Ordering products online is not a new development. But among the many challenges that the novel coronavirus has presented is the need for strict separation to be kept between the staff at a dealership and its customers. As such, contactless car buying has become a necessary tool for those looking to buy and sell their vehicles during an age of COVID-19.
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How Does It Work?
Once you have selected a vehicle from the online list, you can then get in touch with the dealership themselves. This can be done via telephone, email or via the dealership’s website. Part exchanges can be valued on the spot, and arrangements can be made to either collect the vehicle, or to have it delivered by trailer to the home.
Test drives are still possible, but they will be unaccompanied, lending the customer the freedom to choose their own route. While this might seem like a risk on the part of the dealership, it is one that the industry is willing to take to stimulate ailing demand.
If you are looking to make a purchase in this way, then your dealership might help you to secure finance remotely. Alternatively, you can look to specialist online lenders who’ll be able to help get you onto the road.
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What Are the Benefits?
The most obvious benefit of this method is that it limits the chance for the virus to spread between customer and dealer. While the chances of this might seem slight, people in public-facing jobs must be given extra protection, as they have the potential to become ‘super-spreaders’, contacting hundreds of people per week and thereby infecting thousands, of which a certain proportion will be vulnerable to the virus.
Cars delivered in this way are meticulously cleaned using alcohol-based wipes, with particular care being paid to high-contact areas like the steering wheel, the gearstick, and the door handles.
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What if Something Goes Wrong?
Of course, if the car that gets delivered to your home is in some way defective, then you will have to contend with the bother of getting it returned to the dealership. If you have commitments to contend with and need the car urgently, then this can be a considerable headache. However, the likelihood of this happening is extremely low – and it's far outweighed by the convenience of having the car delivered. If you are worried about this possibility, then you can always make arrangements to pick the car up yourself instead.
