How to Get the Most Out of Shopping for Cars Online

Using these tried-and-true strategies when shopping for a car online, you can learn how to be effective in person and how to negotiate car price over email.

Laura Leavitt | 

Apr 27, 2022 | 4 min read

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Perhaps you've never before considered buying a car sight unseen. Though there seems to be more and more options allowing you to do just that, many experts may tell you that you're better off meshing together online and in-person shopping. Here's how you can make the most when shopping for cars online, even if you intend to make the final purchase in person.

Connect With Dealers Over Email

Learning how to negotiate car price over email is an art, but it can be done! If you start a conversation with a dealership, you can mention you're interested in a particular kind of car, perhaps an SUV, with a certain mileage, a certain feature and a certain price. The responses you get can be eye-opening. While some people at dealerships can be personable over email and give you an offer you can bring to the dealership, others may not connect with you or be open to negotiating. You might wisely choose to pursue the options at locations where people are most open to communicating with you, at least as a good start.

Shopping for Cars Online Gives You Options — and Power

Most sellers these days assume you're working with information you got from car shopping online, so if you don't do that research and consider how to negotiate car price over email, you might be operating at a disadvantage. Make the most of the available information online so you have the least possible work to do when you shop in person. Then, you can devote all your attention to test drives and visual inspections of the cars once you arrive.

Set Your Dealbreakers and Goals

If you go to the car lots with little direction, it can be easy to think you know everything you want before you actually do. Shopping online can help you see if there are patterns in the kinds of cars you like, all without a salesperson sitting next to you who may be pressuring you to buy today.

By surveying cars online, you can make some choices and goals that are far more specific than "buy a car I can afford" or "get a red SUV." You can prioritize: Some people reserve the top part of their purchase price range for vehicles that meet all of their priorities (features like an ideal mpg, interior features, seating, storage or other priorities) but have a lower range for cars that meet most but not all of their ideal features since they'll compromise for a good deal. The goal, however, is to set these priorities without having a salesperson already asking you to make a final choice.

Compare to Other Lots and Narrow Down Locations

While it's possible to go from dealership to dealership looking for great cars, you might not have the time to take a full day to visit lots. A more strategic approach involves checking the inventory while shopping for cars online a night or two before you want to go. As you look, plan your itinerary based on which lots have the most promising cars that are your type or style. That way, you can prioritize the best options and still see the cars in person.

Know the Offers and Deals Before You Go

It can really throw off your plans if your salesperson tells you about promotional financing or a big sale once you arrive, since you may be swayed toward a car you wouldn't have otherwise considered. Looking at the listed promotions and offers on the website can give you time to think through whether a deal is good enough to be worth changing your car shopping priorities. If you look at enough options, you might even find a location where the offers and deals are on the exact car you wanted to consider anyway.

Laura Leavitt

I love a good spreadsheet and will happily calculate compound interest all day, but my biggest focus is helping people achieve their financial goals. That could be saving up for a dream car or calculating the right car payment for your budget so you can get a reliable daily driver. I research and write about personal finance so that making great financial choices becomes easier for us all.