How to Check a Car Dealer's Ratings and Reviews
When negotiating with a dealer, they sometimes say or do things that sound suspicious. Knowing what kind of reputation they have can go a long way in determing if they're telling the truth.
In recent years, there's been a growth of online dealer rating sites. Many of the large automotove portals have also added dedicated dealer review sections.
This is great news for car shoppers who oftentimes need to be protected from unscrupolous dealers.
The largest dealer review site is DealerRater.com. They have around 1 million user-generated reviews and also provides a way for dealers to respond to the reviews.
The dealers that are actively involved on DealerRater.com care about their reputation and are usually ones that will treat customers right.
Another stand-alone dealer review site is CarDealerCheck.com. They don't carry as many reviews as DealerRater, but they're certainly worth checking out.
Some of the large automotive portals have also added user-generated dealer reviews recently.
Cars.com provides dealer reviews including ratings on Customer Service, Buying Process, Quality of Repair, and Overall Facilities.
Edmunds.com also provides useful dealer ratings.
Another avenue for car shoppers is to contact their local Better Business Bureau or the State Attorney General's Office to see if the dealership has a history of complaints.
Keep in mind that reviewing a dealer's reputation through ratings and reviews doesn't guarantee you won't have any problems.
A dealer may have a good reputation overall, but they may also have a couple of bad employees that you could get stuck dealing with.
Always keep your guard up regardless.
My Recommendation for Car Shoppers
TrueCar No-Haggle, CarsDirect, and NADAGuides are the quickest way to see the lowest car prices in your area. These sites show you no-haggle prices from dealers closest to you - and the deals are usually really good. This should be the first step you take when negotiating your car price. Follow this up with my checklist to make sure you squeeze out every last bit of savings.- Gregg Fidan
Each week, I'll keep you up-to-date on the latest car deals and news that might affect your purchase. This includes...
- Best Rebates, Incentives, and Lease Deals
- Latest Car Buying Scams and Tricks
- The Best & Worst Time to Buy a Car
- Which Cars You Should Avoid
About The Author
Gregg Fidan is the founder of RealCarTips. After being ripped off on his first car purchase, he devoted several years to figuring out the best ways to avoid scams and negotiate
the best car deals. He has written hundreds of articles on the subject of car buying and taught thousands of car shoppers how to get the best deals.
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