Buying Used Cars Entirely Online
I recently wrote about buying new cars entirely online and how I think it's a perfectly acceptable thing to do and could even be the future for new car sales. You might assume I'd also be something of an advocate of buying used cars entirely online too then, but you'd be wrong.
Buying a used car is entirely different from buying a new car, but there are a lot of companies springing up here and in the USA that want you to buy used vehicles from them online and have them delivered to your door.
How does it work?
There's a new company in the UK market I won’t name, but if you Google something like 'buy a used car online' they'll probably come at the top of the non-paid search results. I know quite a bit about this company and the founder has a seriously impressive track record of success in the digital realm. However, buying a used car isn't an entirely risk-free endeavour in any circumstances, so companies like this have had to put in some interesting safeguards for buyers.
In the case of this particular company, they have a 7-day money-back guarantee which says you can return the car and get a full refund within seven days of taking delivery as long as you haven't done more than 250 miles in it, modified it in any way, or had an accident in it.
You can return as many cars as you like using this 7-day guarantee, but if you return more than one in a 12 month period you'll have to pay a £100 collection fee for the second one onwards.
What's the problem then?
To be fair to them, that guarantee is far more than you get if you buy a brand new car online from anyone, so what's my problem with buying used cars online and having them delivered?
My problem is that every single used vehicle is unique, and some of the elements that make them unique will not necessarily be disclosed to you through an entirely online transaction. It's not that the companies will be trying to cover anything up, but there are things you could find with a used car you simply won’t have to worry about with a new car.
For example, if you don’t own a dog or if you don’t smoke you'll probably notice even a very faint smell of tobacco or dog in a used car if it's been smoked in or had a dog in it. Then there's the way it's been driven by its previous owner or owners.
Two apparently identical cars of the same age, mileage and specification can drive very differently, depending on how they've been driven in the past. There could be an annoying squeak or rattle or there could be excessive wear on the driver's seat. A used vehicle may have had minor (or sometimes not so minor) accident damage that hasn't been painted particularly well.
Try before you buy
I don’t think the average buyer has to test drive a new car before they buy it, which is why I think buying new vehicles online is totally fine and why that's how I buy my new cars. However, I really do believe you must test drive a used vehicle before you even consider making such an expensive purchase.
You may think buying an ex-demo car that's only a few months old with hardly any miles on the clock would be almost the same as buying new, but it isn't. Think very carefully before you consider buying any used car online. Finding a car on reputable websites such as DesperateSeller.co.uk, going to a dealer or a private seller and then checking the vehicle out for yourself is still the best way to buy any used vehicle, and probably always will be.
