Buying a used car used to mean trekking all the way to a dealership and talking to a car salesperson; possibly one with a disturbing moustache.
Whether you want to buy a used car from a private seller or a dealer, the whole experience is now easier than ever before. Having a look at car classifieds online can save you time and, most importantly, get you a great deal. We take a look at some of the best Web sites in Australia to buy a second-hand car.
carsales.com.au
Carsales.com.au is the largest online classifieds service for used cars in the country, with 196,974 used cars for sale when we checked it. Carsales.com.au also has trucks, caravans and motorcycles in its database.
Car City
Car City is described as the "largest car complex of its kind in the southern hemisphere". With a tagline like that, it's hard to go past Car City when you're purchasing a used car — unless you live outside of Sydney or Melbourne. However, Car City says it is looking to open new depots in Perth and Brisbane. Cars are accompanied by slideshows, complete with cheesy music.
Gumtree
Usually associated with finding a house or apartment to rent, Gumtree is a free classified ads site in Sydney that also advertises used car sales. Gumtree is definitely worth a look if you're on a tight budget: there's a nifty feature of searching for cars below $5000.
Drive
Drive offers car classifieds for both new and used cars and we like the extras that this site provides. It offers news and reviews of car models as well as handy tips for buying a used car.
eBay
We know what you're thinking. Buying a car on eBay can't be safe, right? Well, because auctions on eBay are usually at least a week long, many sellers give you the option of seeing the car and test driving before you buy. However be wary that some sellers may not be willing to sell you their cars if their auction price is below the reserve. With that being said, there are thousands of used cars available to be bought outright or bid on. iPhone users can also browse and buy used cars using the eBay app for iPhone.
Trading Post
We're glad to see that the Trading Post has an online site and you can search private and dealer used cars on its website. A quick search found 69,372 used cars for sale in Australia.
BMW used cars
If you're shopping specifically for a BMW, check out this Web site: a database for many used BMWs around Australia.
Redbook
Although it's not technically a Web site for buying used cars, Redbook can be an extremely useful tool if you're looking for more information about a previous model car. Price guides, average number of kilometres and the specifications of car models are available.
Carsguide
Carsguide.com.au is another massive classifieds tool to find the used car that you have been looking for. It has very specific search options for you to use like the number of doors you want on your car (hopefully more than one), to the fuel type.
Autoline
Autoline offers free advertising for people who want to sell their car. Buyers will also find this site useful, with around 20,000 used cars for sale.
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