Gone are the days when you had to hop from one car showroom to another in search of your dream car.
Or even worse in case of buying a used car, you had to haggle with incompetent car salesmen to get a decent deal.
Internet is bumbling with places to buy cars online today, thanks to the e-commerce boom.
These virtual car showrooms not just facilitate in deciding your next (or first) perfect car by comparing features and specifications, but would even offer you a discounted rate than most offline stores.
Some websites even offer a free delivery to your home with a no questions asked return policy!
Here’s a list of 20 best places to buy cars online.
Contents (Jump to Topic)
1. EDMUNDS.COM
Image Credit: Edmunds
Edmunds is one of the most renowned places to buy cars online today, but it has been in the automotive industry since 1966 when it was founded by Ludwig Arons.
In 2000, it launched “True Market Value” calculator for both new and used vehicles, which provides invaluable information like estimated average price and actual transaction price.
With a huge database of inventory listings, vehicle reviews and much more, Edmunds is the go to market place for every buyer.
2. KBB.COM
Image Credit: KBB
With amazing in-depth research tools and excellent vehicle reviews and comparisons, KBB.com is unarguably the best place to buy used cars online.
KBB provides detailed information on every single model of car that ever hit the road, and you get year-wise information on the changes and upgradations that the vehicle went through.
It is invaluable knowledge when you want to buy a particular vehicle model, but are not sure which year’s version should you go for.
3. AUTOTEMPEST.COM
Image Credit: Kinja
Auto tempest simply brings together listing from all prominent sites that deal in used cars on a single platform. These include Craigslist, Autotrader, Ebay, CarsDirect and the likes.
Their buying tools help in not just searching and buying the right vehicle but also in insurance and cross-country shipping.
Also, there are other nifty tools like buying guides, checklists and much more to simplify your car buying process and make it enjoyable.
4. CARVANA.COM
Image Credit: Cars
The best feature of this website is the 360-degree views that let you see the features and shortcomings of any car.
Hence, you get a feeling that you are virtually present in the showroom and looking at your preferred car.
Next day delivery and seven-day test drive also make it stand apart in the crowd. In quite a short span of 4 years, Carvana has become one of the best online car buying sites in the US.
5 CARSDIRECT.COM
Image Credit: Carsdirect
A no non-sense website in the true sense, CarsDirect likes to keep it simple. Just specify the region you belong to and you’ll be presented with a list of used cars on this website.
Several filters let you pin-point your search to the perfect car that suits your choice of make, model, style and price.
Offers from both dealers and owners are displayed.
6. TRUECAR.COM
Image Credit: Truecar
TrueCar gets you upfront and transparent pricing from more than 13,000 certified dealers through its Price Check tool.
You can even know the price that other buyers paid for a certain model, thanks to its nationwide database of over a million transactions.
It is recommended to compare prices on this platform as it claims to give you Guaranteed Savings and ensure a sweet deal on your new purchase.
7. AUTOTRADER.COM
Image Credit: Autotrader
Autotrader is an excellent place to buy cars online, especially certified pre-owned ones.
Its interface is intuitive and user-friendly, yet its search results are great and can be sorted and filtered in numerous ways.
The database of cars is huge as sellers prefer to value their cars using Autotrader’s tools and list them for sale.
Finding local dealers has never been easy before!
Also Read: 28 Best Cars Under $25,000
8. CARMAX.COM
Image Credit: Carmax
CarMax is one of the most exciting places to buy a car. It operates on a different business model as compared to other websites that deal in cars, in the sense that it carries its own inventory and a team of dedicated technicians.
So, it is not just a listing site for used vehicles, but a nationwide dealer that offers you a “no haggle price”, guaranteed to be much lower than others.
Its 125-point inspection checklist and personalized financing options make it an inevitable choice for the buyers.
9. CARSOUP.COM
Image Credit: Carsoup
Although CarSoup is not radically different from your run-of-the-mill used car websites, it is a reliable and noteworthy marketplace for used cars and has made it in our list of used cars websites.
Check out CarSoup for exciting deals like cash-back and rebates on new cars and its “Must-go specials” sections for cars that are up for sale before they go to the auction.
You may find something better than what you came for.
10. CARS.COM
Image Credit: Cars
This website is best known for its weird and quirky commercials. That said, you might be familiar with its name.
