One of the biggest headaches anyone faces, car purchases, can be alleviated using a variety of car buyers’ services. Whether you need a single auto for your business use or you manage a small fleet of vehicles, you can spend an inordinate amount of time at a dealership buying or leasing new vehicles or selling your old ones. Automobile buyers services can minimize the time and hassle and let you concentrate more on actually using the vehicles in your business.

You must determine the level of service you want, based on the nature and size of your company relative to vehicle use. Narrow your involvement to one of three levels:

1. Maximum level, where you do your own homework by researching a car buyers guide to new or used car quality reviews and prices in your market;

2. Intermediate level, where you use the Internet to find the auto for you out of a virtual inventory;

3. Minimum level, where you delegate the legwork to a broker or buyer agent.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Dig up your own data using an auto buyer guide

If you actually have the time, need a particular or unique vehicle, or just prefer to maintain full control of the process, you can research the vehicle's history, quality issues, market value and dealerships trading that vehicle. If you have a relationship with a dealer, let them hunt the actual auto for you and alert you when it arrives.

I recommend: The gold standard for researching any product, Consumer Reports, provides what many believe is the least biased review of autos. You do have to pay a subscription to use their online service. Launched in 1995, Edmunds.com stakes its claim as the first automotive information website, disseminating information on new and used cars.

Round up the vehicle you want online with auto buying services

If you have a good idea of the auto you want, but have little time to hunt it down, the Internet houses a number of services for auto buyers that collect the desired vehicle into a virtual corral, reducing the time and effort involved in procurement.

I recommend: CarsDirect.com, Inc. has been rated the top Internet car-buying site by Forbes, Time and PC Magazine. CarFinderService.com also lets you select the car, then pools the dealerships to get the lowest price.

Keep your hassles to a minimum with auto buyers services that broker the deal for you

Just as buyers' agents represent you in a home sale for real estate, there are buyers' agents who can represent your interests at the auto dealership, hunting down the best vehicle and the best deal while you concentrate on your work.

I recommend: Automobile Consumer Services, Inc. (ACS) has served as an agent since 1989 for buying or leasing a car. NewCarsLowestPrice.com also work as agents, assisting with negotiations and trade-ins.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Many of these new car buying services don't stop at auto selection; they also provide gates to financing, if you don't already have a relationship with a local financier, or just want to shop around for the best rate.