How to Find Used Vehicles at Dealers

Many dealerships consistently update their online inventory for customer viewing. While dealers try to keep their Internet sites up-to-date, it can take up to a week before new pre-owned inventory makes it online. You can walk dealer lots to view used car inventory, but if you are at a major new car dealer who has both new and pre-owned cars for sale, you'll need to know how to identify the not-so-obvious differences in age.

Instructions

Online

1

Go to the dealer's website. If you do not know the website name, type the name of the dealer, town and state into your search engine, and if the dealer has a website, it should display as one of the first results. Click on the store name's link.

2

Click on "view inventory" or "pre-owned inventory" to access detailed information about the dealer's used car inventory. You should be able to view pictures (unless the dealer hasn't updated the information), details (such as mileage and options) and sometimes price, although not all dealers include online pricing.

3

Print out vehicle details to use for shopping purposes if you found a car you want to view in person. From the dealer's webpage, you can choose to email the dealer for more information or locate the dealer's phone number to call. Or, if you don't want to interact with the dealership just yet, you can go view the vehicle during a day that the dealer is closed, which is usually Sunday evening (some dealers are even closed on Sundays).

In Person

4

Go to the dealership to look at cars. Most dealers separate their new and pre-owned inventory. Identify most new cars by the window sticker--the sticker includes a break down of vehicle information, including the MSRP (manufacturer's suggested retail price) and is usually found on one of the side windows.

5

Identify pre-owned cars by looking for the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) sticker, or Buyer's Guide sticker. This sticker states whether a warranty is included with the car--a check must be provided in one of the two warranty options; Warranty or No Warranty (as-is). This sticker is only on used cars.

6

Identify a used car by the vehicle identification number (VIN) if all else fails. Dealerships have a process to go through before supplying the FTC sticker or it could have been taken off by a customer if you cannot locate it. Locate the VIN on the upper dashboard of the vehicle, viewable from the oustide driver's side windshield.

7

Count to the eighth digit backward from the end of the VIN, or count to the 10th digit forward. This character signifies the year of the car. Vehicle made from 2001 to 2009 used a numbered digit to signify the year: for example, a 2001 vehicle would have a "1" in the character position, and a 2002 vehicle would have a "2" in the character position--digits go up to "9" for 2009 model vehicles.

8

Use this character to identify new vehicles, as well. After 2009, all 2010 vehicles have an "A" in this position, and proceeding years will follow the alphabet. Vehicles made in 2000 use a "Y" in this position, while 1999 uses an "X."