Buying a used car (100%) online
10 min read
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Considering buying a used car online? We’ve tried it for you!
Buying a used car online is an absolute possibility these days, however skeptical one may be about the process. Our family recently made two of these online purchases when we bought a 2019 Toyota RAV4 and a 2017 Mercedes Benz CLA250 towards the end of 2021. Indeed I never dreamed we’d be the ones to confess to buying a car online, let alone a used one…but here we be. In truth, the process was remarkably seamless, and definitely had its upsides, so for anyone out there seriously considering a similar purchase, here I outline the pros and cons of my own family’s experience for your consideration.
Clutch - car delivery to your home.
You can browse the inventory from the comfort of your own home.
Who doesn’t enjoy making a purchase without ever leaving the house? Unlike traditional used car buying, you can simply log onto one of a number of used car buying websites (Clutch.ca, Canadadrives.ca, Curbie.ca) and have all of your vehicle options right there in front of you. If you have a particular vehicle make, model or year in mind, simply add in those specifications to refine your search.
(+) Pros:
You can take your time with your search
You do not need to interact with any salesperson
You can complete the entire process from the comfort of your own home
You can select filters to add focus to your search
You might be able to save some money through an online purchase by avoiding the overhead fees associated with the dealership (location fees, employees etc.)
(-) Cons:
You do not get to see the actual physical vehicle
You might miss some insights on the car
You can not negotiate the price of the car
Vehicle imperfections are highlighted
So how can you ensure that the vehicle you are getting is not a lemon, you ask? Each vehicle has undergone a full 150 point mechanical inspection (sometimes 200 point, depending on the company) and comes with its own CARFAX report where potential buyers can view maintenance history and any reports of damage (ie. accidents). Moreover, the good companies will give you a 360 degree view of the vehicle online where all the imperfections are highlighted. I say ‘the good companies’ because we had one good and one not so good experience in this regard, which I will address below (skip ahead to ‘How Do I Know Which Company To Go With’ to find it). But, knowledge is power, and equipped with the right knowledge, you will NOT make a similar mistake to ours!
(+) Pros:
Full mechanical inspection and CARFAX reports are made available and can be downloaded
A 360 degree view of your chosen vehicle will give you an overview of all the cosmetic imperfections of the car in advance of your purchase
You may request a video walk around of the vehicle prior to purchase (but not all companies may be willing to offer this)
(-) Cons:
Not all companies fully disclose vehicle imperfections, so beware of those that don’t so you’re not caught off guard (Canada Drives)
You have payment options
When it comes to the financial aspect of the purchase, know that you have options. We chose to pay our vehicles upfront in full, but financing is also possible. In our case, we put down a small deposit (the specific amount is dependent on the company you’re dealing with, and in our case ranged from $100.00 to $500.00) with the remaining payment due upon delivery of the vehicle (by bank draft)
(+) Pros:
You can finance the vehicle or pay it in full upfront
Only a small deposit is required to reserve your desired vehicle
(-) Cons:
You may need to get pre-approved for financing
Car is delivered within days, sometimes hours
The turnaround time from when you’ve finalized your online purchase until delivery of the vehicle can be as quick as a matter of days, even hours! It is up to you, the purchaser, to organize the necessary insurance for the vehicle prior to delivery. The faster you are in this regard will determine the speed at which the vehicle can be delivered to you. There’s definitely a plus to having the vehicle so quickly, I know we were thrilled to be able to complete the entire car shopping process in less than a week!
(+) Pros:
Quick delivery
Delivery of the vehicle right to your front door
(-) Cons:
In some cases, the vehicle may be coming from a different province and may take slightly longer to arrive. Delivery fees could also apply, and, depending on how far the vehicle is coming from, delivery fees may be non refundable. Be sure to ask!
You have a 7-10 day no hassles return option if you’re not satisfied
Again, each company is slightly different in this regard so make sure you familiarize yourself with the one specific to your particular situation. Also, it’s not just the days you have to inspect your new purchase, but a certain mileage you’re permitted to put on the car while testing it out so be sure not to exceed this distance or returning it may no longer be an option! For certain companies (Canada Drives) you must take the time to carefully inspect the vehicle or else you might be unpleasantly surprised by certain defects you did not expect to find (Canada Drives claims they cannot possibly disclose all imperfections. I beg to differ).
