Buy Your Next Car Online?
For some people who have tried it, the idea of buying a car over the Internet has been a disappointment. One friend who told me he was going to buy online came back and said forget about it. All the web sites do is refer you to a dealer. Well, it doesn't have to work that way. A site called carsdirect.com is taking a different approach...
"Carsdirect.com is the only web site that's actually selling cars directly over the web. There are auto referral sites that refer you back out to dealers and then there are dealer sites that refer you to dealer lots."
Carsdirect CEO Scott Painter. The company, backed by Michael Dell and Bill Gross of the IdeaLab, says you really can buy without ever having to deal with a salesman. Just click...and the car is delivered to your home or office. Can you save money?
"Actually, we price our cars on the web site so that 9 out of 10 times as a consumer, you're going to get a better deal if you go to Carsdirect.com, and that's guaranteed because we price our cars based on actual transaction data at the dealership level."
True, you can't test drive or kick the tires. But if you know the model you want, say you've driven a rental or been in a friend's car, buying on the web can save you time, hassle and maybe money.