Would You Get a Car If the Only Way to Buy It Was Online?

Only if they improve the process. 
 

Purchased a car from vroom in august. Nothing went well. Overcharged by $500 but had to wait over a month to be refunded, no updates on shipping, no updates on when I'd actually get a title(took 4+ months). Customer service that just used stock lines to tell me they couldn't assist me. Being put on hold for hours only to be disconnected. 
 

Reminded me of dealing with corporate America. If I can't get the answer for you in 30 seconds it's too difficult and I just won't respond. 

Colin Wood said:

Besides, I never really understood why the current dealership method of selling cars is the "preferred" method of selling cars.

Because the auto dealerships have a powerful lobby group to ensure that their broken model is the only one allowed. 

jharry3 said:

"let me talk to my manager" BS,  etc.  

I went into a dealer recently to check out a Bolt.  I said up front "I just want to check the car out, I don't want to waste your time.  I am NOT buying one today.  You don't even have to let me drive it if you don't want."   I still got the "manager" talk at the end.  What a berkeleying pain in the ass.  Somehow I was at a dealer for 1.5 hours for something that should've taken 10 mins.

Every trip to a dealer has been a disappointment for me honestly.  Right now I am having a car shipped to me.  I wasted probably 8 hours on various dealer trips only to find out A) the car was sold before I got there, B) hidden fees, or C) miscellaneous time-wasting bullE36 M3.  I decided even if I overpay for the car, it is worth it for the time savings alone.

jharry3 said:

Saturn did the "one price no hassle" thing.  My wife bought a Saturn. The two door SC2.  (which looked pretty sporty but... let's say disappointing).

 Anyway: Lots of ladies bought Saturns. 

The ladies absolutely hated the dealer experience, the "let me talk to my manager" BS,  etc.  

And Saturn was very profitable because of it. The per car profit was double any other GM. People were walking in and paying sticker price for every car, yet no one sees it that way. 
 

There will probably be fewer dealers and they will become fulfillment centres. Purchaser picks the fulfillment centre and the independent operator is compensated a flat rate say $500 for a PDI and services sort of like the compensation for a national fleet account. The dealer may work on selling finance options and various accessories. They may have range extenders for short term rental and be able to supply a rental truck if you have a car or perhaps a motor home or other weird but wacky conveyances. Book it.

Steve_Jones said:

jharry3 said:

Saturn did the "one price no hassle" thing.  My wife bought a Saturn. The two door SC2.  (which looked pretty sporty but... let's say disappointing).

 Anyway: Lots of ladies bought Saturns. 

The ladies absolutely hated the dealer experience, the "let me talk to my manager" BS,  etc.  

And Saturn was very profitable because of it. The per car profit was double any other GM. People were walking in and paying sticker price for every car, yet no one sees it that way. 
 

The trick is to set the sticker price at a number that people are willing to pay instead of setting it 20% high so you can knock 20% off. Paying sticker is only a problem if the sticker is gouging. Which it is on most cars by design. 

MSRP is not a universal measure of value.

93EXCivic said:

As long as I could test drive one somewhere sure.

This.

There is no way I'm paying new car money without a test drive.  You can have a representative selection of testers available at a location somewhere, and I'll happily do all the rest online and take delivery from a rollback.  But I want to put my ass in all the seats and look under the hood and trunk and see how it feels on the road before I commit to buying it.

When we were car shopping to replace DW's TSX, based on our Acura experience and website shopping, we were absolutely ready to go buy a new AWD V6 TLX with a specific option package in a specific color.  We loved the TSX and this seemed to be a newer, nicer TSX.

And then we drove a TLX, more or less as a formality. Phbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbt.  We ended up buying a car we liked a lot better, from a completely different manufacturer, for less money, after we tried it more or less on a whim.  No way that would have happened without test drives.

cyow5 said:

If I was in the market for a new Volvo, I'd assume that all I would learn on a test drive is that it is as numb as it could possibly be, so yea, I'd buy one without the world's most boring test drive. 

As an owner of 2017 and 2019 Volvos, I'm going to go ahead and disagree with this assessment.

Even DW's S60 Inscription, which has an absolutely standard design brief as a comfortable sedan to carry 4 adults, has excellent steering weight, driving ergonomics, suspension damping, and powertrain responsiveness.  The T5 AWD is plenty quick for 99% of the driving it will ever do.  Is it as visceral as my Miata?  No.  But it's also about 1000% more comfortable and pleasant to drive every day without being boring in any way.

