The Best Auto Shopping Websites For 2022 - Updated
By Timothy Tibbetts |
Car buying is stressful, and the plethora of car-buying websites makes it all the more difficult. A new car is one of the worst purchases you can make in your lifetime, and you want to get it right. So, which car-buying website should you use?
In the past 25 years, I have purchased more vehicles than anyone can remember. Purchasing a car is considered one of the worst investments most people make. My experiences (losses) put me in a unique position to try and make back some of my lost money by sharing my experience with you.
Before we get started, you want to understand how and why car-buying websites exist.
Never forget that the dealers pay to place their cars on these websites. It's merely another form of advertisement for them. Any price you see is not a guarantee. Here are some of the outs that could change the price you see.
All prices are subject to change without notice - And, there you have it. You will see this more often than not.
Rebates and incentives - Most prices combine every possible incentive. You rarely qualify for all rebates.
Dealer installed equipment or options - Hundreds of thousands of dollars could be in dealer installed accessories.
Rebates and Interest can't be combined - Yup. The last two examples often can't be combined.
Must initiate sale from the manufacturer's website or email. There are some sleazy loopholes, but this one would be funny if it weren't sad.
Additional fees - Closing, government fees and taxes, dealer documentation fees, and more.
Interest rate - While the interest rate does not affect the up-front price, you might be required to finance through the dealer's choice of bank, erasing any savings upfront, over time, in interest rates.
Here is one example of a partial list of possible exceptions:
The most significant advantage of using one of these websites is to find the exact car you want by scouring dealerships within a specified radius, possibly helping you find a vehicle you might have missed locally.
1: Autotrader (New & Used Vehicles)
Autotrader has had the advantage of being around since 1997. Your car dealership has most likely used Autotrader for 20 years, so there's a good chance you can find the car you want.
You'll find Autotrader checks most boxes as you read about the other websites.
You can search for new, used, and certified ones simultaneously, something I love because I like to look at new ones and look for the vehicle I want with low miles.
Email alerts are available for your search. You can refine by make, model, trim, price, mileage, vehicle history, dealer, private seller, color, delivery, video, search radius, and more. A featured dealer is typically the first result, but Autotrader is easy to use.
Not sure where to start and don't want to read further? Start with Autotrader.
2: CARFAX (Used Vehicles)
Most of us are familiar with CARFAX for an automobile's history, but you can also shop for a used car. During your search, you can opt to show "No Accidents or Damage Reported, CARFAX 1-Owner, Personal Use, and Service History." When we checked all four boxes, our search went from 146 to 39 results.
You can narrow results, including year, mileage, trim, price, color, transmission, and more. Good and fair values are easy to spot. CARFAX is easy to use, navigate and includes the CARFAX information every used car buyer needs.
We wish CarFax had new cars to view.
3: CarGurus (New & Used Vehicles)
In functionality, CarGurus isn't much different than CarFax. You can shop new, used, or get a trade-in value.
You can narrow results, including year, mileage, trim, price, color, days on the market, finance options, contactless delivery, and more. CarGurus has many unique search options. You can enter your email to be notified about new listings or price drops.
We did think some of the prices were "too low." A new F150 Limited, even with a Z Plan pin, would save you $5,000, yet many are showing $7,000 discounts, which is rare for this vehicle. Many cars seem to have been listed for a long time, leading one to believe a deal could be had. We've called on some of these vehicles only to find they had already been sold.
There's a lot of additional information for each car listing, including time listed, average monthly payment, dealer reviews, and more.
4: Facebook Marketplace (Used Vehicles)
Most of us have a love-hate relationship with Facebook, but Facebook Marketplace is excellent. Finally, a reason not to use Craigslist.
We've used Marketplace numerous times to buy and sell and saved a lot of money. You can always haggle with someone. We've had good luck by setting a fair price.
If you click the vehicles category, you can look at cars, trucks, ATVs, motorcycles, campers, trailers, and boats. You can refine your search to miles, type, style, make, and model. While refining your search isn't as good as the competition, there are fewer results on average.
2: TrueCar (New & Used Vehicles)
TrueCar is one of a couple of websites that squeeze more cars on your screen, especially for Desktops, and we appreciate that.
Like the others, you can narrow results, including year, mileage, trim, price, color, days on the market, finance options, and contactless delivery. They do offer some unique opportunities. You can choose well-equipped, minimal, fully loaded, and more.
While some websites let you know if there's a good deal to be had, TrueCar also highlights high prices. While not good for the seller, that's good for you. Another advantage is that TrueCar doesn't waste your time showing you cars that don't fit your search criteria. Many other websites will show you dozens of vehicles if the search results are small. We think you'll find that refreshing.
TrueCar used to be higher on the list, but you must fill out a form to get more information. Who wants to do that? You can't see who's selling the car.
6: Hemmings (Classic, Antique & Used Vehicles)
If you're looking for a classic or antique car, Hemmings is the place to be. Browse by year, price, condition, private seller or dealer, and even international. There are also auctions to browse where you can even find damaged vehicles.
