Holiday Car Shopping

This post is sponsored by Autotrader; however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

by Michael Satterfield

The holidays are in full swing, that means company parties, social events, family get-togethers, shopping, decorating, and of course everything else you normally have to do. I was watching TV the other day when a commercial for a car company came on, it's pretty much the same commercial they have been running every December for as long as I can remember, mom or dad gets surprised with a new car in the driveway on Christmas Morning, big red bow and everything. It got me thinking, with everything you have to do during the holidays who has time to go deal with shopping for a car?

I know from my time in the car business that most people shop several dealerships before making a purchasing decision, hunting for the right car, right color, right options, best deal. If you are going to go big and gift a car to someone, or even just buy yourself something nice, you want to get the right car. That is why when I saw Autotrader's Accelerate my deal feature, I had to check it out. Accelerate lets you find the right car/truck/SUV on Autotrader.com, get a Kelly Blue Book offer on your trade-in, apply for financing, and schedule a test drive with a dealer all in one place. With all the hard work done, you just need to take it on a test drive and sign your final paperwork. Then you'll need to find a place that sells really big bows.

As someone who has been on both sides of the table at a car transaction, the best thing about Autotrader's Accelerate My Deal program is it takes all the games and guesswork out of buying a car. You simply need to select the vehicle and your payment or price range and schedule an appointment to see that exact car at that price.

Since you can order just about everything else online, why should car buying be any different? I am actually in the market for a pickup truck so I decided to check out the process myself. After selecting the type of vehicle, price range, and options, a list popped up on new and used trucks that fit my criteria, on the used trucks the Kelly Blue Book pricing rating was listed, I then just clicked on "Start My Deal" and immediately had the payment estimate and financing options.

Shopping on Autotrader.com is convenient and simple, it allows you to fit car shopping into your schedule, and streamlines the process, I highly recommend using Autotrader.com to accelerate your next buying experience.

Also click here to learn more about online car shopping.