{"id":767290,"date":"2019-03-11T17:21:47","date_gmt":"2019-03-11T21:21:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.finder.com\/ca\/?p=767290"},"modified":"2025-02-18T15:45:15","modified_gmt":"2025-02-18T20:45:15","slug":"buying-car-online-vs-dealership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.finder.com\/ca\/car-loans\/online-car-dealers-canada\/buying-car-online-vs-dealership","title":{"rendered":"Buying a car online vs in person at a dealership"},"content":{"rendered":"

Part of buying a new car is deciding where to shop for it. You can visit a dealership in person to test drive vehicles and negotiate face to face. You can also choose an at-home experience by buying a car through an online automotive marketplace or online dealer. This guide covers all 3 options in detail, so you can make the best choice for your personal situation.<\/p>

Online dealer vs online automotive marketplace vs in-person dealership<\/h3>
Feature<\/th>Online dealer<\/th>Online automotive marketplace<\/th>In-person dealership<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Examples<\/td>
  • Clutch, Canada Drives, CarDoor, Carooga<\/li><\/ul><\/td>
  • AutoTrader, Carpages<\/li><\/ul><\/td>
  • Local dealers near you<\/li><\/ul><\/td><\/tr>
Prices<\/td>
  • Cheaper than in-person dealerships due to lower operating costs<\/li>
  • Non-negotiable prices<\/li><\/ul><\/td>
  • Cheaper than online and in-person dealers if the cars are older<\/li>
  • Negotiable prices<\/li><\/ul><\/td>
  • Potentially more expensive than online dealers and marketplaces<\/li>
  • Negotiable prices<\/li><\/ul><\/td><\/tr>
Inventory<\/td>
  • Used cars only, typically newer than 2013<\/li>
  • Usually hundreds to thousands of cars to choose from<\/li>
  • All on one webpage<\/li><\/ul><\/td>
  • New and used cars<\/li>
  • Thousands of cars to pick from<\/li>
  • Includes dealer and private seller vehicles<\/li><\/ul><\/td>
  • New and used cars<\/li>
  • Hundreds of cars to pick from<\/li>
  • Inventory is with the dealer or other dealers it\u2019s partnered with<\/li><\/ul><\/td><\/tr>
Buying process<\/td>
  • Convenient, hassle-free, completely online<\/li><\/ul><\/td>
  • Time-consuming, partially online<\/li><\/ul><\/td>
  • Visit and test drive in-person, can see inventory online in some cases<\/li><\/ul><\/td><\/tr>
Trial period<\/td>
  • Varies by dealer, usually 7\u201314 days<\/li><\/ul><\/td>
  • No trial period unless specified by seller, but test drives allowed<\/li><\/ul><\/td>
  • No trial period unless specified by dealer, but test drives allowed<\/li><\/ul><\/td><\/tr>
Financing<\/td>
  • In-house financing, bank loans and private loans<\/li><\/ul><\/td>
  • In-house financing, bank loans and private loans<\/li><\/ul><\/td>
  • In-house financing, bank loans and private loans<\/li><\/ul><\/td><\/tr>
Extra features<\/td>
  • Buying process is completely online<\/li>
  • At-home delivery<\/li><\/ul><\/td>
  • Pricing guidance<\/li>
  • Buy from home options<\/li><\/ul><\/td>