Is there really no universal used car web site? I know there’s a user car that I’m interested in at the local dealer but none of the sites I’ve tried (whatcar, autotrader, motors) have it in their search results, so do I really need to hunt around dealer individually like its the 90s?

doesn’t the dealer have a website?

Yes but they’re not the only dealer, so do I really need to look up each dealer individually. Surprised that nobody has managed a rightmove for cars really.

eBay/auto trader? Most dealers are on both if they know what’s good for them

Do you not realise just how many used cars are around at any one time? It’s my job to move cars from either dealers to auction sites, or their transfer hubs, or vice versa, there are five of us in my team, often moving two to four cars a day, five days a week, and there are fifteen teams, then there are the self-employed ‘platers’ who move cars over greater distances, then the fleets of transporters, and the multitude of actual auction sites, like BCA, Manheim, etc.
You would not believe the huge numbers of vehicles at places like Blackbushe, Bruntingthorpe, etc, there are literally hundreds, if not thousands, being moved or sold at any one time.
Try registering with BCA and getting the catalogue for their auction sites sent to you, at any given site, like Bridgwater or Blackbushe, they may shift 250 to 500 cars at one auction, many to dealers.
I’m pretty sure that what you’re asking for would be almost impossible to achieve. Just one place I go to has Mercedes cars lined up in rows stretching off into the distance at an old airforce base, Bruntingthorpe is mind-boggling, the sheer number of vehicles sitting waiting to be dealt with.

TBH I totally agree with Ross, though I assume were I’m talking about the smaller car sellers, not the car supermarkets. It’s almost like they don’t want to sell them. I drive past a small car trader and I’ve already forgotten their name before I get to my destination. Unless they use autotrader/ebay, I’m not going to find their cars.

Not everyone is on the internet ! Smaller dealers make ok money selling cars to a passing / local trade.

These days I find autotader seems to be 90% dealer. Quite a few cars sold privately via eBay, local Facebook groups or word of mouth.

Not everyone is on the internet !

Which is bizarre.. huge audience surely suggest means more potential customers?

… or are they frighten of honest reviews?

edited.

I suggest that this would be a case of.
“Your problem does not constitute action on my part.” Kind of response.

OP, not everything will be advertised online, no.
However, if you’re looking for a particular make and model at a certain price point, I would suggest setting up alerts/saved searches on the following websites:
Carsite
News Now
and looking regularly on Motors.co.uk

That should pull up more than than just the usual gumtree/ebay/autotrader results. Carsite is a bit of a pain as it isn’t always clear who the dealer is or where they are located.

Another tip is you can check if a car is Cat C/D by starting to sell it on autotrader, the second page after entering reg/mileage flags up Category C/D status.