Locating the Best Car Dealership to Purchase a New Car

Locate the Car Manufacturer's Website. If you like certain types of car, such as Hyundai or Mazda, go to the dealership's website. Although the website will offer support to all car dealerships selling their manufactured new cars, they do often provide special recognition to specific car dealerships that are known to supply expert service and perform at higher standards. Many manufacturers often give awards and other accolades to these car dealerships, to it is good to look for these and see which ones are the highest rated. If the manufacturing website does not provide much insight, there are other places to look. Automotive.com enables individuals to look up car dealerships in their area that sell the desired make. After finding a few in your area, you can check them out to guarantee their reliability.

Ask Family, Friends, Co-Workers, Even your Next Door Neighbor. If you know of someone who has the type of car you are looking to buy, simply ask them where they bought it. If they have had a pleasant experience, they will most definitely be willing to share information about their experience at the car dealership. Advertising through word-of-mouth is the least expensive, but best way to ensure continual service. By asking around, it will assist in guaranteeing you do not pay too much for your vehicle.

Find out about the Dealership's Service on the Better Business Bureau. The Better Business Bureau is quite possibly the best sources to use when researching the reputation of a car dealership. The BBB, as it is frequently referred to, lists the number of complaints a dealership has received and how they were resolved, if they were resolved at all. If the dealership has a good track record when it comes to resolving customer complaints, or has few, if any complaints at all, then it is a reputable dealership. On the other hand, if there are a high number of complaints left unresolved, it is best to steer clear of that dealership and locate another.

Used Car Dealerships

A common misconception is that used cars carry much more problems than buying brand new from a dealership. This isn't true considering all the checks and measures your used car lot takes to make sure the car that they are selling is completely suitable and in perfect working order. In many cases these used vehicles still have an existing warranty on them, or you have the option of purchasing a warranty to make you feel confident you won't have any costly repairs down the road.

One major benefit a used car dealership presents to people is budget options. People can choose from highly expensive cars to very affordable economical cars on the same lot. This simply gives customers more options, and people really like to have these types of options. A used car dealership can also save people from taking many trips to many different dealerships because they carry different brand named vehicles at all times.

Customer service is a major consideration when it comes to the employees and owners of a used car dealership. Their mission is to find the right car, for the right person, and sell it to them at the right price. If their customers aren't happy, they will lose business. This is why these types of dealerships are much friendlier than corporate owned new car lots.

Used cars simply save people money. This savings can be from the overall price of the car, and the insurance cost of a car. Used cars are cheaper on insurance than when you buy brand new. There is also more room in the price a vehicle to haggle with, instead of paying the brand new car premium that other dealerships have.

If you are in the market for a new vehicle, you should take a second glance at cars that are used. Many cars for sale that are used come off a lease, which means low miles and that it was highly maintained. This presents the best buy for a customer. No matter what your budget is, or what type of vehicle you are in the market for, a used car lot has the best chance of suiting your needs.

Internet Changes Buyer and Car Dealership Behavior

Much of yesterday's traditional showroom traffic has moved into cyberspace. Over 80% of all U.S. households now have Internet access. Nearly 85% of all new and used car purchasers shop online first, before even visiting a dealership. They spend an average of four hours researching and comparing vehicles and prices on a wide variety of manufacturer, dealer and third-party sites such as Kelly Blue Book, Edmunds and Yahoo. More than 10 million used car searches are conducted on Yahoo! each month.

According to a poll conducted by Cars Online, 44% of people surveyed said they were likely or very likely to purchase a car or truck entirely over the Internet, if that capability were available. Last year, one major automotive manufacturer piloted a program in California to sell their cars, trucks and crossovers on e-Bay.

To better satisfy the growing number of customers who shop online, dealerships are creating dedicated Internet Sales Departments to manage customer e-mail inquiries. "It's grown so fast," says Donna Lawlis, Internet Sales Manager at Classic Chevrolet in Grapevine, Texas. "We started with just one person. Now we have ten full-time sales consultants in a separate building just to respond to all our customer leads."

Industry experts recommend dealers hire one dedicated Internet sales consultant for every 100 leads received per month. The industry closing ratio for Internet leads is 2.9%. "Being an Internet sales consultant isn't a car job, it's a sales job," says Eric Hall of Classic Chevrolet. "A normal day for me is to get here at about 8:00 a.m. in the morning, check our incoming leads, start answering customer e-mails, and take photos of our new and used inventory to post on the dealership website. The day kind of progresses from there."

The NADA reports that 96% of franchised dealerships have a website. Nearly 90% of all GM dealerships are enrolled in a factory-sponsored Certified Internet Dealer (CID) program which provides a dealership website, search marketing tools, links to the GM and brand sites, and automatic updates of national sales and service promotions.

"Our dealership website gives us an opportunity to get business we otherwise wouldn't get," according to Rick Smallman, Internet Sales Manager at Lupient Chevrolet in Bloomington, Minnesota. "It's as important to our dealership as the showroom, or as the Parts and Service Department."

Over 80% of all activity on a dealer's website is related to inventory. Most sites feature photos of new and used vehicles, including "Internet Specials," with detailed descriptions of vehicle features, specifications and pricing available at the click of a button.

Online car haulers are making auto transportation easy, safe and efficient for dealers who are using the Internet to find the best inventory. Dealers shopping online don't want to be constrained by a vehicle's location. After buying a car online from a wholesale auction, dealers simply go to the car hauler's website to get a price and estimated transit time for door-to-door pickup and delivery. Dealers can then place orders, track shipments and manage all their transportation needs in one place online.

Technology and the Internet have changed how consumers compare and shop for cars and dealers are responding. Dealers are finding new ways to use the Internet to manage their business and remain competitive when selling cars to consumers and sourcing inventory for their lots.