App of the Week – TrueCar

Buying a car can be an intimidating task. Knowing what car to buy for your needs is the first place to start. Not the dealership. Make sure you study the cars, your needs, and your finances before you ever go near a car salesman. Buying a car requires information. That is why TrueCar is the App of the Week.

TrueCar gives the user the ability to see what other car shoppers in their region are paying for the same car. The company clams that it studies millions of car purchases every year. They believe that this helps to put an end to surprises at the dealership.  According to the TrueCar website the company has a network of TrueCar Certified Dealers that are “committed to truth and transparency in every aspect of how they treat you as their customer.”

There is a link on the webpage that gets you to begin shopping by selecting the make and model of the car you want. But you won’t find a dealership that easily. You will need to enter your email address to get to that step. But you can select your car and all the options you want and see the price. This is all from the website.

With the smartphone app you all the above plus a TrueCar representative who will answer your questions. The site does not say the representative is available 24/7 but they do say “Call us any time.” You can also scan the price sticker on the car to get your “upfront price and savings certificate.” The website failed to explain what that is exactly.

The biggest advantage of the TrueCar App and website is that you can see what others are paying for the same car. TrueCar also allows you access to special incentives that are only available to TrueCar users. According to the website TrueCar users save as much as $3,000 on the purchase of a new car when buying from a TrueCar certified dealer.

But if you really did your homework you would know what you want to and  can pay for the car of your choice. 

TrueCar is free and available on Apple and Android.