4 Vital Things To Suss When Buying A Car Online Before You Hand Over All Your Precious Cash

Buying a car online

Considering we buy everything online these days, it only makes sense that our search for new cars has become an increasingly digital endeavour.

However, unlike clothes, shoes and other random 3 am purchases, buying a car is a ‘uge investment.

They’re not exactly the type of thing you can return at the post-office on your lunch break if you’re not happy with what you’ve ordered, so doing a bit of research before diving into the process is absolutely vital.

Buying a car at a dealership IRL can be a lengthy process. So, if you’re willing to do a little bit of homework, you could save yourself a muggy Saturday afternoon waiting and sweating away in a salesman’s office.

It’s 2020, our emotional energy is limited, so here are a couple of things to keep in mind when buying a car online, that’ll gift you utmost savvy shopper bragging rights.

Look Beyond What Colour You Want

This one sounds obvious, but going beyond considering aesthetics when buying a car is pretty much essential. Yes, I fully understand the importance of how good the car will look in your gram pic announcing your new whip to the world, but, like most things in life, it’s what’s on the inside that counts.

Thinking about what you’ll be using the car for is the first step in the process. Then, that’ll help you decide on what features will best serve your purpose – fuel economy, emergency braking, and even storage space should be some of the key factors that help you decide what to buy.

It’ll help narrow your search down online when faced with a myriad of options, and play a key role in deciphering the model type you’re after. It’ll also save you money in the long run too because you won’t be paying for stuff you don’t need.

Then, if you’ve decided on a particular brand or manufacturer, hit up their website to check out ongoing vehicle costs, like servicing, insurance and finance repayments, so you know exactly what you’ll be paying for.

You’ll be covered right from the get-go and enable you to get driving with confidence quicker, amen to that.

You Prob Don’t Need To Test Drive It

While a test drive can be one of the most ~fun~ elements of buying a car, it’s becoming increasingly popular to eliminate that entire step from the process. According to Volkswagen, new research shows that 34% of Aussies would be open to buying a car online without doing a test drive if they’ve got enough info on hand.

To replace this step, plenty of online dealers are taking this experience online to give you a feel for your potential new whip. Services like Volkswagen’s new AR dealership will literally allow you to test out the lights, open and close the doors, look into and interact with the interiors on the car of your heart’s desire – it’s a completely enhanced, futuristic way of shopping that’s making it so much easier to buy cars online.

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It’ll also get you to test out how the car will look in your driveway/ beach/ supermarket car park, pick your favourite colour and suss other details – you can check it out here.

Think About How You’re Gonna Pay For It

Buying a car online could also give you heaps of options beyond the traditional cash/ bank loan routes, which is another huge bonus. However, you’re paying, it’s vital you get your finances in check before going through with the purchase, so you know exactly how much moola you’ve got to play with.

Some manufacturers will offer flexible plans like Volkswagen’s ‘Choice’ future value program, which allows buyers to set payment terms based on the deposit amount, anticipated annual kilometres driven and contract duration.

It’s also worth checking whether your desired manufacturer has options to give customers a potential trade-in value of an existing car, to potentially help sweeten the deal you get.

Lastly, it’s probably important to note that you’re not going to have room to haggle if you’re buying directly from the dealer online, so don’t bother hitting your dad up for bargaining tips.

Actually, Read Reviews & Ratings

It can be easy to pass off user reviews and online ratings as a load of rubbish. I can wholeheartedly say listen to the people on this one, as it’ll be the most authentic recount of what the car will be like.

According to Consumer Behaviour Expert Anastasia Lloyd-Wallis, over 80% of people making purchases online will do research on their smartphone prior to hitting the checkout. There are literally millions of nuggets of gold available at your fingertips, so there’s no excuse for not doing your research before scoring your fresh keys.

It’s never been easier or more convenient to buy a car, and the fact that the whole process can be done from your phone on a Sunday afternoon without leaving the house makes it even more exciting.

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