Bill Utter Ford has come out with an article about how to buy a used car online. Bill Utter Ford is actually in Denton, Texas, which is north of Dallas (where I am right now). Had I seen their article before I bought a new truck I might have been interested in going to see them. But, it’s just a little too late at this point.
In any case, here’s some of the good information they have about buying a used car or truck. I’m particularly interested in the points that the vehicle history reports available through carfax.com. I’ve run one for a friend a while back because he was having trouble with a car he had bought from Carmax–and he wanted to run a carfax report to see if they had sold him a lemon or not. Turned out that they sold him a formerly leased car, which wasn’t really a big deal.
How To Buy Used Cars Online
Bill Utter Ford, Denton TX, announces the launch of an online used-car browsing and purchasing service at www.utterpreowned.com. While local car dealerships offer manufacturer-provided sites, Bill Utter Ford is trying to provide the same browsing opportunity with personal service.
There is a variety of websites available on the internet to help you find the car you want such as, AutoTrader.com, Cars.com, and Yahoo.com /usedcars. You can search for a specific model, year, or even price range. A website such as Cars.com provides a conglomeration of vehicles available from many dealerships. However, we know the current trend is to go to the direct dealer’s website because of history, familiarity, or personal referrals. We can provide the same browsing opportunity that these other websites offer with personal service.
At Utter Pre-Owned we have utilized the Internet to launch a new service — an online used-car browsing and purchasing service at www.utterpreowned.com. The internet has become a convenient way to shop for practically any item, including pre-owned vehicles. According to the 2004 J.D. Power and Associates Used Autoshopper.com Study, more used-vehicle buyers are turning to the Internet in their automotive shopping process than ever before. The study is based on the online shopping habits of late-model used-vehicle buyers (five model-years old or newer). Currently, 54 percent of all used-vehicle buyers use the Internet as part of the vehicle shopping process-up from 43 percent in 2003. (Press Release – July 7, 2004).
For people that purchase used cars, a guarantee or warranty is becoming increasingly important. A growing trend is purchasing a Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) vehicle that has passed a series of tests, and a seller is willing to support with various degrees of warranty. According to Consumer Reports, “Certified pre-owned vehicles are marketed as being the cream of the used-car crop. More than 7,000 respondents to a survey who had bought a late-model (2000 through 2005) used vehicle during the previous 12 months, 56 percent purchased a certified pre-owned vehicle.” (December 2005 issue)
One way to make sure you are getting a decent car is to get the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) on the car. For about $30 you can get a vehicle history report from carfax.com or other reporting companies. This will provide you with information about where the car originated, any accidents, the cost of repairs, etc. You can also ask for a mechanical inspection before signing on the dotted line.
Through the internet we are able to provide a quality selection of used vehicles to access by make/model, body type, year, color, mileage, and vehicle price. You can leisurely browse through the multiple pictures and a thorough description of options for each vehicle. When you locate a vehicle you are interested in, send us your contact information, and our sales staff contacts you within 24 hours. If we do not have exactly what you want in inventory, we will find it. The Utter family has several dealerships within North Texas so we can increase the overall inventory to find the best vehicle for you. When you like the vehicle and price, you can access the online credit application to complete at your leisure.
People are using the internet to shop for used cars every day as proven by the fact that over twenty-five hundred customers visit our website monthly. The average internet car-shopper spends 1-2 minutes scanning the inventory on our site and about 27% contact us.
Our inventory is ever-changing so keep searching, or let us search for you. We believe that an informed and relaxed customer means a returning customer. At Utter Pre-Owned, we will beat any deal and find the vehicle you are looking for guaranteed.