Skip to main content

Use the best car-selling apps to buy your next ride with your smartphone

car-selling apps
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Smartphones have changed every aspect of our lives, from the way we communicate to the way we order food. They’re also changing the way we shop for a car. There are dozens of applications designed to let you buy or sell a car without leaving the comfort of your couch or having to boot up your laptop. The best car-selling apps for Android and Apple devices let you research a car and while making sure you’re not buying from a swindling dealer.

CarMax

Image used with permission by copyright holder

The CarMax application lets shoppers browse the retailer’s huge inventory of about 40,000 used cars scattered across the nation. The app provides key information about each model, and it also lets users compare up to 10 cars at a time. Imagine you’re hesitating between a Mercedes-Benz C-Class, a BMW 3 Series, and an Audi A4. Decisions, decisions, right? You can use the CarMax app to put the three side by side to look at specs and features.

Once you’ve found your car, you can use the CarMax app to obtain a vehicle history report, read reviews written by experts and customers, and, when you’re ready, line up financing. Can’t find what you’re looking for? No problem! You can set alerts so you get a notification when a CarMax dealer lists a model that meets your requirements.

Edmunds

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Edmunds prides itself on offering the most comprehensive application for car buyers. It’s a one-stop app that lets you compare vehicles, check features and prices, and browse local listings. If you’re buying new, you can even configure your next car without leaving the app. How’s that for convenience?

The handy price calculator tool tells you how much you should expect to pay, regardless of whether you’re buying or leasing. You can also access safety, warranty, and fuel economy data. High-resolution photos and informative videos help you whittle down your options. Once you know what you’re looking for, you can use the app to contact the nearest dealer.

Used Car Search Pro

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Developed by website iSeeCars, the Used Car Search Pro application boasts 59 search filters to help you find the car of your dreams. You can even search for cars based on your height; it knows which cars you won’t fit into if you’re 6’5″. The app also calculates whether you’re getting a good deal or whether you’re about to get ripped off by examining the average price of the specific make and model you’re looking at.

Users can browse through roughly 40,000 ads posted by dealers and private owners, and they can track the price of a specific car to know immediately when it gets bumped down. We like that dealers are ranked using a star-based rating system. It gives them an overall score by taking into account price competitiveness and transparency.

Hemmings Classic Cars

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Hemmings is the most trusted name when it comes to buying and selling a classic car. Its app is unique because it only lets sellers list vintage cars. If you’re looking for a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas, you’ve just downloaded the wrong app. If you want a 1972 Super Beetle, odds are you can find one among the roughly 20,000 ads packed into the app. There are parts, too, so you can source the missing pieces to complete your project.

As you look for your next pride and joy, you can refine your search by distance or seller type, among other parameters. The app also showcases relevant stories from Hemmings’ magazines and website so you can learn all more about your favorite car while you browse.

Instamotor

car-selling apps
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Instamotor is one of the newer apps on this list. It was designed specifically to make buying and selling a used car as easy and transparent as possible. To that end, every car listed benefits from a recall check, a fraud check, and a vehicle history report. It’s all free in a bid to give buyers and sellers much-needed peace of mind. Remember: it’s not unheard of for flood-damaged cars to hit the market after natural disasters like hurricane, and 2017 was rich in that respect.

Note Instamotor is only available in the San Francisco Bay area, Los Angeles, San Diego, Dallas, and Houston. The developers promise they’ll expand to more cities next year.

Ronan Glon
Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…
Updated Steam mobile app lets you download games from your phone
The Steam remote mobile app shows details for Control.

Valve has released the updated Steam mobile app on Android and iOS, revamped with improvements to its framework and user interface design. The new and improved app also comes with new features, including the ability to download Steam games remotely from your phone and log in with a QR code.

Introducing the updated Steam Mobile app

Read more
The best ad-blocking apps for Android in 2022
ad blocker feat image

No one likes ads -- pop-up or otherwise -- intruding on their online experience of reading or video viewing, but ads are everywhere on the internet. One of the best ways to shield yourself from them is to install ad-blocker software that detects and disables annoying videos, graphics, and text ads that appear on your Android device while using apps or browsing websites.

Ad-blocking is controversial, which is why Google has removed specific ad-blocking apps from the Play Store. Google's business model is built on ads, so the issue goes beyond the relative quality of ads. Ads are a financial lifeline for many sites -- the difference between running a site and shutting it down. Installing an ad-blocker app on your Android device means you are likely affecting the livelihood of those who run the sites you enjoy, so try to be selective.

Read more
The best iPhone widget apps for making your home screen your own
widget design feature image

We can divide the concept of iPhone widgets (large icons that show auto-refreshed, real-time data from apps) into before iOS 14 and after iOS 14. That's because, beginning with iOS 14, widgets were transformed in both form and function and added to the home screen. The newer genre of widgets provides information and direct access to popular iPhone functions -- such as the weather and time -- at a glance and can give you fast access to news, TV shows, picture albums, and more. Widgets can also use AI to show you items you're most likely to seek at various times of the day.

Widgets can profoundly alter the way you use your iPhone by letting you dispense with meticulously constructed home screen folders, and changing their appearance presents expanded opportunities for functionality and organization. This has inspired some users to use widgets to customize and personalize the look of their home screen. Not surprisingly, there are numerous apps that help you accomplish this visual creativity. Here are some of the best iPhone apps for customizing widgets.
iWidget Pro

Read more