Not shopping for a car? That's OK; Hemmings is fun to browse for any car enthusiast.
6: AutoTempest
AutoTempest's goal is to combine all car search-related resources in one interface. So they aggregate search results from multiple platforms, including dealer sites and other large engines, to compare in one interface. The results are quick and efficient, but you will need to scroll through by engine which is how items are sorted.
AutoTemepst also has a featured called Search Tempesthelps you search all of Facebook Marketplace, craigslist, ebay, and other shopping sites.
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In the past 25 years, I have purchased more vehicles than anyone can remember. Purchasing a car is considered one of the worst investments most people make. My experiences (losses) put me in a unique position to try and make back some of my lost money by sharing my experience with you.
Before we get started, you want to understand how and why car-buying websites exist.
Never forget that the dealers pay to place their cars on these websites. It's merely another form of advertisement for them. Any price you see is not a guarantee. Here are some of the outs that could change the price you see.
Here is one example of a partial list of possible exceptions:
The most significant advantage of using one of these websites is to find the exact car you want by scouring dealerships within a specified radius, possibly helping you find a vehicle you might have missed locally.
1: Autotrader (New & Used Vehicles)
Autotrader has had the advantage of being around since 1997. Your car dealership has most likely used Autotrader for 20 years, so there's a good chance you can find the car you want.
You'll find Autotrader checks most boxes as you read about the other websites.
You can search for new, used, and certified ones simultaneously, something I love because I like to look at new ones and look for the vehicle I want with low miles.
Email alerts are available for your search. You can refine by make, model, trim, price, mileage, vehicle history, dealer, private seller, color, delivery, video, search radius, and more. A featured dealer is typically the first result, but Autotrader is easy to use.
Not sure where to start and don't want to read further? Start with Autotrader.
2: CARFAX (Used Vehicles)
Most of us are familiar with CARFAX for an automobile's history, but you can also shop for a used car. During your search, you can opt to show "No Accidents or Damage Reported, CARFAX 1-Owner, Personal Use, and Service History." When we checked all four boxes, our search went from 146 to 39 results.
You can narrow results, including year, mileage, trim, price, color, transmission, and more. Good and fair values are easy to spot. CARFAX is easy to use, navigate and includes the CARFAX information every used car buyer needs.
We wish CarFax had new cars to view.
3: CarGurus (New & Used Vehicles)
In functionality, CarGurus isn't much different than CarFax. You can shop new, used, or get a trade-in value.
You can narrow results, including year, mileage, trim, price, color, days on the market, finance options, contactless delivery, and more. CarGurus has many unique search options. You can enter your email to be notified about new listings or price drops.
We did think some of the prices were "too low." A new F150 Limited, even with a Z Plan pin, would save you $5,000, yet many are showing $7,000 discounts, which is rare for this vehicle. Many cars seem to have been listed for a long time, leading one to believe a deal could be had. We've called on some of these vehicles only to find they had already been sold.
There's a lot of additional information for each car listing, including time listed, average monthly payment, dealer reviews, and more.
4: Facebook Marketplace (Used Vehicles)
Most of us have a love-hate relationship with Facebook, but Facebook Marketplace is excellent. Finally, a reason not to use Craigslist.
We've used Marketplace numerous times to buy and sell and saved a lot of money. You can always haggle with someone. We've had good luck by setting a fair price.
If you click the vehicles category, you can look at cars, trucks, ATVs, motorcycles, campers, trailers, and boats. You can refine your search to miles, type, style, make, and model. While refining your search isn't as good as the competition, there are fewer results on average.
2: TrueCar (New & Used Vehicles)
TrueCar is one of a couple of websites that squeeze more cars on your screen, especially for Desktops, and we appreciate that.
Like the others, you can narrow results, including year, mileage, trim, price, color, days on the market, finance options, and contactless delivery. They do offer some unique opportunities. You can choose well-equipped, minimal, fully loaded, and more.
While some websites let you know if there's a good deal to be had, TrueCar also highlights high prices. While not good for the seller, that's good for you. Another advantage is that TrueCar doesn't waste your time showing you cars that don't fit your search criteria. Many other websites will show you dozens of vehicles if the search results are small. We think you'll find that refreshing.
TrueCar used to be higher on the list, but you must fill out a form to get more information. Who wants to do that? You can't see who's selling the car.
6: Hemmings (Classic, Antique & Used Vehicles)
If you're looking for a classic or antique car, Hemmings is the place to be. Browse by year, price, condition, private seller or dealer, and even international. There are also auctions to browse where you can even find damaged vehicles.
Not shopping for a car? That's OK; Hemmings is fun to browse for any car enthusiast.
6: AutoTempest
AutoTempest's goal is to combine all car search-related resources in one interface. So they aggregate search results from multiple platforms, including dealer sites and other large engines, to compare in one interface. The results are quick and efficient, but you will need to scroll through by engine which is how items are sorted.
AutoTemepst also has a featured called Search Tempesthelps you search all of Facebook Marketplace, craigslist, ebay, and other shopping sites.
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