The Car Buying Process Made Possible: By the Internet

The Internet has made the car buying process so much easier. Thank you, Google! If you’re like most folks, you spend more than half of your time looking for the perfect car online before you ever get to the dealership to take a test drive. It takes time. You’ll spend night after night cruising sites like Edmonds, the Kelley Blue Book, and Cars.com. Most of us start out with a few models in mind, and then begin to narrow it down as we research and read reviews. There’s a ton of information to consider, from the engine and the car’s performance to the infotainment system and features like keyless start or backup cameras. The average person will take nearly four to five months just to find the perfect car! That’s a lot of time invested. Finally, you get it down to the perfect car. You know the year. You know the model. Maybe you even know the specific color you want. Wait…a dealership in your town doesn’t have the exact vehicle you’re looking for?!

Don’t panic. This happens more often than you think. There’s a reason why more than 4 million cars have been sold on eBay Motors, and the options for purchasing a car completely online have been growing steadily. Drivers now buy cars out of state every single day. Maybe you find the car of your dreams, but it’s in California and you live in upstate New York. Now what? Do you really have to take off work and make an epic cross-country trip? Absolutely not. Save yourself time, headaches, and that cash you were going to blow on a plane ticket one way.

If you know that it’s the car you want (and you’ve followed our Guide to Buying a Car Online) then there’s no need to make a trip in person. Even financing for vehicles, both new or used, can be done online! After all, a plane ticket could set you back a lot of money, especially if you’re heading to the middle of a rural area. More than a third of all car buyers want to take the entire process online-only. That means there’s a lot of interstate car buying happening, instead of heading to the local dealership. Two major reasons for shipping a car you bought online are: saving time and saving money.

Let’s go with our original scenario – maybe you’re in New York and the car you want to buy is in California. You would definitely need a few days off work, a long flight, and then to drive home to New York from California would be nearly a week! Factor in hotel fees and gas (besides the airfare) and you could be out thousands of dollars, not to mention the time commitment. Unless you are planning to turn your road trip into your vacation, which is a really sad way to spend your time off, there has to be another way.

The bottom line? You do not have to make a crazy road trip and you definitely don’t need to find a local auto transport company in the city where you’re buying the vehicle. There are reputable companies nationwide who can offer you an affordable shipping rate. Check reviews and get a few quotes – we encourage it! Your research at this stage is just as important as the time you invested trying to find your new car. Many people moving big items from motorcycles to boats or even pianos use the online booking system UShip. We are a trusted provider on that platform too! Dallas, Texas is just our home address; Crestline moves cars all over the country from state to state and coast to coast. We have an extensive network of hand-selected reliable carriers who handle the physical loading and transport of your vehicle. The whole time you’ll be working with our dedicated team and we’ll keep you apprised of the process the whole way. If you’re flexible on the shipping timetable, you may be able to get an even better deal! If you want to get a great deal on a used vehicle, go ahead and buy your car online, and get it delivered to your driveway with a trusted auto transport provider.

Have you bought a car online ever? We want to know about your experience! Tell us all about it in the comments below.