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Smart Shopper CarsDirect.com experiences
753 messages, Last post on Jun 09, 2009 at 1:18 PM
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| Whenever you add an additional layer of expense to a relatively simple transaction like a car sale your just asking to pay more and go thru more hassles. | |
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I surveyed the Internet Sales Managers of all the Honda dealers around metro Atlanta and the lowest quote came from Hennessy Honda. On CarsDriect.com using the "Get a free dealer quote" link, I was again directed to Hennessy Honda who again provided the same low total-drive-off quote with no B.S. (Other dealers first quoted only base price without indicating what fees they'd be adding making their "quote" meaningless.) When I used the "Save with CarsDirect" link I was contacted by a CarsDirect salesman who admitted that he would be getting the car from Hennessy Honda too and that his price would be Hennessy's price PLUS a $500 markup for CarsDirect. That was a short conversation! $500 is a lot to pay for the convenience of not having to E-mail the dealerships in your area to find the best price on your own. Buyer beware. |
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Consumers do a good job of who shopping around on their own can almost always get a better deal on their new car or truck than those who go through a buying service. After all, using one of these services does little more than add another party that has to profit from your purchase to the equation. Car_man Host Smart Shopper Forum
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Replying to: Car_man (Nov 29, 2004 3:09 am) Not everyone can or wants to deal with fighting with salespeople, sales managers, finance managers etc. to possibly save $300 to $500 on a $30,000 car. People also trade in cars for thousands less than the private party value to avoid dealing with the hassle of selling themselves.
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Replying to: 307web (Dec 02, 2004 7:14 pm) I just purchased a new 2005 Honda Civic VP via CarDirect.com. It was my first time using CarsDirect. I decided to use CarsDirect because I didn't want to go through the haggle process from a dealer. Although, I did visit a local Honda dealer about a car just to feel them out. I will review my CarsDirect expierence with the Positives first: Positives -The 'Guranteed Low Price' for the vehicle I purchased never changed from what it had listed for a 2005 Civic VP in my area on their website. It is REALLY Guranteed. -There are no extra dealer fees -After I told the CarsDirect operator over the phone what car, color, features etc I wanted it literally took him 2 minutes to call me back to say he found the car that matched my description. -I never spoke to car salesman, CarsDirect did all the work. -They deliver the car to your driveway ($50) or you can pick it up (had mine delivered). -After they find the car and you agree to the price, you can either have them deliver the car or you can go to the dealership where the car is at to check it out and test drive it (the price will never change). -The only 'extra' fees I paid was the $50 delivery fee which was optional and a $50 office fee. In Sum: you pay the 'Guranteed Low Price' with tax, title Registration and the Documentation fee. That's it. And you never speak to a car salesman unless you request to. -I calculate that it took me a total of 45 minutes to confirm my deal. I got the car delivered the next day. -The people that delivered my car were very nice, I did all my paperwork in the comfort of my house. -There is no commitment to buy until you agree to the terms of CarsDirect and the deal they offer. And even then you don't have to purchase the car. However they will charge $250 after you agree on the price of the car if you drop out later. Negatives -They may not find the car you want in your area. (they found mine 2 hours away from where I live) So you might have to drive a distance for a 1 on 1 dealer relationship in the future. -Warranties are optional -You may not be able to test drive the car if they deliver it unless you go to the dealership which may be far away. (I didn't test drive my Civic, however when it arrived at my house it was EXACTLY what I wanted.) -You don't have the option of doing the 1 on 1 negotiating process. You pay the CarsDirect 'Guranteed Low Price' and that's that. To sum up, I wouldn't recommend CarsDirect to someone who feels they can get a good deal by direct personal negotiation with a car salesman. Or dare I say, someone who actually enjoys the haggle process. CarsDirect is a extremely fast extremely easy no haggle way to buy a NEW car. I wouldn't recommend buying a used car through CarsDirect since there are many more variables with used cars. |
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Replying to: rabeet (Jan 24, 2004 8:25 am) i bought a camry through carsdirect two weeks ago and i was in and out of the dealership in 30 MINUTES - i couldn't believe it considering the last toyota i bought i spent over 4 hours in the dealership before i drove off the lot - i was so frustrated with killing an entire day that i swore i'd never do it again - in comparison this was a dream |
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Replying to: cwjacobsen (Oct 03, 2003 10:55 am) Invoice is popularly known as the published amount that the dealer paid the manufacturer for the vehicle. This may or may not bear close relation to the dealer’s actual cost, but can be useful as a benchmark. This figure is available on many other web sites; however, only CarsDirect.com adds an estimate of local and regional fees from the manufacturer to the dealers to this price, which makes it very close to the actual sticker invoice amount for cars at your local dealer. No other source has this level of detail. Most other sources of Invoice are not accurate at a regional and local level. An estimate of these manufacturer-to-dealers fees (such as an advertising fee) is provided for each car and is added to the Invoice to make this figure as accurate as possible. We make this estimate for most cars in most regions. There are some regions and vehicles for which we do not have estimates of these fees. For this model, we have added $275.00 to the Invoice to represent these fees. ----- Now the $275 was what I saw on the sticker at my local dealer. However, I didn't see this on the edmunds or Kelley Blue Book sites - -what gives here?
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Replying to: ctcarguy (Mar 02, 2005 11:09 am)
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Replying to: northshorejw (Mar 11, 2005 10:26 am) |
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I paid about $1k less than the carsdirect price on an 05ody. On the other hand, they had the invoice price on my other car when i bought from them two years ago. |
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