We’re currently under “stay at home” orders here in New Jersey. The car dealers are keeping revenue coming in by making deals for new cars over the net, and then delivering the car to your home. No showroom visit required.
That might really catch on! Surf for the best price over the internet, deliver to my home, done. A couple of sellers tried this before the quarantine.
I hope it becomes SOP.
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Me, too! 10… characters ugg
They’re all acting like Carvana now. They sure happened along at the right time.
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This may work for people who want a new car, and have already decided what model and trim level they want. This will never work for used cars, or for people who want to test-drive several models before deciding what to buy.
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Nice idea but again, the trade-in could be an issue. Getting a good discount on invoice is one thing but money is lost on the trade.
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Some of the dealers are taking trades, and no, this is not for used car buyers. The dealers in my area sell approximately 65% new units.
The Carvana marketing mode just strikes me as an expensive, soon to pass fad. It seems to look to the Saturn idea of presenting a pressure free market to the great many who apparently hate wheeling and dealing for a car but how costly is that model? There must be a great deal of profit in closed sales to cover the cost of advertising, glitz and “bring it back if you don’t like it” deals.
With 3.2 million newly unemployed in one week, their gonna have to do more than that.
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Everyone I know is working from home. No one in my area has lost a job yet.
We’ll hope the shut downs are short lived. Due to elective surgeries being canceled, some hospital staff are having their hours cut as well as of course other in restaurants and small businesses. After 3-4 weeks though, shut downs just cannot be sustained without massive issues. Again though what needs to happen in the hot spots of NY, NJ, and the west coast should not dictate what happens in the rest of the country. This has never been done before.
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I hate wheeling and dealing for a car
And I know I’m not in the minority
I actually liked the initial Saturn approach of selling cars
For that matter, I think some of the Rental agencies that sold their retired fleet cars used the same approach. One price, no haggling. Sure, the price wasn’t also the lowest, but you weren’t getting raked over the coals, either, so to speak
In both instances, I found the sales lot to be low pressure. Even the salesmen looked like regular guys. They didn’t look like they should be on the cover of a fashion magazine, unlike many salesmen at the other places.
No offense to any current and former car salesmen reading this
But I have to drive the car. With my bad back and knees, it’s vital that I spend some time driving the car and checking out the competition before having anything delivered to my house
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They dealers are doing the same thing around here. It would seem foolish to me to buy a car sight unseen and without takihng it for a least a short drive even it is brand new. What if they deliver it and the front or rear leg room is poor, seats totally miserable, or any one of a dozen other reasons,
I would either go in and buy it COVID19 or not or put off car buying into this blows over.
Next thing you know dealers will probably add a COVID19 surcharge and offer an extended warranty over coming down with it…
Wait…what?
Wow! People have to stay at home? (What happens if they don’t?)
But, the dealership can deliver cars?
This begs the question… How’d the dealership personnel get from home to work and back and how come they get to get out and about and drive around?
CSA
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I agree. Most eye-openingly good experience I ever had buying from a GM affiliated dealer!
CarMax does this for used cars today. Trades are evaluated before you even talk about buying a car and they’ll buy it sale or not. Cars you purchase from CarMax are the “pay the price” listed on the car no mater if you finance through them or not. The total deal, from the front door to the delivery is pretty transparent. It is only a delivery ride away from delivery to your front door if they want to offer that.
CarMax may not the best prices on used cars out there but the deal, in total, is stress free and people are willing to pay a bit more for that.
Your area isn’t . . . ?!
I can legitimately drive around
First of all, the mayor said our fleet’s employees are considered “essential personnel”
And even if somebody doesn’t fall into that category, you’re still allowed to go shopping for food, go walk the dog and so forth
I drove past a few used car dealers on the way back from shopping these last few days. They’re all ghost towns. The only people I see are the employees walking the lots.
I’ve known a few people who have sold their used cars to CarMax, for several reasons. First of all, it was very easy. Second of all, it allowed them to avoid all the weirdos and low ballers they might have encountered, were they to advertise their car on craigslist or some other website(s)
Another apparent CarMax advantage . . . they have a reputation to protect. I’ve known a few people that had problems with their purchases there. In each case, CarMax either promptly took care of the problems, or they simply took the car back and let the customers choose another car. I’m not sure how they handled the difference in price.
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They should import New Yorkers.
No, we’re not. To the north of us across the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, St. Petersburg/Tampa Bay area, folks are under a “safer at home” directive, but it seems to me to be voluntary. They can still go out to shop, jog, ride bikes, walk the dog, etcetera.
Businesses are allowed to stay open, but they must post signs about social distancing, limit numbers of people and such and they are checked by local law enforcement. If they’re too loose with complying, they can be shut down by local government.
The hospitals/doctors have the opinion that everything should shut down for weeks in Florida. Businesses have a different perspective and insist they have to be open, employing, providing goods and services, and earning money.
Both sides have legitimate points of views. It’s just that they are at odds. I wouldn’t want to be a Mayor, Governor, or President right now. I do agree with President Trump to a goodly degree that the “cure” can’t be worse than the “problem”.
No doubt lots of folks are going to get sick, many will die, either from this virus “problem” or an overreaching “cure”. Tough decisions are being made and tougher decisions are ahead.
CSA
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I’m in total disagreement
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