms of selection and services and the latter is filled with resource topics and tips as well as financing dos and don't for buying your car. Private buying also is well received with such sites as eBay, which actually created some time ago a car division so that you can buy locally from one person to another, minus the dealership dilemma. That, however, doesn't include a warranty, more like a handshake agreement and a lot of hope.
The majority of these sites work similarly in that you can put in exactly what make, model, year or color car you're looking for and thus the web site will begin searching out its inventory, which may consist of local dealerships within your area. Some sites also include a trade-in value for your old car as well as "locking in" a deal that is agreed upon while you're shopping.