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TRUECar Reviews

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TRUECar Overview TRUECar Reviews TRUECar Ratings TRUECar Pros and Cons TRUECar Conclusion Compare


TRUECar is a website founded in 2005 that provides car shoppers with information on both new and used vehicles that are for sale. They get information on car pricing based on what dealerships are currently selling vehicles for, and their information is considered to be an up-to-the-minute look at what a specific vehicle would cost right that second. In exchange for paying to have their listings added to the website, dealerships also receive potential buyer information that is provided to the website.

TRUECar also owns racing teams and partners with a wide variety of car owner services, such as Geico, AAA, and Consumer Reports.


REVIEW

When users first visit TRUECar, they will see that there are over a million car listings and growing from around the United States. These are mostly from dealerships, who present information on what current, real-life customers are paying for any particular vehicle. This presents an interesting relationship between dealers and buyers right away: buyers now have information on what dealers are actually selling vehicles for, and can negotiate a much better price based on this.

Dealers know that users of TRUECar can see this information, so the price negotiations are already primed to go faster and smoother. It’s almost as if TRUECar has acted as a preliminary price negotiator for the consumer by making this information transparent. All prices are listed with a “price analysis”, which shows how the cost of a specific vehicle has changed over a period of years. This will help consumers understand how a vehicle may depreciate in value if they want a car they can resell in the future.

Of course, the major set back is that anything that consumers see on TRUECar is, at the end of the day, just information. Dealers are in no way obligated to negotiate based on a listing on TRUECar, and TRUECar is just a listing aggregation site. There’s no way to lock in a price based on what you’ve seen there.

Additionally, there are not extra features such as the ability to find local financial services, knowledge sections on car ownership, or other things that many other car listing websites offer. There is a FAQ section, as well as a few other ways to contact customer support.

TRUECar does have a mobile app that users can download to shop for a vehicle, and it allows all the same search features as the website. Once you find a vehicle you like the look of, you are prompted to fill out a form to be put in touch with the dealership. Here’s a major problem that many users have with TRUECar’s service: all those great features that show up-to-date pricing information require an email address before you can see the information.


RATINGS

7.6 Total Score
Great

TRUECar gets information on car pricing based on what dealerships are currently selling vehicles for, and their information is considered to be an up-to-the-minute.

Price
9.5
Features
6.2
Ease of Use
7.2
Customer Care
7.3
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BRAND REPUTATION COMPARISON

TRUECar
62 %
Competitors
50 %

USER ENGAGEMENT COMPARISON

TRUECar
85 %
Competitors
50 %


POPULARITY TREND COMPARISON

TRUECar
80 %
Competitors
50 %


PROS:
  • Get transparent information on real prices of local car sales
  • Search through over one million listings for new and used cars
  • Mobile app that doesn’t lose any function
  • Multiple ways to contact customer service

CONS:
      • No prices are ever guaranteed, even if dealers discuss price through an initial TRUECar contact
      • All information requires an email address be entered





CONCLUSION

If you are a good negotiator, and you just need some information to get yourself started on the road to a more affordable vehicle (and you don’t mind giving out your email address to get that information), then TRUECar is probably a really good resource for you. You can find the right dealership with a listing or two that you like the look of, arm yourself with numbers, and then head out to negotiate.

But if you are looking for the most comprehensive route to the best used or new car listings on the Internet, you are probably better off sticking with the more reliable, and more feature-rich services provided by places like Edmunds.com or AutoTrader.com.

Have you had an experience with this company?  Please share your TRUECar Reviews below.


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