Search for a Used Car Online
When you are interested in purchasing a used car there are many ways you can locate one. Since many online retailers offer discounted rates for used cars online, many people are interested in searching for used cars utilizing the Internet. The Internet makes it accessible for you or anyone with Internet access to browse through pictures of hundreds of cars, which is a feature not available when you shop at car dealers in person. Learn how to find used cars online, by using eBay motors and Auto Trader.
Steps
Using eBay
- Sign up for an eBay motors account or log into your existing account. Once you activate your account, click on the link to search for items.
- Click on the "eBay motors" link. This takes you to a page where you can enter specifications about the car you are interested in looking at.
- Type in detailed information about the car you are looking for, such as the car type, model type, car miles and car color. For instance, if you are interested in finding a Honda Accord with less than {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}}, you will type in "Honda Accord, less than {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}}" in the search box.
- Look at the options given to you. Some of the cars fitting this specific criteria will be filtered and show up in the search results; however, unless the seller has specified the mileage on the car, these cars will not show up in the search results.
- Click on the picture of the car you are interested in viewing. Most sellers put numerous photos of the car, which may or may not include photos of the interior, photos of the dashboard, photos of the seats, photos of the paint, as well as photos of the front, side and back of the vehicle.
- Look at the detailed information about the car, such as whether it has a salvaged title, if it has leather or fabric interior, if it has a CD player and whether it has automatic or manual transmission.
- Narrow your selections. Send emails to the sellers of the cars you are interested in learning more about. Ask the sellers any questions you may have, which may not be listed on the listing for the car.
Using Autotrader.com
- Type in Autotrader.com into the web browser. This will take you to the homepage. There will be a menu on this page that has the heading, "Find Cars."
- Access this area and use the drop down menu to identify the type of car you are interested in locating. Use the search box to type in your zip code, to specify your location. Also make sure to select the "Find Used Cars," button.
- Click the "Next" button. This will take you to another page where you will have to identify specifications about the car. For instance, some of the options are mileage, how much you want to pay, model type, and the distance you are willing to travel if a match comes up. Select the information that fits your criteria and click the "Search" button.
- Look at the next page that comes up. This will list all the cars that fit your search criteria. Depending on the popularity of the car, you may have several results. If there are too many returned results, you can select even more criteria to limit the returned results.
- Browse through the selection of cars online. When you find one you want to see up close, click on it and scan through the pictures.
- Send the seller an email if you have any questions. Make sure you specify exactly what you need to know. Then you can decide whether you want to see the car in person.
