Second Hand Car Buying Moves Online

Nov 2 2011 Advertisement Feature

Nowadays we all do at least a bit of our shopping online, in fact according to Nielsen statistics there are over 875 million consumers shopping online worldwide and 97% of UK residents that are online use the Internet to shop.

Nielsen discovered that we’re mainly shopping for clothes, shoes and accessories, books, electronic equipment, DVDs, games and airline fares.

One thing we wouldn’t necessarily have expected to be buying online is second hand cars, but there has been a recent move to online car sales, with Tesco becoming the first general retailed to launch a used car website earlier this year.

It’s certainly easier in some ways; you don’t have to go around town visiting different used car dealers, instead you can just browse different websites and see what’s on offer.

You don’t get the full experience of seeing the car for yourself though before you buy if you buy online, unless the seller lives near enough to you to arrange a visit.

Chief executive of retailing services at Tesco, Andrew Higginson however says that there are a number of advantages to buying a used car online.

“By supplying directly to customers, there is no middle man, no expensive showroom and no salespeople on commission,” he said.

“There’s no pressure, no hard sell. You can select and buy your car from the comfort of you own home and, just like your weekly shop.”

Buying a second car can come with risks and things to look out for, and the cautiousness and vigilance should be no different online to buying a second hand car in person. Shopping online can offer much more variety and flexibility by sourcing cars from all over the UK, rather than only those for sale in your neighbourhood.

By shopping online you can browse different car sale websites and retailers, and access it all from anywhere with an Internet connection, there are now even mobile phone apps available for browsing second hand cars for sale, without having to visit any dealers in person if they don’t want to.

All potential car sales come with the same risks online as they do in person, so buyers should follow all the same precautions when finding their new car. The Internet is a great resource for finding independent car reviews that will tell you about the car models you may have your eye on and any common faults or issues to be aware of.

Buying online doesn’t erase the possibility of viewing and test driving the car, buyers can still contact sellers and arrange a time to see the car if they are within a reasonable distance before they purchase or place an online bid.

Online car dealers will almost always do a history check on their cars, but buyers should still get a full Vehicle History Check independently for their own security and peace of mind. A history check will highlight any red flags with the car, and let buyers know the car’s number of previous owners, MOT, mileage and if the car has any outstanding finance, is stolen, written off, clocked or cloned.