Searching for a new or used car can be both frustrating and time-consuming. Autotrader is a large online advertiser of new and used vehicles that sellers and buyers frequently use to cut down the time spent advertising and searching for vehicles. Cars are listed nationwide from dealers and private sellers, and listings may be viewed by buyers looking for recent models, classic cars, trucks, or motorbikes. In addition, Autotrader’s search tools can be used to find vehicle options that are available for purchase easily.
Is Autotrader a good place to buy a car?
While there are many places where potential buyers may purchase a new car, Autotrader continues to maintain a reputation for being a trusted and reliable car buying site. Easy search options allow car buyers to search the extensive vehicle database, locate and filter cars by make and model, year, mileage, and sorting possible options by price and distance.
When trying to locate a specific model or car containing certain features, this can be a useful way to quickly find ones that match the buyer’s specified search parameters. In addition, buyers can sign up for a free account on Autotrader and save search results and vehicles, accessing them to be viewed at a later date or to make comparisons.
Buying a car online has risen in popularity recently, and the tools provided by Autotrader allow buyers to check and compare cars before committing to an expensive purchase. Search listings on Autotrader are structured as paid ads first, followed by other listings, but adverts can be easily sorted and filtered by preference to return the desired results.
Autotrader used car buying checklist
Once a suitable vehicle has been selected, some steps should be taken to make sure that the purchase is handled correctly. For example, paperwork, vehicle history, and other checks may need to be verified before completing the purchase.
Here are some items that should be checked before allowing the sale to proceed:
- Compare prices to ensure the vehicle is in line with the current market valuation (e.g. check Parkers)
- Perform a vehicle history check to verify that the car is free from accidents or financial issues.
- Schedule a test drive
- Check VRM and VIN numbers against the vehicle paperwork
- Deposits or upfront payments should be made using a credit card and refunds confirmed with the seller
- Purchase the correct insurance before taking any car on a test drive.
- Never pay any money for a vehicle that has not been seen
There are thousands of cars for sale on the Autotrader site. While scams are kept to a minimum, checks should be performed to verify the authenticity of any vehicle before purchasing. Deals that are too good to be true should arouse suspicion, and buyers should understand vehicle write off categories for any cars being sold, such as CAT-N, CAT-S or CAT-A/B. These indicate that the car may have been involved in an accident or may even be deemed unroadworthy.
How to use PayPal to buy a car through Autotrader
Once a suitable vehicle has been found, and a sale agreed with a seller on Autotrader, buyers will need to consider how payment will be arranged and transferred for the new vehicle. Several ways may be used to pay and complete the sale, each with varying levels of risk. Acceptable payment methods can include cash, bank transfer, check, and finance.
To complete transactions easily, PayPal is commonly used to buy and sell items and products. However, in the case of motor vehicles, it is not a recommended method for payment. While in theory, a vehicle could be purchased using PayPal, cars and vehicles are not covered under PayPal’s buyer or seller protection policy, leaving both traders and buyers highly vulnerable to risk. Therefore Autotrader does not accept PayPal for vehicle purchases.
Autotrader customer reviews
When buying from Autotrader, it is wise to check the reviews left by other buyers to learn about their experience purchasing from specific vendors. If the overall rating for a dealer is very low, it may indicate that there have been past problems, and it might be best to look for another seller.
Buyers can leave ratings and document their experience of purchasing a car, and over time this calculates an overall rating for each seller with the highest possible score of 5 stars.
AutoTrader also includes its own review system powered by Feefo, allowing customers to leave their feedback for dealers and individuals who frequently sell cars on their pages. Users can select a rating score and document their experience in detail, which other potential customers may then view. As a classified vehicle sale and purchase site, TrustPilot reviews rate Autotrader as 81% Excellent in a score gained from over 62,000 reviews.
Resources:
- Autotrader: http://www.autotrader.co.uk/
- Car insurance for Autotrader sales: https://www.nimblefins.co.uk/cheap-car-insurance
- Is it safe to buy a car with PayPal: https://www.autocreditexpress.com/blog/is-it-safe-to-buy-a-car-with-paypal/
- Get a car valuation: https://www.parkers.co.uk/car-valuation/
