Because of COVID-19 pandemic, the automotive industry has come to a standstill. Car dealerships have closed and car production has declined. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to buy a car. Automakers have opened up a new opportunity – online car buying. The world’s leading car manufacturers like BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Cadillac begin accepting applications for booking and buying cars in their online car buying sites.
What is the point of purchasing car online? How is it different from the usual way? The answers to these questions are of interest to every prospective buyer. Let’s take a look at the process of online car purchase, paying attention to the features and top tips. Therefore, here is how online car buying works. Explore the steps how to buy a car online from the comfort of your home.
- STEP 1 – Choose a model. You can shop new or pre-owned local inventory, or even build your own.
- STEP 2 – Tailor Your Payments. Find our best trade-in values and special offers.
- STEP 3 – Apply for Financing. Submit applications with a fast and secure online system.
- STEP 4 – Confirm & Check Out. The car center finalizes your purchase and arranges delivery.
Now let’s take a closer look at each step of online car shopping.
Where and how can you view your future car and choose a model?
This can be done in the online showroom, where you can see detailed images of the interior and exterior of all car models. Most of the world’s well-known manufacturers have showrooms on their websites. There you can compare kitting, study all the technical characteristics and get the actual price. Best online car buying sites are offered by BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Lexus, Volkswagen and others.
Renowned automakers have developed special booking and car purchase services, which are built according to the principle of convenient for online car buyers. You can easily find the model you want at official dealerships, taking into account all the current special offers and make an instant reservation car in the desired configuration at any time. OK, you’ve made your choice.
What to Do Next in order to Buy a Car Online
Two variants are possible there. At first, if you’re ready to buy a car immediately. Once you have selected the desired car, you press the “Book online” button. This guarantees a car reservation for a few days, during which the selected dealer will contact you to agree on all terms of a commercial offer (trade-in, credit, accessories, additional equipment, etc.). Companies usually require a fixed prepayment.
The reservation gives the customer a guarantee that the car will not be sold during this period. After the payment procedure you get detailed information by all possible channels: by SMS, e-mail or messenger. At the same time it does not oblige you to make a purchase – at any time you can even refuse the reservation, and then the prepayment will be returned to you.
The second option: you are not sure about the purchase or have not received approval on the loan and want to ask questions clarifying the dealer and get detailed advice about the car. This possibility also exists – you choose a car or several cars in the configuration that you are interested in advance, and send a request to the dealer. The dealer automatically receives your request and quickly gets in touch with you to provide advice and answer questions. Then you decide whether to make an online reservation or discuss all the details of the deal with the dealer on the phone or in the showroom of the dealership center.