Carvana

[jn1780]

Cars inside the vending machine are cars that have been bought. The cars aren’t for sale.

Yes, But that ruins the joke.

[chuck5815]

Seems like this concept would really take the sport out of buying a used car. Half of the fun is feeling like you won the negotiation (even if you didn't).

[baralheia]

Seems like this concept would really take the sport out of buying a used car. Half of the fun is feeling like you won the negotiation (even if you didn't).

In truth, it really depends on the person. Personally, I don't enjoy the traditional dealer model - pushy salesmen, and the haggling over price and the repeated "lemme go talk to my manager" things. But others such as yourself enjoy the game of negotiation, and that's perfectly fine! As Carmax, Carvana, and others have shown for quite a while now, there is a market for convenience and zero-pressure car buying. No reason we can't have both

[Pete]

^

I've used CarsDirect where you put in the make and model and options you want, then they show you a target price. There are other, similar sites.

You can go one step farther and have them put you in contact with a dealer that will honor that price, but I've always just printed out their numbers and taken it to a dealer I like and asked them to give me the same deal, and they have always done so.

[oklip955]

I still perfer the dealer model. I bought my truck about 5 yrs ago. it a rare Tacoma that I could not even order one in Oklahoma. I found one on the internet at a dealer (new) in St Louis. It was exactly what I had been looking for. I called and asked for their best price to drive it out the door and explained that I am in Oklahoma and would have to drive up to get it. Give me a price and I'd say yes or no. They cut me a deal and in a week or so drove up and bought it. Only issue I had was after telling them what day and time I planned on being there, they forgot to tell the salesman and he was off that day, also that they closed 15 min after I would get there. No time to do the paper work. I had rented a car to drive up (one way rent) and so had to find a hotel to stay the night. They took the cost of car rental and hotel room off the agreed price without my asking for it. Simple sale the next day, they even loaded my out with sandwiches , snacks and cold drinks for my trip home. Cannot say enough good for a dealer. and yes they gave me a good price on the truck.

[FighttheGoodFight]

I still perfer the dealer model. I bought my truck about 5 yrs ago. it a rare Tacoma that I could not even order one in Oklahoma. I found one on the internet at a dealer (new) in St Louis. It was exactly what I had been looking for. I called and asked for their best price to drive it out the door and explained that I am in Oklahoma and would have to drive up to get it. Give me a price and I'd say yes or no. They cut me a deal and in a week or so drove up and bought it. Only issue I had was after telling them what day and time I planned on being there, they forgot to tell the salesman and he was off that day, also that they closed 15 min after I would get there. No time to do the paper work. I had rented a car to drive up (one way rent) and so had to find a hotel to stay the night. They took the cost of car rental and hotel room off the agreed price without my asking for it. Simple sale the next day, they even loaded my out with sandwiches , snacks and cold drinks for my trip home. Cannot say enough good for a dealer. and yes they gave me a good price on the truck.

I never have any real issues with dealers as now days you can find the price of a car online and work from that. If they don't bite you can just leave.

What I really hate about dealerships is the paperwork. Dear god no one wants to spend that much time on paperwork. Hell I bought a car for cash and it still took two hours. I get why people use sites like Vroom or Carvana.

[jedicurt]

I never have any real issues with dealers as now days you can find the price of a car online and work from that. If they don't bite you can just leave.

What I really hate about dealerships is the paperwork. Dear god no one wants to spend that much time on paperwork. Hell I bought a car for cash and it still took two hours. I get why people use sites like Vroom or Carvana.

this is my thought as well... it isn't the haggling for price... it's how much is your time worth with all the paper work... i spent 3.5 hours doing just the paperwork just a few weeks ago for my new car. i would have gladly paid a bit more on the price of the vehicle to not have needed to take a full day off work just to buy a car

[Pete]

I bought a new car through a dealership in California and all the paperwork was handled through email.

Then, they drove the car to me (had someone follow the driver to take him back to the lot).

It was an awesome buying experience.

[jompster]

When I bought my last one, Battison negotiated with me online and had the paperwork all ready. All I had to do was go up there, sign in a few places, and done. I was in and out in about 45 minutes. A little planning ahead always saves time.

[CloudDeckMedia]

My wife & I drive luxury cars of the same brand, and you'd think that the local dealer would be respectful, straight-forward and considerate of our time & loyalty. They aren't. For her car we curated a short list of similar cars, offered a price but the local dealer wouldn't budge. We purchased her car in Tulsa. For my car I did the same research with similar results, made an offer and the salesman refused to budge. I gave him the VIN of identical cars in Tulsa & Dallas, and said their prices were lower than his. Only then would he come down. Why would you treat a repeat customer of a luxury item this way? Our next cars will be different brands because of this local dealer.

[thunderbird]

My wife & I drive luxury cars of the same brand, and you'd think that the local dealer would be respectful, straight-forward and considerate of our time & loyalty. They aren't. For her car we curated a short list of similar cars, offered a price but the local dealer wouldn't budge. We purchased her car in Tulsa. For my car I did the same research with similar results, made an offer and the salesman refused to budge. I gave him the VIN of identical cars in Tulsa & Dallas, and said their prices were lower than his. Only then would he come down. Why would you treat a repeat customer of a luxury item this way? Our next cars will be different brands because of this local dealer.

Jackie Cooper I assume? My wife and I both bought cars there a few (8) years back and it was the worst experience I’ve ever had.

For our last 4 or 5 purchases we have just found what we wanted online and emailed dealers across the country to price shop. We then just have them delivered, usually anywhere from $500 - $1500. Well worth the time and money savings.

