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Online Services Experiences (Carsdirect.com, Carwoo.com, etc.)

769 messages,  Last post on Mar 16, 2013 at 6:18 AM

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Messages Page 77 of 78

#753 of 769 Re: CarsDirect target price vs. TMV [joel0622] by nortsr1

Jun 09, 2009 (2:18 pm)

Replying to: joel0622 (Jun 09, 2009 1:43 pm)
True, but it is a very fast and easy way to get a starting point idea. I never use them, but do go to their site for a fast reference.

#754 of 769 Car Direct .com is Useless by rogianorov

Jan 07, 2011 (1:17 pm)

I requested a quote from Car Direct .com for Acura TL 2011. And they gave me a quote $2000 more than local Acura Dealership gave me. Honestly, I just don’t understand how it should help people.

#755 of 769 Will definitely use CarsDirect again by randyonline2

Jan 12, 2011 (4:50 pm)

Though I had been using CarsDirect and Edmunds to research car prices, it wasn't after I'd already been in to the dealer and had tried to negotiate a price did I ever realize CarsDirect was a broker site. I ended up logging in and using the site the night I got back from the dealer.
 
I bought a new car thru CarsDirect last October. After having done all my research, I definitely saw that the CarsDirect price that came up for the make and features I wanted was at exactly the price my research had found was a "fair" price for the car. The dealer gave me the reasons they couldn't match the prices I had seen online, which I respected and understood.
 
Though I was apprehensive about going thru CarsDirect, the process was as smooth and painless as I could ask for. The CarsDirect rep found my car 20 minutes after I talked to him! There were no fees requested whatsoever throughout the whole process. I did agree to use their financing -- they found a loan at exactly the same rate I had already been pre-approved for -- since I figured since they found the car for me, I would give them the business since I know that's one of their revenue streams as well. (I was a little taken aback when he also tried to sell me an extended warranty at the 11th hour, but it was easy to decline -- since it was all by email, no real pressure.) The dealer even drove the car nearly 70 miles to my house, at no fee, and I signed the paperwork in 15 minutes.
 
I suspect one's experience depends on the popularity and availability of the car. I would suggest you definitely do your research and make sure that the CarsDirect price matches what you're willing to pay, rather than solely depend on CarsDirect. Even though I say I would use CarsDirect, I would still do the same amount of research and test drive. By the time I went to CarsDirect, I knew exactly the car and featuresI wanted, so it was very straightforward for me.
 
My car cost about $20,000 before taxes, which was $4500 below MSRP and $3000 below what the dealer was willing to sell it for.

#756 of 769 Re: Will definitely use CarsDirect again [randyonline2] by karhill1

Jan 13, 2011 (4:57 am)

Replying to: randyonline2 (Jan 12, 2011 4:50 pm)
OK, one must consider that CarsDirect makes money from any car sale it processes. The question is "who pays that money?" The answer is, obviously, the customer. Therefore, the price of a vehicle purchased via CarsDirect must be inflated to compensate for CarsDirect's income from the sale.
 
I suggest a potential buyer use CarsDirect as a source of information and then go to the dealer and negotiate the price of the vehicle at least several hundred dollars less than the price presented by CarsDirect. If one dealer won't deal just go to the next. Perserverence will be worth a few dollars. In the worst case, all one need do is locate the dealer who works with CarsDirect. Without question, that dealer will sell the car for less than the CarsDirect price.
 
Really, the only reason a person should even consider using a service like CarsDirect is if one is uncomfortable dealing with a sales person. But really, why bother with CarsDirect as a person can almost always find a relative or friend who can act as a broker. It is always easier to negotiate when the negotiator is not the one paying.

#758 of 769 Re: No Better than Dealers [Dissedlady] by ken117

Feb 09, 2011 (4:44 am)

Replying to: Dissedlady (Jan 29, 2009 9:17 pm)
The only thing I am certain about CarsDirect is anyone buying a car from CarsDirect will pay too much. Here is a current example, for a 2011 Outback with an MSRP of $29,220 CarsDirect is currently quoting a price of $28,055 in Maryland. Fitzmall, a one-price shop in Maryland, will sell you this same vehicle for about $27,000.

#759 of 769 Carwoo by rming

Mar 29, 2011 (12:11 pm)

I recently ran across a car buying service called Carwoo. According to the site, you input the specifics about a car that you are looking for (I am looking at purchasing a new car) and they solicit offers from various local dealers. According to the site, the dealer only sees your first name and last name initial and the car that you want to buy, no other contact information. In addition it appears that through the site you can correspond with each dealer to get a better price (ie tell the dealer you already have an offer at $xx,xxx, can they beat that?). If you like the offer, then you commit to the buy. I am not sure if this is by the site providing you the contact information for the dealer or if you commit to buy that the dealer gets your contact information. This part of the service supposedly is free. For an additional fee you can set up what they call a reverse auction with local dealers. I am not sure what that is or how it gets you a better price.
 
My questions are these: has anyone used this service?, has anyone bought a car through this service? did you really remain anonymous during the procedure?, did you get the best price using this service?, did you use the reverse auction?, what is the reverse auction?, was the reverse auction worth the fee in the amount that you saved on the car?

#760 of 769 Cars Direct Pay Too Much by karhill1

Mar 30, 2011 (3:36 am)

Here is all one need know about Cars Direct. Today, March 30, 2011 for a 2011 Nissan Rogue, AWD SV with an MSRP of $25,300 the Cars Direct Target Price in the DC area is $23,137. For the same vehicle, with the $25,300 MSRP, the True Car price is $21,267. Why would anyone use Cars Direct?

#761 of 769 CarsDirect by driver2011

Oct 14, 2011 (8:47 am)

I'm not certain if CarsDirect pricing has improved much since the last poster. I'm looking to buy a new Hyundai Sonata and just started shopping for prices. However, I noticed that they have a buying outlook, which seem quite interesting. Thought I'd share this: http://www.carsdirect.com/hyundai/sonata/prices

#762 of 769 USAA and Costco by rming

Nov 16, 2011 (7:22 am)

If you have access I highly recommend using the USAA car buying service. They show you the pricing right on the web site. Just be aware that they do not always show all of the incentives and rebates. So your price could be even lower. The car I bought had an extra $1000 rebate if you financed and the manufacturer also had loyalty rebates and an active duty military rebate if you qualified that USAA did not show. I tried the USAA dealer and he did not get back to me on the car I wanted. It was a 2011 that is in short supply.
 
I tried the Costco buying service to see how they compared on price. They were $100 more than USAA and the Costco dealer found the car I wanted. So I bought it from them.

Messages Page 77 of 78

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