Is a car buying service worth it?

A car buying service charges a fee to find, negotiate, or manage your purchase. Whether that's worth it comes down to your time, the complexity of the purchase, and how comfortable you are negotiating.

It's usually worth it if

• You'd rather spend your time elsewhere than on dealership calls and follow-ups.
• You're trading in a vehicle, or have a payoff or equity question.
• The car is hard to find, or you're buying from another state.
• You don't enjoy negotiating, or you're worried about add-ons and fees.
• You want someone who knows how dealerships structure a deal.

It may not be worth it if

• You're comfortable negotiating and have time to do the research.
• You're buying a common vehicle from a fixed-price dealer.
• Your timeline is flexible and you enjoy the process.

What it costs

Services charge in different ways: flat fees, percentages of the vehicle price, or fees from the dealer. Flat fees are easier to compare. At SoldBySummer, Deal Representation starts at $1,000 and Full Concierge is $1,500, with collector and exotic acquisitions quoted individually.

Questions to ask any service before you hire

• Who pays you, and could a dealership pay you too?
• What exactly is included, and what costs extra?
• What happens if you can't find the car?
• What is your refund policy?
• Who will I actually talk to?
• Can I read reviews from real clients?

The bottom line

The best reason to hire a service isn't that you can't buy a car yourself. It's that you'd rather not spend 10 to 20 hours doing it. If you do hire one, choose a service whose fees and policies are clear before you pay.