Used car buyers are very invested in their vehicle search. Not only do they have to find the right make and model, they also need to select the ideal unit, which could be why the typical used car buyer uses seven different resources to investigate cars. That’s two more than a new vehicle buyer, which isn’t surprising given the task at hand. So where should your dealership be investing their marketing dollars to reach these potential used car buyers?

Canadians told us the most popular source of information when buying used is listing sites. Used vehicle buyers also say that listing sites are their favourite way to start a vehicle search, and the most influential source of information. Listing sites offer a lot of versatility for potential buyers because you don’t need to know exactly what you want to start browsing. Questions like “can I afford that luxury car” or “what truck can fit in my budget” can be addressed by searching through listings. Buyers can also easily see how adjusting factors specific to used vehicles like model year, mileage and accident history impact what they can buy.

Dealership websites are a very popular resource for used vehicle buyers, while car reviews ranked third. Keep in mind that every resource in the top 10 list is still used by 1 in 3 used vehicle buyers, so all are important. With the typical used car buyer using seven different sources of research, and potentially multiple listing sites within their process, used vehicle information needs to be available and consistent in many locations. Just because a buyer submits a lead from one source doesn’t mean that was the only resource that led them to your car.