[Pete]

How does it work when you are buying a car for out of state?

For some reason, I thought that was problematic.

[sooner88]

How does it work when you are buying a car for out of state?

For some reason, I thought that was problematic.

My dad just dealt with this. He found the car he wanted at a dealership in Seattle, and tried to go through the dealership here to purchase it. The OKC dealership was apparently not cooperative with the group in Seattle, so he just went through them directly. <$1,500 to ship the car here and he negotiated that into the total purchase price so no "extra" money out of his pocket. He signed all docs electronically and made it seem very easy.

[FighttheGoodFight]

My dad just dealt with this. He found the car he wanted at a dealership in Seattle, and tried to go through the dealership here to purchase it. The OKC dealership was apparently not cooperative with the group in Seattle, so he just went through them directly. <$1,500 to ship the car here and he negotiated that into the total purchase price so no "extra" money out of his pocket. He signed all docs electronically and made it seem very easy.

Dang. I am going to try this on my new car next year.

[Pete]

I know that a local dealer can basically find whatever car you want and have it shipped to them.

That's how it works most the time but if you just didn't want to work with the local dealer for whatever reason, I didn't realize it was that simple to buy from out of state. I thought there were issues about tagging and paying tax but I guess they just figure that out.

[jerrywall]

this is my thought as well... it isn't the haggling for price... it's how much is your time worth with all the paper work... i spent 3.5 hours doing just the paperwork just a few weeks ago for my new car. i would have gladly paid a bit more on the price of the vehicle to not have needed to take a full day off work just to buy a car

Seriously. I bought a new car on Carvana today, while eating lunch.. I pick it up from the new facility Friday. I do have to take some time to get on the app this evening to check a few contract boxes, but other than that I'm done. Next I just pick up the car. Never had to deal with a person, and no sitting outside the finance office waiting to get paperwork, and no one asked me to buy an extended warranty. Now, I would have paid more for this experience. It just so happens that I paid less than I could find it from any local dealers. I'm sure any one of them would have matched the price, but why go through that trouble? There's definitely a demographic for these type of sales. I imagine over time the traditional dealers will streamline their processes to compete with this experience.

[OkiePoke]

It's simple. Especially so with our new "keep your tag" policy (if buying used). You run with the paper tag and register/tax in your home state.

You can get great deals shopping in different regions as the manufacturer will have different incentives for different regions. Case in point, I saved $2000 buying a car in Minnesota then driving it back. It cost me $120 for a flight, some gas, and I made a mini vacation with a stop in KC.

[Jersey Boss]

FYI for all you Costco members. Costco sells more cars than any other retailer nationally. They work with various dealers and volume discounts. If i didn't get retiree pricing from Ford I would explore that option

[Pete]

FYI for all you Costco members. Costco sells more cars than any other retailer nationally. They work with various dealers and volume discounts. If i didn't get retiree pricing from Ford I would explore that option

Sam's has a similar program. People say great things about both.

[thunderbird]

I know that a local dealer can basically find whatever car you want and have it shipped to them.

That's how it works most the time but if you just didn't want to work with the local dealer for whatever reason, I didn't realize it was that simple to buy from out of state. I thought there were issues about tagging and paying tax but I guess they just figure that out.

Most dealerships are pretty good about figuring it out, there’s usually a lot of express mail involved but it’s easy. A few times have taken longer than the temporary tags last but now that we as Oklahomans keep our tags it won’t be an issue unless you actually get pulled over.

While dealerships can in theory get any car from another dealership both have to be willing and it’s going to cost you more than just buying from the original seller. I was lucky enough to be able to sell cars while in college and learned a ton that has helped me with my addiction to buying new cars as often as my sweet wife will allow. Higher end brands are easier to deal with but it can be done with any brand if buying new.

[Dob Hooligan]

We are talking two different subjects, aren't we? The Costco, Sam's and other "price match" programs are for new cars only?

Carvana is a used car lot?

[foodiefan]

I know that a local dealer can basically find whatever car you want and have it shipped to them.

That's how it works most the time but if you just didn't want to work with the local dealer for whatever reason, I didn't realize it was that simple to buy from out of state. I thought there were issues about tagging and paying tax but I guess they just figure that out.

. . after trying to work with the local Infiniti dealer, ended up with Sewell in Dallas (purchasing a previously leased vehicle). Worked via email and then went down to test drive. About 1 1/2 hours total test drive and purchase. Tax and tagging no problem. Stellar salesman and buying experience. . .and when I'm in the Dallas area I can pop in for a free car wash.

[emtefury]

I bought a car recently in Michigan. I put down a deposit to hold it. Flew up there, signed the paperwork, got a temporary MI tag and drove home.

[oklip955]

Toyota has regions and doesn't allow trades between dealers out of their regions. Also certain configurations are not available in certain zones. That is why I could not even order or get the truck I wanted in Oklahoma, Texas or Kansas. Missouri is another region. I paid cash for the truck so really the only thing that had to be done was change the price on the paper work. That was a price reduction because they felt they owned me that since they dropped the ball on telling me the salesman had the day off (kids softball tournament out of town) and they forgot to tell me that day they closed early. They credited back the cost of the rental car and hotel room since I had to stay over. They told me about the extended warranty program but I said not interested. They were fine with that. They offer oil changes for life but again they said, well I guess you won't be using this. Well if ever I am travelling that way and need one, I can get a free oil change. It was fairly quick. I think they spent more time feeding me then anything else. They had one of those cafe's in there dealership.

[oklip955]

Really with the internet and the options for purchasing vehicles today, they for the most part are aware that if they don't give you the best deal quickly, you will just turn and walk.