What to know when buying a car online
Be sure to inspect and test drive it before you complete the deal, because vehicle may not be what it seems
I remember the days when buying a car meant driving from dealer to dealer until I found what I wanted and could afford; it might take weeks.
These days, almost everyone does at least some research online to find out what’s available before making a purchase; some conduct the whole transaction online. The online seller could be the internet sales department of a traditional dealer, an online-only dealer, or a private individual. The latter two require extra due diligence.
Consider the case of Vroom, which has an F rating from the BBB and has been sued by the Texas attorney general. Vroom describes itself as “a leading ecommerce platform for buying and selling used vehicles”; it sold 53,000 in the first nine months of 2021. But the number and nature of complaints filed with the BBB point to the risk of buying a car sight unseen. Customers have filed almost 5,000 complaints in the past three years, 80% of them in the past 12 months. Vroom hasn’t responded to many complaints.
Some customers complained that the car they received was not the car in the photos or it had body damage that didn’t show up; some said cars had been wrecked. Interiors were dirty and discolored. Some customers said their car was delivered at night and they didn’t notice the condition until the next morning.
Customers complained about delayed delivery, warranty issues, deceptive CARFAX reports, problems with trade-ins, and trouble receiving the necessary paperwork to get the car registered. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles filed an administrative complaint against Vroom over the paperwork problem. Customers also complained that Vroom isn’t responsive to them.
Over 70 complaints have been filed by Mid-southerners.
They’re mostly about delays in getting paperwork, including one customer who filed a complaint in January saying she hadn’t been able to get a permanent tag on a car she bought in July. Another customer said condition problems weren’t fully disclosed, including that “my push start button has so much wear and tear that the words have faded and peeled off.”
Customers have filed similar complaints about shady brick-and-mortar dealers, but problems are harder to resolve when they don’t have the option of talking to someone in authority face-toface.
Buying a car from an individual (who might actually be an unlicensed dealer) advertising on Craigslist or another online marketplace can also be risky. Watch out for these red flags:
h Sellers who claim that a buyer protection program offered by a major internet company covers a transaction conducted outside that company’s website.
h Sellers who push for speedy completion of the transaction and request payment via a wire transfer, reloadable debit card or gift card.
h Sellers who can’t meet in person, or refuse to allow the buyer to physically inspect the vehicle before the purchase.
h The price is well below market value, with an explanation such as the seller is being deployed and needs to sell in a hurry.
The best piece of advice when buying a car online is to inspect and test drive it before you consummate the deal. If you can’t, be sure you thoroughly understand the refund or return policy and that a dealer’s BBB record indicates they’ll stand behind it.