But without the dealer, how am I going to get my vin etched into the glass and find out that it's already on the car right as I'm reviewing the final paperwork?

Yes.  Absolutely.

I will say, aside from that particular blemish, the local Mazda dealer did a great job since I have S-Plan pricing.  No negotiation other than financing which was a "I'm approved for x.xx from my credit union, if you can beat that I'll finance with you instead." 

But yeah, I'm waiting for that particular model to die.  Car shopping should be fun, it shouldn't require a formal education on hostage negotiation to make sure you don't get screwed.  Go  Volvo!  And Tesla for pioneering the model.  

If you ever find anything as user hostile as car dealers (e.g. Healthcare, house sales, etc.), assume that there's someone lobbying big $$$ HARD to maintain that model so they can screw people who have no other recourse.   It shouldn't be that hard.

Why dealers suck, my experience.

show up, show phone with price and specific truck, pre approved through chrysler financial, say "i want this truck for this price i am trading in that truck, here's the loan payoff amount, already have a $4500 offer, get me that" and i still was held hostage with hangry kids for 7 hours.  It should have been a 30 minute transaction or at most a "we'll get the paperwork together and you can come back tonight before closing to sign and drive home"

even when you try to make it so simple a 5 year old could complete the transaction they just don't know how to break away from their system.  It's like a prepared buyer (not casual just looking hard sale guy) is something they're woefully unprepared for.  I love that particular dealer's pricing but will never go back

In reply to Patrick (Forum Supporter) :

I hear people say stuff like that, but honestly I've never had that experience in 30 years of buying new cars.  It's never taken me more than half an hour to come to terms on the exact car and the exact price, and maybe another hour to handle all the paperwork and leave with the vehicle.  Sometimes handled on 2 separate trips, sometimes not.

I don't think that the dealer model is the best or only way, but I absolutely think that there are plenty of dealers out there who aren't hostile or intimidating.

WonkoTheSane (FS) said:

But without the dealer, how am I going to get my vin etched into the glass and find out that it's already on the car right as I'm reviewing the final paperwork?

Just went through that with the V60.  Salesfolk pointed it out on the car after we had a price negotiated.  I said I didn't want it and wasn't paying for it. Done.  Struck from the fees.  Same with the warranty upcharges. They offered, I said no, we both moved on directly.

WonkoTheSane (FS) said:

If you ever find anything as user hostile as car dealers (e.g. Healthcare, house sales, etc.), assume that there's someone lobbying big $$$ HARD to maintain that model so they can screw people who have no other recourse.   It shouldn't be that hard.

I don't think they are lobbying to screw people.  They are lobbying to keep the business model in existence because consumers are happy to cut out the middle-man.

ProDarwin said:

jharry3 said:

"let me talk to my manager" BS,  etc.  

I went into a dealer recently to check out a Bolt.  I said up front "I just want to check the car out, I don't want to waste your time.  I am NOT buying one today.  You don't even have to let me drive it if you don't want."   I still got the "manager" talk at the end.  What a berkeleying pain in the ass.  Somehow I was at a dealer for 1.5 hours for something that should've taken 10 mins.

Every trip to a dealer has been a disappointment for me honestly.  Right now I am having a car shipped to me.  I wasted probably 8 hours on various dealer trips only to find out A) the car was sold before I got there, B) hidden fees, or C) miscellaneous time-wasting bullE36 M3.  I decided even if I overpay for the car, it is worth it for the time savings alone.

Pro Tip: You aren't required to continue talking to them.

Once we were trying to get my ex-wife a car, salesman pulled that BS. When he sat back down, we got up and walked out. His manager came out after us trying to talk to us, I just ignored him and got in the car. 

I don't know if we are going to have a choice to buy the kind of cars we like from a lot anyway. 5 years from now used car lots are going to be 98% crossovers.

z31maniac said:

ProDarwin said:

jharry3 said:

"let me talk to my manager" BS,  etc.  

Every trip to a dealer has been a disappointment for me honestly.  Right now I am having a car shipped to me.  I wasted probably 8 hours on various dealer trips only to find out A) the car was sold before I got there, B) hidden fees, or C) miscellaneous time-wasting bullE36 M3.  I decided even if I overpay for the car, it is worth it for the time savings alone.

Pro Tip: You aren't required to continue talking to them.

Once we were trying to get my ex-wife a car, salesman pulled that BS. When he sat back down, we got up and walked out. His manager came out after us trying to talk to us, I just ignored him and got in the car. 

