Vroom is a web business that makes it easy to buy a used car. They’ll handle all aspects of the used car buying process, including your trade-in, and even arrange to finance. Vroom works more like a car dealership than a marketplace where sellers advertise, but it doesn’t have physical showrooms. There are no salespeople to work with, haggle with, or worry about, and the entire process is transparent.
For more information, read my full Vroom review here.
Buying a used car from a dealership can be painful. Used car salespeople are often hard to work with. Even though some are charming and delightful, you’re usually left wondering if they just made a fat profit from you. The alternative is to buy privately, but that’s too much risk and not enough return for most people.
Here we’ll explain why it’s such a pain to buy a used car from a dealership. We’ll also touch briefly on the downsides of the private seller route. Then we’ll share how Vroom lets you buy a used car without setting foot on a dealer’s lot.
Let’s run through these in reverse order, from least bad to worst.
5. You don’t get a warranty. Yes, you can go the Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) route but you’ll pay handsomely for the privilege.
4. No do-overs. Once you drive off the lot you can’t change your mind. If after a few hours you find the car isn’t as comfortable as it seemed during the test drive, though. The only way to get rid is to sell it, almost certainly for a big loss.
3. Huge time-suck. You may be able to look at inventory online, but you’ll still need to drive around visiting dealerships, during their open hours. Many don’t open Sundays, so what are you supposed to do? Use your vacation days?
2. Your choice is restricted by the distance you’re willing to travel. That might be okay if you’re not picky, but how about if you want a specific model, trim, and color? (You’re spending a lot of your hard-earned cash. Why settle for a car that’s not what you want?)
1. Haggling. Some people get a kick from trying to drive a hard bargain, but they’re a minority and even they have limits on how much time they’re willing to spend on this. Most people though don’t enjoy it all, you could even say they dread it. They don’t want to come across as unpleasant or mean, so they end up paying more than they should.