In the market for a used car? If you previously thought the Beepi online used-car marketplace sounded like a good way to buy a car but you don’t live in an area it served, look again. Beepi now delivers cars to all but two states in the continental U.S. and has added used-car leasing.
Beepi’s president and co-founder, Owen Savir, told Digital Trends the two programs are possible because of new alliances. Beepi has vetted and arranged for used-car delivery by truck throughout most of the U.S. The exceptions are Montana and South Dakota in the continental U.S. (the firm also does not serve Alaska or Hawaii).
Beepi is also working with Ally Auto, formerly GMAC, for car financing and leasing. So if you want to sell your car you’re still limited to Beepi’s 16 metro areas in nine states where the company has qualified inspectors, but buyers can live almost anywhere in the continental U.S.
Beepi’s nationwide delivery program includes a 10-day money-back guarantee. When you buy (or lease) a used car from Beepi, it’s delivered on a truck, complete with a bow on the windshield. When it’s taken off the truck you get a chance to walk around, get in, and start it up. If you’re not convinced the car is in the same condition you thought it was after seeing it online, you don’t have to accept it.
You also get a full ten days to drive the car. During that period, if for any reason you’re not satisfied with the car you can contact Beepi to return it. After an inspection to be sure nothing about the vehicle has changed and that you haven’t put more than 1,000 miles on it, you’ll get all your money back including the delivery fee.
The delivery cost is determined by the distance between the seller’s and buyer’s locations. In an ideal scenario delivery is free, but more often there will likely be a charge. Sample fees Savir cited were $249 to deliver a car from Los Angeles to San Francisco and $899 from New York to Dallas. If you see a car you like on Beepi that’s far away and you don’t want to pay a high delivery fee, look for similar vehicles for sale by Beepi in areas closer to home.
The Ally leasing program for Beepi used cars offers three- and four-year leases. Used car leasing hasn’t been all that common, but that may change. When you lease a car you are essentially financing the depreciation that occurs during the lease period. New cars depreciate the most, especially in the first two years, so when you lease a used car the depreciation over the lease term isn’t as great, which can mean significantly lower lease payments. Beepi’s Savir said that it could become common for people to use Beepi to change cars more often. If a leased Beepi car is still in good condition, not too old, and its mileage isn’t too high, Beepi might be able to resell the car for more than the buyout value at different times during the lease, which means you could potentially even make money and be ready to lease another car.
The firm’s pain-free delivery service and used-car leasing makes the Beepi online used-car shopping concept even more intriguing.