Cookie Policy

1. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer, smartphone, or other device when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work more efficiently, provide a better user experience, and supply information to the website owner. Cookies can be “first-party” (set by the website you are visiting) or “third-party” (set by a different domain than the one you are visiting, such as an analytics or advertising service).

In addition to cookies, we and our partners may use similar technologies including web beacons (also known as pixel tags or clear GIFs), local storage, and device fingerprinting. When we refer to “cookies” in this policy, we include all of these related technologies unless stated otherwise.

2. How CarDealership.com Uses Cookies

CarDealership.com uses cookies for the following purposes:

2.1 — Strictly Necessary Cookies

These cookies are essential for the Site to function properly. They enable core functionality such as page navigation, secure access, and basic site operations. Without these cookies, the Site cannot work as intended. These cookies do not collect personally identifiable information and cannot be disabled.

Examples: Session management, security tokens, cookie consent preferences, load balancing.

2.2 — Performance & Analytics Cookies

These cookies collect information about how visitors use the Site — which pages are visited most, how long visitors spend on each page, and whether visitors encounter error messages. All data collected by these cookies is aggregated and anonymous. It is used solely to improve how the Site works.

Tools used: Google Analytics 4 (GA4), which uses first-party cookies to distinguish users and sessions. Google Analytics may collect your IP address, but we have enabled IP anonymization so that your full IP address is never stored. We do not use Google Analytics data to identify individual users.

2.3 — Functionality Cookies

These cookies allow the Site to remember choices you make — such as your preferred settings, previously viewed vehicles, or calculator inputs — and provide enhanced, personalized features. They may be set by us or by third-party providers whose services we have integrated into the Site.

Examples: Remembering loan calculator settings, storing your preferred vehicle type or price range, maintaining dark/light mode preferences.

2.4 — Affiliate & Referral Tracking Cookies

CarDealership.com earns revenue through affiliate partnerships with third-party automotive platforms. When you click an affiliate link on our Site (for example, a link to CarGurus, TrueCar, KBB, Carvana, CarMax, or a lending partner), the destination platform may place a cookie on your device to track that you were referred by CarDealership.com. This allows the partner to attribute your visit to us and, if applicable, pay us a referral commission.

Important: These affiliate cookies are placed by third-party platforms, not by CarDealership.com. We do not control the content or duration of these cookies. Each partner platform’s cookie behavior is governed by their own privacy and cookie policies.

Common affiliate tracking partners may include: CarGurus, TrueCar, Edmunds, AutoTrader, Cars.com, Kelley Blue Book, Carvana, CarMax, Impact Radius, ShareASale, CJ Affiliate, and various lending affiliate networks.

2.5 — Advertising & Targeting Cookies

We may use third-party advertising cookies to display relevant ads on our Site or on other websites you visit. These cookies track your browsing activity across websites to build a profile of your interests and show you ads that are more relevant to you.

Tools that may be used: Google Ads/Google Marketing Platform, Facebook/Meta Pixel, Microsoft Advertising (Bing), programmatic ad networks. If we use these tools, they are subject to the cookie policies and privacy practices of their respective providers.

We may also use retargeting (remarketing) cookies so that if you visit CarDealership.com and then visit other websites, you may see ads for CarDealership.com or our partner services. You can opt out of personalized advertising through the mechanisms described in Section 4 below.

3. Third-Party Cookies on This Site

In addition to cookies we set directly, the following categories of third parties may set cookies when you use CarDealership.com:

Analytics providers (e.g., Google Analytics) — to help us understand how visitors use the Site.

Affiliate platforms (e.g., Impact, CJ Affiliate, ShareASale) — to track referrals from our Site to partner platforms.

Advertising networks (e.g., Google Ads, Meta) — to deliver and measure the effectiveness of advertisements.

Content delivery networks (e.g., Cloudflare, Google Fonts) — to serve Site assets efficiently and securely.

