Finding The Right Car At Home

Finding The Right Car At Home (NAPSA)—There are more than 43 million used cars sold every year. More and more buyers are finding it easier to shop from the convenience of home—online. In fact, more than half of used-car buyers report using the Internet to help them find the vehicle they want. Doing the preliminary search- ing and information gathering on the Internet can help you cut through the classified ads and find the car that best suits your needs. If you’re planning to buy a used car online, here are some tips to keep in mind: Find the retail value of the car you’re interested in. This information is usually available online from Edmunds at www.edmunds.com or Kelley Blue Book at www.kbb.com. Whether you buy from a dealer or private seller, make sure it’s someone you trust. Follow these three easy steps: 1. Make sure you have a prepurchase inspection done. Try to use a mechanic you trust rather than one hired or recommended by the dealership. 2. Look for safety and reliability information for any vehicle Do the legwork for a used car online. you're considering. There are Web sites that gather data on car safety that you can look at before deciding on a vehicle. 3. Get a vehicle history report from a site such as Carfax that can tell you about accidents, repairs and other potential problems with the particular vehicle you’re considering, keyed to its unique Vehicle Identification Number. Now you can get reports on vehicles that meet your criteria emailed to you automatically. Thousands of dealers list their cars in Carfax Hot Listings. You can sign up at www.carfax.com.