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Writer's pictureTristan DeCrescenzo

Online Car Purchasing Problems

Updated: Apr 26

Searching for, locating, and purchasing a car, both new or used, has continuously been revolutionized over the years. In the digital age, this entire process is possible from the comfort of your own home online, but that does not mean it is any easier. In this blog, we will be discussing some of the main steps you need to take to purchase this and the user pain points that can bury this process into the ground. 


  1. Research: Your first step should be your research. Ideally, you will search for your needs in a car, such as size, performance, fuel efficiency, technology, and safety features. During this process, it is good to have both a car model and a budget in mind. 

  2. Searching: Next, you can begin your search process. This is when you would visit your online marketplaces, dealership websites, or any third-party sites that have cars for sale. It is important to utilize search filters to help better narrow your search. To ensure the car has a secure and clean history, you can background check most of your searched vehicles through CARFAX.

  3. Comparing: Once you have some potential options, it's time to compare. It would be a good idea to put information such as price, history, condition, mileage, payment options, and cost per mile next to each other to compare and contrast. It is not just a lower price that can make a car be considered a “better deal,” so ensure you take your time in this process. It may be smart to contact the seller for additional information or incentives on your prospective vehicles.

  4. Purchasing: After you have made a decision, it is time to make an offer and complete the purchase. Make sure that every charge on the bill is expected and fair. After following through on some paperwork, you would be pretty much all set!


Simple enough, right? Well, it would be… if all of these components were as easily accessible as they should be. Although it is mostly internal, let's look at some difficulties of researching. The sheer amount of platforms where research can be done may seem overwhelming, and can cause overstimulation. It is also hard to trust some of these sites, leaving consumers unsure of the real inventory available. Searching is where things usually become more difficult. This step has multiple platforms to choose from as well, each with distinct pros and cons, which can be confusing to navigate for the average consumer. If you would like to learn about some of the most popular platforms, their pros and cons, and how to better navigate each, read our blog post Transparency in Car Shopping for more information. Not only this, but the filter features are almost completely useless. With the increasing amount of fraudulent listings, incorrect information, photo misrepresentation, and overall lack of data integrity, the filters will not always give you 100% accurate results. To make things even harder to sift through, most of these platforms are cluttered with ads and plagued with constant crashes. Headed into comparing, it is nice that almost all of these online marketplaces have built-in comparison charts. However, they do not nearly show you the full picture, and unverified sellers cause concern for safety, reliability, and credibility. Almost every dealership fee is also hidden from consumers, which can be a scary surprise on your final bill if you are not prepared. To help better understand dealership fees and their hidden dangers, check out our blog Navigating Dealership Fees for more on that topic. It may also be a challenge finding seller contact information, which eliminates an option to discuss payment and incentives over the phone. Finally, completing the purchase is still mildly dangerous online. To start, without seller contact information, it can be hard to communicate in general. Handling documentation and paperwork online can also be a risky way of securing a large investment. The financing options of the online marketplaces are available, but extremely hard to get just right without fully understanding the terms and conditions, which once again, are typically hidden in part. To conclude, moving the car purchasing process online was revolutionary, but it came with its own set of issues. It is important to be aware of these hurdles when considering making your next purchase.


Author: Tristan DeCrescenzo

Date: April 17, 2024

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