User interface is delightful and uncluttered making navigation on the site intuitive and enjoyable and is a bliss for first-time buyers.
You have the option of instant messaging dealers who are online and quickly ask your questions or even negotiate for the price!
11. eBAYMOTORS.COM
Image Credit: Ebay
Everyone is familiar with eBay, and that is the best part about eBay Motors.
Even first-time buyers would not be overwhelmed to navigate through the variety of cars that are up for sale on this website, since they are acquainted with eBay’s user interface.
Within a blooming market filled with numerous websites that specialize in automobile sales, eBay Motors is surprisingly one of the best places to buy used cars online.
12. CRAIGSLIST.COM
Image Credit: Craigslist
Surprised to see CraigsList here? Though the site is infamous for featuring tonnes of irrelevant listings, it is actually quite good for buying something in your local area and cars are no exception.
It works especially great when you know exactly what you are looking for and have decent negotiation skills.
Since you deal with the owner of the car directly, you can actually land a sweet bargain and don’t forget that barters are valid too! Best used cars website ever?
13. VROOM.COM
Image Credit: Vroom
“Find car, Add to cart and Free Delivery”; this website’s homepage neatly summarizes the simple proposition that Vroom make to the buyer.
They are direct sellers and not a marketplace and claim to offer 8% savings on the car’s price on average.
Didn’t like the car you got delivered to your home for free? Simply return it within 7-days and get 100% of your money back!
This makes Vroom stand out as the best online car buying site, especially for first time car owners.
Also Read: 25 Best Custom Auto Shops in America
14. NADAGUIDES.COM
Image Credit: Nadaguides
NADA is an acronym for National Automotive Dealers Association and NADAGuides is their official website.
It is one of the best used car websites since a long time and provides a vast number of listings from the dealer members of the association, as well as owners of private vehicles, resulting in a comprehensive list of vehicles for sale.
You may even find some classic beauties and even boats on this website.
15. HEMMINGS.COM
Image Credit: Hemmings
This is the website you go to when you are looking for a place to buy a car from the vintage era.
It has become a bumbling community of car enthusiasts and has attracted several buyers interested in this niche.
Hemmings has a webstore for collecting memorabilia like diecast models and car books too. Check it out even if you don’t need to buy a car!
16. AUTOLIST.COM
Image Credit: Autolist
AutoList helps you find your dream car, even on the go with an excellent mobile app available on both Android and iOS platforms.
It allows you to search the top used car apps and websites and displays several relevant listings in one place.
Autolist also provides you with useful information like how long has the car been on sale, CarFax report and even notifies you when price of a shortlisted vehicle changes.
17. BRINGATRAILER.COM
Image Credit: Bringatrailer
BaT is another gem of a website to find rare and cult classic vintage vehicles besides Hemmings. Bring a Trailer boasts of an active community with similar tastes in cars and conducts auctions of such cars.
Both buyers and sellers can get some sweet bargains in these auctions resulting in a truly win-win situation.
18. CARGURUS.COM
Image Credit: Cargurus
CarGurus rely on the 3 R’s, “research, ratings and reviews” to organically rank its car listings based upon dealer reputation and market value.
There is no way a dealer can buy their way to top in the search results, making it a truly transparent platform for the users.
There is comprehensive data like time on market, price history and analysis for every listing too.
19. AUTOBYTEL.COM
Image Credit: Autobytel
Everyone searches for a car on Google before landing on a particular site to check out their offer.
Even if you know about a specific website to go to, you’ll take a second opinion from Google.
In both cases, you are bound to come across a review of that car or an article about it hosted on AutoBytel!
That’s how versatile and vast the information present on this website is. Next time you want an opinion about any vehicle, go to AutoBytel, maybe you’ll even end up buying one from there only.
Also Read: 25 Car Cleaning Hacks to keep your Car Spotless
20. AUTOMALL.COM
Image Credit: Automall
This website has more than 2.7 million new & used cars for sale and helps you get a car loan too. You can compare multiple options on its intuitive interface and research them to pick the best. Worth a try!
So, these are the 20 best places to buy cars online if hitting showroom is not in your option.
These portals list cars depending on different parameters with focus on providing precise details about the car’s condition and accurate pricing depending on the year model.