6 Apps for Buying or Selling Vehicles Online (2024)

If you’re selling a used car or looking to buy a new car, you've got options other than your local car dealership. It’s actually possible to shop around for the best price through the web rather than at a physical location. Leverage the wide availability of these online marketplaces so you get the best deal on a new or used car.

Car buying and selling apps generally fit into 3 main categories:

1. Marketplaces

These apps allow buyers to browse car offers across dealerships to compare prices and surf through listings. A buyer can search through the listings based on price or a vehicle’s specifications. Note that marketplaces may not allow private sales directly between two individuals. You may eventually still have to go into a dealership to work out a deal. Examples of car-selling marketplaces include Cars.com, TrueCar and Edmunds.

2. Digital auto retailers

These apps are run by companies that handle the car buying and selling process online rather than in person. Vehicles can be purchased directly through their app or website and then delivered wherever you’d like. If you’re a seller, these apps will quote you on how much they’d pay for your car and then schedule an appointment to come and inspect your car. If you’re purchasing, the vehicle will be delivered directly to you, and you may or may not be able to test drive the vehicle before purchasing. But these apps will generally have some sort of return policy to prevent you from being locked into owning a car you don’t like. Examples of digital auto retailers include CarMax and Carvana.

3. Private sales platforms

Apps where private individual owners can sell their cars for cash or make a deal are what we mean by private sales platforms. Buyers and sellers can both take advantage of these platforms and forego the “middle man.” That said, these platforms are generally rife with scammers, and it may be difficult to be protected against potential scams. We won’t be reviewing any of those here, but they are an option if you’re looking to make the most out of your car sale with a little extra work. They include Craigslist (use with extreme caution), eBay motors (which can also be a digital auto retailer), Facebook Marketplace (again, use caution) and Autotrader (proceed with caution). While it is possible to sell and buy good cars through these apps, the user reviews suggest they are easy playgrounds for scammers.

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With that outlined, here are some of the best car buying and selling apps on the market. We’ll mention what type of app it is and what makes it so great.

CarMax

CarMax is a digital auto retailer that has a self-stated goal of making the car buying process hassle-free. This app allows you to buy or sell your car through their app. They allow 24-hour test drives, a 30-day warranty, and even offer financing options for vehicles. If you’re looking to sell your vehicle, you can enter your vehicle information online and immediately get a quote. Even if you’re not planning on trading in your vehicle, you can still sell your car through CarMax.

CarMax is best if you’re not looking to negotiate or haggle the price of your vehicle - just look up vehicles you’re interested in and compare the options.

CarGurus

CarGurus is a digital marketplace that lets you browse vehicle offers across the web. You’ll see offersin their digital catalog for cars from dealerships, digital auto retailers, and private sellers. With CarGurus, you’ll have access to selling your own car, buying a new or used car, and financing a car. You can also search for vehicles based on their ratings and what they’re good for, rather than a specific make or model. Keep in mind that if you pursue purchasing a vehicle, you may have to eventually work with a dealership or private seller.

CarGurus is best for when you’re looking for a specific vehicle or type of vehicle and want to be more efficient about your search rather than going in person to look for cars. You’ll still have room for negotiating if pursuing a vehicle owned by a dealer or private seller.

Carvana

Carvana is another popular digital auto retailer that offers a wide variety of cars with fast delivery. Carvana is popular in major metropolitan cities as they can deliver your vehicle within the week. They also allow you to sell or trade in your current car. You can enter your vehicle’s information to get an offer immediately and get paid right after they inspect your car.

Like many other digital auto retailers, Carvana is intended to make the car buying process as easy as possible, with no haggling or underhanded sales tactics. You may not get the cheapest price through Carvana, but you will get your car quickly if you’re in a major city.

Cars.com

Cars.com is a digital marketplace that emphasizes filtering your car selection to exactly what you’re looking for at the best price available. Cars.com also allows you to see the reviews for both the dealership that is selling the car and the individual sales people that you’ll be dealing with. They also allow you to filter for vehicle deliveries, if you prefer to shop remotely rather than in person.

Cars.com is an extremely useful app for those new to the car buying process and wanting the most information possible about the vehicle and the seller. However, their interface is a bit clunky to use, and sometimes it’s not immediately clear how to use all the filters effectively.

TrueCar

TrueCar is another digital marketplace that allows you to sort, search, and filter vehicles by almost any criteria that you can think of. For example, if you need a car with Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, you can search for the top-rated, best priced cars with both of these factors. You can also look at possible cash rebates or compare multiple cars that you’re interested in. TrueCar will comb the web for all the dealers in your area so you can find the best deal before going into the dealership.

TrueCar is the best if you have very specific criteria that you’re looking for in your car. You will also need to sign up for a TrueCar account if you want access to their search functions. You may also find that your information is distributed to car dealers, resulting in unwanted calls.

Edmunds

Edmunds is a digital marketplace that helps you find a car model that’s the best for you. Before you even begin to look at dealerships or sellers, you can look at customer reviews, professional ratings, and reports for specific car models. If you like to research your cars before you buy them, you can find just about any stat that you’re looking for about every car model on Edmunds. If you’re a seller, you can even use the Edmunds app to appraise your car if you’re looking to sell.

Edmunds is great if you’re not sure what you’re looking for and trying to find some of the best, trusted options out there. The Edmunds brand has been around for over 50 years, starting as a print publication that helps drivers make buying decisions about vehicles. If you want to base what you get on proven customer reviews and research, Edmunds is a great place to start. They will also show you a few of the options at dealerships in your area.

Photo 110778596 | Car Shopping Online | Alexey Novikov | Dreamstime.com