This.  Once - once - have I had a dealer try that "give us your keys and we'll evaluate your trade-in" bit.  I looked the salesperson right in the eye and said "If that's the kind of dealership this is, we're done right now" and went across town to another dealership of the same brand.

To paraphrase Nancy Reagan, just say no.  Unless you walked to the dealership on a broken leg, there's no reason to consider putting up with that kind of bullpuckey.  There are plenty of other dealers around that don't pull that crap.

I have had really good dealership experiences (they got me exactly what I wanted from a dealership in another state and did it for hundreds LESS than what I was originally quoted) and really bad experiences (held my trade-in hostage, wait for manager, high pressure, paperwork didn't match agreed price, last minute add-ins, etc.).

But this topic is "Would You Get a Car If the Only Way to Buy It Was Online?", not dealer bashing, so...   My answer is: it depends.

Before I bought a new car online, I would have to:

• Be able to test drive a representative vehicle (same model, drivetrain, seats) BEFORE ordering.
• Be able to check out the actual vehicle before finalizing paperwork or paying.
• Have a convenient LOCAL place to have any needed warranty work or recalls done.
• Be able to test drive various competitor vehicles before deciding on one.

If the "online only" manufacturer had a vehicle I wanted and could meet the above at a decent price, I would consider their vehicles in my purchasing decisions.

Yourself said:

I have had really good dealership experiences (they got me exactly what I wanted from a dealership in another state and did it for hundreds LESS than what I was originally quoted) and really bad experiences (held my trade-in hostage, wait for manager, high pressure, paperwork didn't match agreed price, last minute add-ins, etc.).

But this topic is "Would You Get a Car If the Only Way to Buy It Was Online?", not dealer bashing, so...   My answer is: it depends.

Before I bought a new car online, I would have to:

• Be able to test drive a representative vehicle (same model, drivetrain, seats) BEFORE ordering.
• Be able to check out the actual vehicle before finalizing paperwork or paying.
• Have a convenient LOCAL place to have any needed warranty work or recalls done.
• Be able to test drive various competitor vehicles before deciding on one.

If the "online only" manufacturer had a vehicle I wanted and could meet the above at a decent price, I would consider their vehicles in my purchasing decisions.

FYI, Tesla checks all your boxes for my small town because they will come to your house for warranty/recall work. But you would not buy a Volvo, Mazda, Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Fiat, Mini or Porsche because none of those have local dealers.

Duke said:

WonkoTheSane (FS) said:

But without the dealer, how am I going to get my vin etched into the glass and find out that it's already on the car right as I'm reviewing the final paperwork?

Just went through that with the V60.  Salesfolk pointed it out on the car after we had a price negotiated.  I said I didn't want it and wasn't paying for it. Done.  Struck from the fees.  Same with the warranty upcharges. They offered, I said no, we both moved on directly.

Yeah, I was ready to torpedo the whole deal because of that stupid $140 or whatever it was, but it was already 9 at night, we had paid for a babysitter to pick up the car and my wife wouldn't let me drag it out further...  I got all of the other fees & services, etc. dismissed earlier but "we missed this one, haha!"

ProDarwin said:

WonkoTheSane (FS) said:

If you ever find anything as user hostile as car dealers (e.g. Healthcare, house sales, etc.), assume that there's someone lobbying big $$$ HARD to maintain that model so they can screw people who have no other recourse.   It shouldn't be that hard.

I don't think they are lobbying to screw people.  They are lobbying to keep the business model in existence because consumers are happy to cut out the middle-man.

I do.  I honestly believe that any company/industry hiring lobbyists care not about the people it affects at all, only their own bottom line.   And remember that lobbyists are the ones writing the legislation most of the time.  

There's nothing better than an regulatory captured market for unfettered capitalism :)

How soon before you can buy a new car via Amazon? 

David S. Wallens said:

How soon before you can buy a new car via Amazon? 

And when the new BMW you ordered shows up, it's a used Kia that someone returned in the box for the BMW...

In reply to Keith Tanner :

I wonder what this section of Amazon will grow into.

Oh, now that is interesting. It actually looks like a decent shopping tool, making it easier to do fundamental things like compare what's in different packages. And it's apparently been around for a while, the customer review for the Miata RF (I mean, what else am I going to look up?) is over two years old.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M6G49V1 

In reply to Keith Tanner :

Yeah, I first saw it a few years ago. Can't say I have seen it promoted, though, so wondering what's in store. 

In reply to David S. Wallens :

Unfortunately nobody purchased me the Aventador or Miata I put on my wedding registry on Amazon.