Mojo Motors has an updated feature that is helping used car shoppers get the latest news on the car they wanted. It's real-time alerts that ping a potential buyer with new information on a particular used car.

These updates are becoming more popular. AutoTrader.com announced earlier this week that it had launched the service. It proclaimed in a news release, "In a first for major third-party automotive classified websites, AutoTrader.com is launching a new feature that will alert car shoppers via text or email when there are updates to saved vehicle listings or searches."

Mojo Motors is a used car vehicle sales aggregator website that offers a new way to buy used cars: guaranteed pricing at a discount available only through a free membership. Sam Jackson, who handles PR for mojomotors.com, was quick to point out, "Based on over a year's worth of data, we know price drop alerts on used cars will soon be the industry norm. AutoTrader published a press release on Monday to announce the rollout of their new alert system, but they're late to the party. We've been doing it since 2012."

He added, "Millions of people get alerts when friends write on their Facebook wall or when their favorite store has a 30% off sale. Consumers are used to receiving these alerts, and, for the most part, they find them useful. Mojo Motors has alerted thousands of shoppers over the past year when dealers drop prices on cars they're following on mojomotors.com."

AutoTrader.com has some interesting research on why these text alerts are going to become popular. Car shopping is becoming an increasingly on-demand process, according to AutoTrader.com's recent Multi-Device Car Shopping Study.

"Found time" was said to be the top motivator for engaging in a car shopping activity, and in a typical week those surveyed indicated that three out of four of their car shopping activities were spontaneous and not planned.

The combined use of PCs, mobile devices and tablets in the car shopping process is also on the rise; AutoTrader.com predicts that 52% of all car shopping will be done on multiple devices within the next five years for buying a used car online.

Jackson from Mojo Motors added, "Our site is built with responsive design with a mobile-first mentality since over 40% of our traffic is mobile. This means car shoppers will have a consistent experience whether they are browsing from their phone, tablet, or computer."

There's one thing that Mojo Motors does, though, that sets it apart from the AutoTrader.com experience. As Jackson explained, "Our patented alert system delivers a highly relevant and focused shopping experience directly to the shopper’s email inbox. We also add an element of social shopping by displaying how many ‘Followers’ are on each vehicle.

"Car shoppers have been ‘Following’ vehicles and receiving email alerts from Mojo Motors since 2012. On average, we send out about 70,000 alerts each week.'

That helps makes the used car buying a little bit easier. Think of how you might negotiate for a used car if you know others are out there trying to buy it. It could put you in the position to offer the seller a "second best" price, which means less time negotiating for them and a faster selling time. After all, dealers don't make money when used cars are sitting on the lot.

But one thing to keep in mind when using this system: resist getting into bidding wars over a used car. It seems like it would be too easy to let emotion overcome you when shopping for a used car you really want. You will know when somebody else has bid on the same used car and you'll be tempted to outbid it and possibly end up paying more for the used car. Always keep your maximum price in mind and stick to it.

Paul Nadjarian, Mojo Motors founder and CEO, said, "Our proactive shopping engine is putting expert experience in the palm of your hand.” He added, "Most dealers will continuously drop prices until the car sells, usually making three price drops and knocking off a total of $1,000. In essence, car dealers are running a reverse auction and Mojo is enabling the average car shopper to participate by delivering highly relevant, real-time information."

Nadjarian also said, “AutoTrader has taken step 1 out of 100. While their decision to do so demonstrates that this is where the market is going, they have a long way to go.

"On Mojo Motors, all you have to do is ‘Follow’ a car and our alert algorithm takes care of the rest. New alerts automatically populate the ‘Alerts Toolbar’ each time you visit the site, and the alerts you receive are automatically tailored to the searches you have done and the vehicles you have chosen to ‘Follow.’ The system is simple, intuitive, and meshes easily with the user experience throughout the site."