Wondering which ecommerce car site is better? Which site you should use to find or sell a car? You are not alone; there are many to choose from. This article is going to explain the differences between Autotrader and Carfax.
What is Autotrader?
Autotrader’s goal is to be “your ultimate solution for buying and selling new, certified, and used cars.” Autotrader.com offers a number of benefits:
- It has the largest selection of vehicle inventory from dealers and private sellers.
- It offers a comprehensive selection of buying and selling tips and research and comparison tools.
- Extensive car reviews, photos, and videos to help you learn the options of different vehicles.
- Vehicle pricing, including seller specials and dealer discounts.
- Detailed safety information and vehicle history reports.
- Help with finance, insurance, and warranty programs. K
- Pricing information from KBB.com.
- Autotrader has more than 3 million vehicle listings from 40,000 dealers and 250,000 private owners
Autotrader.com shoppers can research and compare cars by body type, mileage, price, and other criteria, and 14 million buyers per month find their information helpful.
Dealer Home Services
Autotrader has a unique feature called Dealer Home Services that help shoppers search for cars that include a video walkaround, an at-home test drive, and vehicle delivery from specific dealers. This option is great for those that don’t like the dealership experience and it greatly reduces the stress of the car-shopping and -buying experience.
What is Carfax?
Likely you have seen the ads on TV, with the little animated Car Fox who talks about Carfax and its reports. This is actually how Carfax started, with its main mission being providing reports about used cars including such things as number of owners, service records, and accident history.
- Carfax is a division of IHS Markit, a London-based company focusing on information analytics and solutions.
- The Carfax goal is to be the leading source of vehicle history information
- The company claims to have the most comprehensive vehicle history database in North America.
- The information on the sites comes from more than 100,000 data sources, including all
- North American vehicle information agencies plus auctions, police departments, repair facilities, and more.
- Carfax reports are available for all used cars and trucks since the model year of 1981.
Their reports include the following information:
- Accident and damage information, like airbag deployments.
- Flood damage history.
- The number of owners per vehicle and title information.
- State emissions inspection results.
- Service records
- How the vehicle was used (whether it was a taxi, rental, lease, etc.).
The company backs its work with something called the Buyback Guarantee, which says that if the report doesn’t include a DMV-issued branded title, Carfax may buy the vehicle back for the full purchase price.
How Car Buyers Can Use Autotrader Listings
Autotrader provides a comprehensive search tool that let buyers find the perfect car for them. Buyers can search by:
- Make
- Body Style
- Price Range and Price Rating (Good or Great)
- Condition
- Location
- Mileage
- Drive and Fuel Type
- Fuel Economy
- Transmission and Number of Cylinders
- Exterior Color
- Interior Color
- Features
- Number of Doors
- Seller Type (Dealer or Private Seller)
Each new car listing includes information provided by the seller, including the vehicle’s VIN (vehicle identification number) and often the dealer stock number.
How to Use Autotrader for New Cars
At the top of the new car page, you have the option to search by make, model, or style. On the next page, you can broaden your search terms with such things as location and condition.
A page with a list of your selected vehicle will display showing you cars for sale in your area. Each vehicle option will include a picture of the car and the name of the dealership, with the MSRP (Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price). It also includes information on the dealership and KBB’s dealer rating.
You will see Dealer Home Services options, such as whether a video walkaround or at-home test drive is available. You also have the option to expand the search radius from your home zip code.
Once you choose a listing, you will be able to see multiple images, the mileage, engine, transmission, mpg, exterior and interior colors, and the VIN. You can also see the seller’s comments and any listed warranty information.
You can also see the Kelley Blue Book® Fair Market Range to determine a fair price for the vehicle.
KBB updates this information frequently, as it changes depending on things like season (four-wheel-drive vehicles tend to be more popular in the winter, for example) and desirability or popularity of a particular new car.
If you need to finance the vehicle. Autotrader provides a “Calculate Payment” tool where you can plug in the number of months and down payment and (if relevant) the trade-in value of your current vehicle. You can then determine what a monthly payment would be and what the APR is.
