Conducting a car search often meant taking a drive around to the local dealerships in the area to see what they had to offer. Those looking for a used car simply had to open the classifieds to see what was out there, or they may have even spotted something for sale sitting along the edge of the road. There were also some used car lots, but they were not nearly as large or as numerous as the ones that offered new models. Either way, the search for a new or used car was always very local. That is, until the Internet came along.

I had never heard of an online car search until my dad did one to find his new truck. He was always wary of computers and the Internet in general, so I was really surprised when he told me he was going to pick up his new truck and that he had found it over the Internet. He said he did a car search within one hundred miles of where he lived in order to see what was out there. He found exactly what he wanted at a price he could deal with, and he went within a week to complete the purchase and pick up his new vehicle.

A hundred miles might not seem like a very large car search area, but if you really think about it, it is more than any one person could hope to get to when searching for a new vehicle. You couldn't possibly cover each and every one of those dealerships, and even if you wanted to, it simple would not be cost or time efficient. This car search did the work for him and he found what he wanted within a few days. He still had to see it in person, but because it was new, that wasn't a huge issue.

There are many sites that offer this type of car search online, and many of them are free. This does beat searching in person, but there is one drawback. There is no chance to test drive the car or truck before driving there to buy it. The test drive can be done once someone arrives at the dealership, but someone may decide they don't like it and they will have to drive home and start their car search all over again. However, for someone who has a good idea what they want and what they want to spend, this can be a great time and money saver.