CarGurus Car Buying and Selling Review 6 days ago

Are you considering buying or selling a car online? CarGurus is a popular platform known for its transparency and user-friendly features. In this article, we provide an in-depth review of CarGurus, examining its reputation, platform features, pricing, inventory, and customer experience.

By the end, you’ll clearly understand whether CarGurus is the right choice for your car buying or selling needs.

Key Takeaways

• Sherpa rates CarGurus 8.8/10, making our list of the five best used car sites.
• CarGurus is an excellent platform for purchasing a used car, rated by our team as Best for Online Buyers. 
• We are especially impressed by CarGurus’ price transparency and user-friendly platform.

In This Review

• CarGurus Review
• What is CarGurus?
• How Does CarGurus Work?
• Pros of CarGurus
• Cons of CarGurus
• Review of CarGurus Buying Process
• Review of CarGurus Selling Process
• CarGurus FAQs
• Sherpa’s Best Used Car Site Methodology

CarGurus Review

We evaluated CarGurus and other leading used car sites based on reputation, platform, pricing, inventory, and customer satisfaction. We give CarGurus an overall rating of 8.8 out of 10, making our list of the five best used car sites.

Overall Rating: 8.8/10 

CarGurus stands out for its transparent pricing, intuitive interface, and wide-ranging vehicle inventory. Whether you’re in the market for a commuter sedan or a vintage muscle car, the platform’s robust filters and dealer ratings make it straightforward to find a suitable option. This balance of usability and selection underpins why CarGurus remains a reliable choice for many buyers and sellers.

Industry Reputation: 9/10 

Known for price transparency and positive user reviews, CarGurus has built a strong reputation since its establishment in 2006. CarGurus has cemented itself as a trusted name in online vehicle sales. Much of this esteem stems from its price transparency model, which highlights how listed prices compare to current market values.

Combined with largely positive user reviews, CarGurus has earned a reputation as a go-to resource for those seeking fair deals and dependable insights.

It pinpoints price transparency whether a particular offer is a good deal, fair deal, or overpriced, boosting consumer confidence. Building user trust, it consistently has high ratings on consumer review platforms attest to the site’s commitment to honest dealings.

Platform: 9/10

CarGurus shines in ease of use and comprehensive features:

1. Advanced Search Options: Narrow down your hunt by make, model, price range, trim, mileage, and more. This granularity ensures you’re not sifting through irrelevant listings.
2. 100% Online Transactions: Buyers (and previously private sellers) can manage the entire buying or selling process through the CarGurus interface, making remote negotiations and final transactions more convenient.
3. Dealer Reviews & Pricing Trends: CarGurus offers dealer-specific feedback from previous customers, plus an analysis of pricing trends is helpful if you want to gauge whether values are on an upswing or if you might snag a seasonal bargain.

Why It Matters: Platforms that streamline the shopping experience and provide real-time data can save you hours of research, making car-buying less stressful.

Pricing: 8/10

We applaud CarGurus for its transparent price information and ability for users to receive quick and accurate online quotes. However, as of June 2024, CarGurus discontinued the option for private sales through its platform. Therefore, we have to dock CarGurus in the pricing category since car buyers and sellers typically do not get the best deals when limited to dealership purchases.

Pros:

Transparent Price Information: CarGurus’ signature feature is its labeling of listings as “Great Deal,” “Good Deal,” or “Fair Deal,” giving immediate clarity on how the price compares to market norms.

Accurate Online Quotes: Users benefit from quick quote requests and consistent pricing data, ensuring minimal guesswork.

Cons:

As of June 2024, CarGurus ended its private-sale feature, restricting transactions largely to dealerships. While dealerships can offer warranties or certified pre-owned programs, private sellers often provide competitive prices—potentially saving buyers money. 

In losing that private-sale channel, the platform narrows your negotiation options and may limit your ability to secure a rock-bottom deal. Given this shift, we deduct a point from the Pricing category. However, if you prefer to shop through dealerships (for financing or warranty benefits), CarGurus remains an excellent resource.

Inventory: 9/10

CarGurus offers an extensive inventory from various dealers, providing buyers a wide range of options from nationwide and even international dealers. The sheer variety means you can browse everything from newer used models under factory warranty to older, budget-friendly cars that might be perfect for a first-time buyer.

Inventory Highlights:

• Broad Brand Selection: Whether you want a Honda or a Maserati, CarGurus likely has multiple listings for your region.
• Frequent Updates: New vehicles are added daily, so you can catch fresh deals quickly if you keep an eye on filters or set up email alerts.

Customer Experience: 9/10

Users appreciate the comprehensive support and ease of navigation, making the overall customer experience very positive.

