Amongst all the crazy grocery stores and panic shopping, your mind has probably been more focused on finding milk and toilet paper than it has been when it comes to making larger purchasing decisions. As we settle into our mostly home-bound lives for an unknown amount of time, we have started to take more advantage of our opportunity to leave the house for essential items. We all know that doctors, first responders, and gas station employees are considered essential, but you probably didn’t realize that car dealerships are too. So, since car dealerships are still open, is now a good time to buy a car?

Financial Distress

With many businesses closing due to the new stay-at-home orders being issued by each state and nationally, a lot of people have been laid off. These lay-offs are intended to allow employees to collect unemployment checks, and while the online system for unemployment seems to be crashing for many applicants, the option is still there. As financial security slips through our fingers, many people are tightening down on their budgets. A new car, for many people, isn’t a necessity, and that means that many car salesmen are sitting alone with no potential business.

Across the country, car sales have fallen drastically. Car manufacturers are struggling to compensate for the drop in sales and have begun offering price decreases and other offers to entice people to buy. Car dealerships have started to offer their new and used cars at significantly discounted rates or with rebates, making it a great time to get a new car at a better price.

Online Car Buying

When you are buying a car, your first instinct is to go to the dealership and take your car for a test drive. You want to know how the car responds when you turn the steering while, what it feels like when you go over bumps and, in general, to touch just about everything on the dashboard. With sanitation being the first concern at the front of our minds, it’s hard to find the desire to want to sit inside of a dealership car and – quite literally – touch every single surface you can get your hands on. Luckily in today’s world, we have a lot of options that make us feel more confident in buying a car online, without having to leave the safety of our homes.

Websites and YouTube channels are a great way to research potential cars and get owner and customer feedback. Sometimes the YouTube videos give us tricks or lesser-known features of the car. These opinions give us an objective view of our potential purchase with the crowding pressure of a salesman breathing down your neck.

Many dealerships have an online inventory search that shows pictures of all of the cars they have available, and it’s a good option if you want to ensure they have exactly what you are looking for. With all of the advice, you can get online and the ability to see what is available near you, buying a car online is easier than ever, and a great option if you want to buy a new car without having to leave your house for very long.