Contacting a Seller Through Autotrader
If you like a car, there are a number of ways to contact a dealership, including a private message with your name, e-mail and (optionally) phone number. You can also send an e-mail and or use contact information the dealer has provided to ask further questions about the car.
What You Will See on Carfax
One significant way in which Carfax is different from Autotrader is that Carfax only deals with used cars, so don’t expect to see new cars on the site.
At the top is a tab saying Used Cars for Sale. You will also tabs for Used Car Values, Car Maintenance (for scheduling maintenance appointments), and Carfax reports. Once you click on the “Used cars,” you can choose your zip code and then search by make and model, or body type and price. The search options are broken down into other categories, with the options of clicking boxes such as No accidents Reported or Service History.
Contacting a Seller through Carfax
Once you choose a vehicle, more information is displayed about the car, including the dealer, price, and how good a value the car is based on what Carfax considers a good price. There is also a tab at the top allowing you to reorder the results in terms of price, location, etc.
Once you have clicked on a car, the next page offers more information, such as the car’s mileage, options, where it is, and full dealer contact information including phone number, address, and a contact form.
Carfax ads only include cars sold by dealerships and not private parties.
Used Cars on Autotrader: Your Options
Autotrader features used car listings from both dealers and private parties. You can use the search options the same way you did for new cars; choose parameters as year, make, price, style, location, color, etc.
You can filter via vehicle history and see the number of owners, accidents, and mileage. Many listings also include a link to a free Carfax report.
Each listing includes:
- Information from the seller
- Features
- General model information such as reviews.
- Information about the original warranty
- KBB’s Fair Market value.
As with the new car listings, the used listings also offer a variety of ways to contact the seller, such as e-mail, chat, and by phone.
Certified Pre-Owned
Certified pre-owned (CPO) means a car has been inspected by the manufacturer or a dealership and must meet certain eligibility requirements. These cars are in very good condition and typically include a warranty from the manufacturer. You can choose to see just CPO vehicles.
More Search Choices
Autotrader provides different classes of search on other pages — classic and exotic cars, motorcycles, and RVs. Another category that can be helpful for certain buyers is a special search for those with bad credit. After all, everyone deserves a chance.
Autotrader Listings for Sellers
Autotrader.com was created for buyers and sellers; Autotrader offers a few different choices for private-party sellers.
- A basic ad starts at $25 and comes with three photos.
- A featured ad costs $50 and comes with twenty photos.
- A premium ad costs $90 and comes with thirty photos.
There is also the option to add 10 more photos to any package for an additional $20.
Due to Autotrader’s partnership with KBB.com, any Autotrader posting also appears on KBB.com.
Sellers also get a counter to see how successful their ad has been and how many people have clicked on it.
Seller Options
Sellers can choose to include a vehicle history report, which costs $15 with a basic or featured listing but is included with Premium.
Spotlight Ad status $15 option and it bumps the ad up on the search results page from time to time. This is free with Premium.
Premium ads also get something called the Supercharger listing, which makes the ad stand out on a search results page. This costs $10 with a Basic or Featured ad.
KBB Instant Cash Offer
As a bonus to the Autotrader’s partnership with KBB.com, a seller has the option of participating in the Kelley Blue Book instant cash offer. This option gives the seller the opportunity to get a cash or trade-in offer from participating dealers.
This may be an appealing option for those who would rather not deal with the process of advertising and then selling the car to another consumer.
Carfax Listings for Sellers
Because it only works with dealers and not private parties, Carfax does not offer the option for a seller to purchase ad space on the site. The only option it offers is to sell your car to a dealer.
On the home page there is a line that says, “Sell your car in 3 easy steps,” and a button that says, “Get Cash Offers”. Users then provide the VIN, license plate, and zip code. That will bring up the information about your car, including its estimated mileage. You then enter your contact information and any information you deem pertinent, and dealers will contact you with what they will offer as a trade-in value.
Again, this is strictly consumer to dealer, and not consumer-to-consumer.
