How we sell used cars in Australia is changing fast. The market has become sophisticated. There is so much information available on the internet for buyers. Not just photos and sales guff about the actual cars but far more transparent information about the cars history. Years ago, a buyer would do a Revs check. Revs would tell you if the vehicle was encumbered or had finance owing on it, but it would offer you little else. Today there are any number of sites that can offer you a complete and thorough vehicle information. Whilst privacy laws will prohibit a buyer from getting certain information like who the previous owner was, you can find out how many owners the vehicle has had, track odometer readings, some even report on previous insurance claims. This information is available at a cost but it is worth it for the peace of mind that comes with the knowledge of knowing a vehicles history before you buy.
Ten years ago, it was rare for us to sell a used car to an interstate buyer. Photos on the internet would only tell you so much about the vehicle. These days, we sell as much as forty percent of our monthly sales either interstate or to rural NSW. By providing our customers with detailed history checks and pre-purchase inspection reports, the process becomes so transparent that clients don't even need to see the car before making a decision. Even Skype and Facetime has changed the way we do business. Every month, more and more prospective buyers ask us to walk them around a vehicle using one of these tools.
Where this is all going is anyone's guess. I don't think it will be too long before cars are literally connected to the Internet/Cloud. A cars detailed information including everything from its service history, to insurance claims, to its driving behaviour, its mechanical condition, even fault codes that have been stored in the computers memory will be available to anyone with a computer. The old adage - try before you buy, will be a thing of the past.