From sign-up to purchase, CarGurus aims to simplify each stage of the consumer journey:

1. Comprehensive Support: Pop-up guides and FAQs lead buyers through financing, extended warranty, and trade-in questions.
2. User-Friendly Interface: CarGurus keeps navigation smooth, whether you’re on mobile or desktop. The website’s layout is clean, and relevant information—like mileage or accident history—is front and center.
3. Dealership Communication: Many users praise CarGurus for facilitating direct contact with vetted dealers, reducing back-and-forth phone calls or spammy email chains.

This streamlined approach significantly improves consumer confidence and often speeds up purchase decisions.

What is CarGurus?

CarGurus is an online automotive marketplace connecting buyers with sellers. Established in 2006, it has become a trusted platform for price transparency and user reviews. CarGurus aims to make the car buying and selling process easier and more transparent for its users.

With its A+ accreditation from the Better Business Bureau and generally positive customer reviews, CarGurus is a trusted site in the used car space.

How Does CarGurus Work?

CarGurus connects buyers with dealers, offering tools to analyze prices and read dealer reviews. Users can search for cars based on various criteria, compare prices, and contact sellers directly through the platform.

CarGurus boasts a 100% online car-buying experience, allowing visitors to shop, finance, and check out from home. Used car purchases through CarGurus come with a 7-day return policy. 

For sellers, CarGurus provides accessible online offers in minutes from its dealer network. Like car-buying, selling your used vehicle through CarGurus is simple through the platform. CarGurus even arranges for the pickup of your purchased vehicle.

Pros of CarGurus

There are several aspects of car buying and selling through CarGurus that shine:

• Price Transparency: CarGurus uses advanced algorithms to analyze prices and ensure fair, market-based pricing.
• Extensive Dealer Reviews: Users can read reviews from other buyers, helping them make informed decisions.
• User-Friendly Platform: The website and app are easy to navigate, with advanced search options and helpful tools.
• Robust Search Tools: Users can filter searches by price, make, model, and other criteria to find the perfect car.

Cons of CarGurus

While our experience with CarGurus was overwhelmingly positive, here are a few drawbacks of the site:

• Intrusive Ads: Some users find the ads on the platform to be intrusive and distracting.
• Outdated Listings: Occasionally, listings may be updated infrequently, leading to discrepancies in availability.
• Limited to Dealer Sales: As of June 2024, private sales are no longer available via CarGurus. 

Review of CarGurus Buying Process

The buying process on CarGurus is straightforward and user-friendly. Here’s a step-by-step overview:

1. Search and Compare: Buyers can start by entering their desired car make, model, and location. CarGurus provides advanced search filters, allowing users to narrow their choices based on price, mileage, features, and more.
2. Price Analysis: One of CarGurus’ standout features is its price analysis tool. Each listing includes a price analysis (e.g., “Great Deal,” “Fair Deal,” or “Overpriced”) based on market data. This transparency helps buyers quickly identify the best deals.
3. Dealer Reviews: Buyers can read reviews of dealers from other users, which provide insights into the dealer’s reputation and customer service. This is crucial for building trust and ensuring a positive buying experience.
4. Contacting Sellers: Once a buyer finds a car they are interested in, they can contact the seller directly through the platform. CarGurus facilitates communication between buyers and dealers or private sellers.
5. Vehicle History Reports: Many listings include vehicle history reports, which provide detailed information about the car’s past, including accidents, service records, and ownership history. This adds an extra layer of confidence for buyers.

Overall, the buying process on CarGurus is designed to be informative and transparent, helping buyers make confident decisions based on sound information.

Review of CarGurus Selling Process

As of June 2024, CarGurus has discontinued private sales. CarGurus provides an easy online experience for used car owners to sell their vehicles through their extensive dealer network.

Here’s how the car-selling process works through CarGurus:

1. Instant Offer: provide some basic information about your vehicle, and CarGurus will source thousands of dealers to produce an instant offer.
2. Vehicle Pickup: schedule a convenient time for your car pick-up through the CarGurus site.
3. Get Paid: CarGurus will pay out via cash or direct deposit within two business days.

Overall, the car-selling process through CarGurus is easy and convenient. However, because car sellers are limited to dealership offers, they are unlikely to receive the maximum potential payout for their vehicle.

CarGurus FAQs

Sherpa’s Best Used Car Site Methodology

We used five criteria to evaluate the Best Used Car Sites:

Industry Reputation – Sites that have a strong overall standing in the industry are rated more favorably. We considered years in the industry, BBB rating, and overall reputation

Platform – We evaluated the platform’s features and ease of use. We also considered if the platform was open to all users.

Pricing – We evaluated the site’s pricing, favoring transparent pricing structures. We also considered listing fees or premium services.

Inventory – We evaluated both the quantity and variety of vehicles on the platform.

Customer Experience—We reviewed the support available for both buyers and sellers and read online customer reviews to evaluate their sentiment towards the platform.