Social media platforms (e.g., Facebook, Twitter/X) — if we embed social sharing buttons or feeds on the Site.

We do not control the cookies set by these third parties. We encourage you to review their respective privacy and cookie policies for more information about how they use cookies and how you can manage your preferences.

4. How to Manage & Control Cookies

You have several options for managing cookies:

4.1 — Cookie Consent Banner

When you first visit CarDealership.com, you will be presented with a cookie consent banner that allows you to accept or reject non-essential cookies. You can change your preferences at any time by clicking the “Cookie Settings” link in the footer of any page.

4.2 — Browser Settings

Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can typically set your browser to block all cookies, accept all cookies, or notify you when a cookie is being set. The process for managing cookies varies by browser. Below are links to cookie management instructions for common browsers:

Google Chrome  |  Mozilla Firefox  |  Apple Safari  |  Microsoft Edge

Note: Blocking all cookies may impact your experience on CarDealership.com and other websites. Some features of the Site may not function properly if cookies are disabled.

4.3 — Opt Out of Analytics

You can opt out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-on, which prevents Google Analytics JavaScript from sharing information with Google Analytics about visit activity.

4.4 — Opt Out of Personalized Advertising

You can opt out of personalized advertising from participating companies through the following industry tools:

Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA)  |  Network Advertising Initiative (NAI)  |  European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance (EDAA)

Additionally, you can manage ad personalization settings directly with major platforms:

Google Ads Settings  |  Facebook Ad Preferences

4.5 — Do Not Track (DNT)

Some web browsers send a “Do Not Track” (DNT) signal to websites. There is currently no universally accepted standard for how websites should respond to DNT signals. At this time, CarDealership.com does not respond to DNT signals. However, you can use the other methods described in this section to manage your privacy preferences.

5. Cookie Retention Periods

Cookies set by CarDealership.com and our partners have varying retention periods:

Session cookies are temporary and are deleted when you close your browser. They are used for essential functions like maintaining your session as you navigate the Site.

Persistent cookies remain on your device for a set period or until you delete them. They are used for analytics, preferences, and affiliate tracking. Typical retention periods are as follows: analytics cookies are retained for up to 14 months (Google Analytics default); functionality and preference cookies are retained for up to 12 months; and affiliate tracking cookies vary by partner but typically last between 24 hours and 90 days.

You can delete persistent cookies at any time through your browser settings.

6. International Users & Regional Rights

6.1 — European Economic Area (EEA) / United Kingdom

If you are located in the EEA or the UK, we comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the UK GDPR as they relate to cookies. Under these regulations, we will request your consent before placing non-essential cookies on your device. You can withdraw your consent at any time by adjusting your preferences through our cookie consent banner or by using the “Cookie Settings” link in the footer.

Strictly necessary cookies do not require consent and are placed based on our legitimate interest in providing a functioning website.

6.2 — California (CCPA / CPRA)

If you are a California resident, you have rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA). Under these laws, the use of certain cookies may constitute a “sale” or “sharing” of personal information. You have the right to opt out of this sale or sharing. You can exercise this right by clicking the “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information” link in the footer, by adjusting your cookie preferences, or by contacting us at privacy@cardealership.com.

For full details on your California privacy rights, please see our Privacy Policy.

6.3 — Other Jurisdictions

If you are located in a jurisdiction with specific cookie or privacy regulations not listed above, we will make reasonable efforts to comply with applicable local laws. If you have questions about how your local laws apply, please contact us at privacy@cardealership.com.

7. Changes to This Cookie Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, the cookies we use, or applicable laws. When we make material changes, we will update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page. We may also notify you through a cookie consent banner when material changes are made. We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we use cookies.

8. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Cookie Policy or how we use cookies and similar technologies, please contact us:

Email: privacy@cardealership.com

General Support: support@cardealership.com

Mailing Address: CarDealership.com, [Your Business Address], United States

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