If you are active duty or a veteran, SnagMyCar gets franchised dealers to compete for your new car in writing while you handle orders, training or a PCS move. It all runs by email and a portal, no dealer calls you, and you see itemized out the door quotes before you choose. We currently serve buyers in eight states only.
Where we can help you right now
We work with buyers in Florida, Ohio, Tennessee, Massachusetts, Delaware, Vermont, Wyoming and Idaho. Many states regulate or ban car buying agents, so we do not take buyers anywhere else yet, and that includes overseas duty stations. If you are stationed in another state, we are not the right fit today. You can still join the waitlist when you start your search, and we will tell you if your state opens.
Our states host many installations. Florida has Eglin, MacDill, NAS Jacksonville and NAS Pensacola. Ohio has Wright-Patterson, Delaware has Dover, Massachusetts has Hanscom, Idaho has Mountain Home and Wyoming has F.E. Warren. If you are living in, or moving to, one of our eight states, the process works the same for you as for anyone else. Our state pages cover local details, such as the Florida buyer's guide and the Ohio buyer's guide.
Timing a car purchase around a PCS move
A permanent change of station creates three common situations. Each one points to a different plan.
Buying before you leave
If you want the car in hand before the move, start early. Our dealer rounds take about 3 to 4 days from signup to quotes, but you also need time for the dealer's paperwork, a pickup or delivery slot, and insurance. Buying before a move also raises questions about where the car gets titled and registered. Those rules vary by state and by your status, so ask the dealer what it needs from you and check with your installation legal office about registration. We do not give legal or tax advice.
Buying after you arrive
Many people wait until they report to the new duty station. Then the search radius is centered on your new home, the dealer titles the car where you actually live, and you are not shipping or driving a brand new car across the country. You can start the search from your old station once you know your new address, so quotes are ready close to when you arrive.
Buying during the move
This is the hardest version. You may be in a hotel with your household goods on a truck and your days taken up with in-processing. Here the main value is that you do not have to visit dealers to shop. You reply to email when you can, review the quote table on your phone and pick one. If your new address is within one of our states, home delivery may be an option once you have a place to live.
Buying when you are about to deploy, or are deployed
We do not recommend starting a purchase in the final days before you deploy. Someone has to sign the paperwork, take delivery and insure the car, and you may not be reachable. If a spouse or family member will be completing the purchase for you, the dealer will tell you what documents it needs, and your installation legal office can explain power of attorney options. We can still run the search by email. Whoever is home can review the quotes, and you can weigh in from wherever you have a connection.
If you are coming home from deployment and want a car soon after, start the search a couple of weeks before your return date so the quotes are ready. Quotes are for specific cars in stock, though, so a car that is on a lot today can sell before you get back. For a longer gap, a factory order of your exact build may suit you better than chasing in-stock inventory.
What the process looks like on a military schedule
You do not need to take leave to shop. The full process is on our how it works page, and this is what it asks of you:
| Step | What we do | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Signup | Record your exact car, colors, must-haves, radius and pickup or delivery | Fill out one short form |
| Round 1, about 36 hours | Email every matching franchised dealer for a written, itemized out the door price | Nothing |
| Round 2, about 24 hours | Send the best written number to the other dealers and ask them to beat it | Nothing |
| Final call, about 12 hours | Give the top two dealers one last chance | Nothing |
| Choice | Show you every quote side by side with the estimated pickup or delivery cost | Pick one when you have a few minutes |
| Paperwork | Check the dealer's buyer's order against the number you picked | Sign, and pick up the car or accept delivery |
You can do the review part from a barracks room, a ship with email access, or a hotel during a move. Dealers deal with us until you choose, so you will not come back from a field exercise to a voicemail box full of sales calls.
Pickup or delivery to base housing or off post
When you sign up, you tell us whether you want to pick the car up or have it delivered. Delivery to your home or office can be arranged with the dealer, and we compare the cost of each option so you see a total to your driveway, not just the price of the car. Getting a civilian delivery driver onto an installation is a different matter. Base access rules are set by each installation, so if you live in base housing, plan on meeting the driver at the visitor center or another spot off base. Ask the dealer before you agree to delivery.
A USAA car buying service alternative
Some service members search for a USAA car buying service alternative. We are not affiliated with USAA or any military organization, and we make no claims about what any other program currently offers, so check its terms directly. What we can describe is how we work. We are paid only by you, a flat $499 fee made up of a $99 deposit and $400 that is charged only after the dealer's buyer's order matches the price you picked. We take no money from dealers or lenders. If we don't beat the best written out the door quote you already have, the $99 comes back and you pay nothing.
We do not offer military discounts on cars, and we do not arrange loans. Many service members already belong to a credit union. Get a pre-approval there or at your bank before the search, then make the dealer beat that rate. Some manufacturers run military incentive programs, and dealers can apply any you qualify for. Mention your status when you sign up so we can ask each dealer to show any incentive as its own line on the quote.
Vehicles that fit military life
Your choice of car is yours, but a few needs come up again and again with service members:
- Room to haul gear and a ruck without folding seats every time.
- A vehicle that can handle a long drive to the next duty station, since many PCS moves involve driving at least one car.
- Weather. A car bought in Florida may be driven next in Idaho or Wyoming. Ask about all-wheel drive and cold-weather packages if your next assignment could be up north.
We handle new cars only. If you want a used car to tide you over between assignments, we are not the right service yet. We also cannot help with direct-sale brands such as Tesla, Rivian, Lucid and Polestar, because there are no competing dealers to bid against each other.
Veterans buying after separation
If you have recently separated or retired, you may be settling in one place for the first time in years and buying a car for the long term. The process is identical. Set your radius around the place you have decided to live, and if a specific build matters to you, consider a factory order. Other pages in this series cover first responders, pilots and engineers, careers many veterans move into.
Ready to compare written quotes without visiting a dealer to shop? Start your search.
Questions
Can you help if I am stationed outside your eight states?
Not yet. We serve buyers in Florida, Ohio, Tennessee, Massachusetts, Delaware, Vermont, Wyoming and Idaho, because many other states regulate or ban car buying agents. That includes overseas duty stations. If you are moving to one of those eight states, you can start the search from your current station once you know your new address. Otherwise you can join the waitlist when you sign up.
Should I buy a car before or after a PCS move?
It depends on your situation, but many people wait until they arrive. The search radius is then centered on your new home, the dealer titles the car where you live, and you avoid shipping or driving a new car across the country. If you need a car right away, start the search from your old station so quotes are ready near your report date. For registration questions, ask your installation legal office.
Are you a USAA car buying service alternative?
We are a separate, consumer-paid service and are not affiliated with USAA or any military organization. We make no claims about what other programs currently offer, so check their terms directly. We charge a flat $499, take no money from dealers or lenders, and refund your $99 deposit if we don't beat the best written out the door quote you already have.
Can my spouse finish the purchase while I am deployed?
Often yes, because everything up to signing happens by email and a portal, and whoever is home can review the quotes. Signing, delivery and insurance are a different matter. The dealer will tell you which documents it needs if someone else signs for you, and your installation legal office can explain power of attorney options. We do not give legal advice.
Do you get military discounts or arrange military loans?
We do not offer our own military discount on cars and we do not arrange loans. Some manufacturers run military incentive programs that dealers can apply if you qualify, so tell us your status at signup and we ask each dealer to show any incentive as its own line. For financing, get a pre-approval from your credit union or bank and make the dealer beat it.