(+) Pros:
You are given a certain period to inspect, assess and test out the vehicle before you must commit. Use this time to your advantage.
(-) Cons:
You must know the specifics (day and mileage allowances) during the trial period so you don’t exceed these and render a return of the vehicle out of the question.
If all of the above steps are to your satisfaction, you will have yourself a new used car! 😜
How do I know which company to go with?
Besides vehicle inventory, the choice of company you deal with is completely a personal choice. From our own experience, we can definitely offer our own preference and the reasons behind it. But, all in all it comes down to what you feel most comfortable with and where you can find the most suitable vehicle for your needs.
Between the two companies we dealt with, we had an extremely positive experience with Clutch and only a mediocre one with Canada Drives (so mediocre, in fact, we probably would not choose to purchase through them again given the much more responsive competition). We found Clutch far more open to dealing with issues regarding the vehicle and the purchase process whereas Canada Drives was much less interested once they had received full payment. Clutch was willing to rectify a wheel alignment issue that we brought to their attention shortly after purchase of the vehicle and to shoulder the costs associated with this. Something else that made Clutch stand out against its competition was that each and every imperfection on the vehicle seen in our 360 degree online preview was pointed out upon delivery during a walk around with the delivery driver. Some of these imperfections were barely noticeable, while others were slightly more evident. Still, it was comforting to know that the vehicle we were purchasing had no hidden damage (scratches, paint chips, dents etc.) that we would discover and regret later.
Canada Drives, on the other hand, denied responsibility for not disclosing all of the vehicle’s imperfections and were unwilling to rectify any of these undisclosed issues when confronted. The delivery driver did not offer to point out the vehicle’s cosmetic flaws, but rather left us, the purchasers, to either discover them for ourselves or not discover them at all until it was too late!
Clutch vs. Canada Drives
Clutch:
Receptive to dealing with issues
Pointed out all the vehicle imperfections during vehicle walkaround/delivery inspection
Took the vehicle back to rectify issues that appeared to have occurred during transport (polished out very light marks that seemingly appeared to have occurred during delivery of the vehicle)
Gifted us with a $25 Petro Canada gift card under the gas cover that we were pleasantly surprised to find when it was time for our first fill up
Cars get delivered with a flatbed truck (unprotected)
Clutch plant trees in the region from which the vehicle was purchased
Canada Drives:
Less willing to deal with and/or rectify issues with the vehicle
Left it up to the purchaser (us) to thoroughly inspect the vehicle for hidden imperfections (damages of 1-2 inches will not be disclosed to you as Canada Drives deems them too insignificant, ie. crack in tail light cover, pits in windshield (things that are not visible in online photographs))
The after purchase department is less than helpful
Cars get delivered in a closed (protected) trailer
Final recommendations I can make after having completed, for the second time, the online purchase of a used vehicle:
This process may seem a bit intimidating for car buyers, particularly those who don’t feel very knowledgable about the whole car buying process to start, as it is a rather new and unfamiliar approach. My impression, however, is that over time this will become the new way to purchase vehicles. I am by no means a car expert, so I definitely had my own reservations about engaging in this process at the start just like a lot of you might. However, I found that the process was quick, easy and something that my family would not hesitate to engage in again moving forward.
The final piece of helpful advice I can add is to select a delivery time slot during daylight hours when you are able to adequately evaluate the condition of the vehicle. We opted for an evening delivery for the first of our two vehicles and found that we were not able to properly inspect the vehicle for damage without the natural light…beginner’s mistake for sure! For the delivery of our second vehicle we quickly learned that daytime time blocks are the most practical and safest from the point of view of being able to pick up on very subtle cosmetic damages that some companies will go out of their way to hide!
Additionally, if at all possible, try to execute your purchase when the weather is ideal enough to spend some time outdoors. Both of our cars were delivered to us in the dead of winter… and a very cold winter at that!! It was extremely difficult not to try and rush the process simply because it was too cold to be outdoors for an extended period (-25 degrees Celsius is too cold). But, trust us…taking that time is necessary and will pay dividends when you know exactly what you’re getting!
We hope that if you do make the decision to try out online used car buying you will take our advice to optimize your own experience. If you have already made a similar purchase, we would love to hear about your experience with this process. We are happy to try and help guide you in your search for the perfect vehicle and wish you the very best of luck!
