Online Car Buying Web Sites
What Every Consumer
Should Know
In recent years many companies have emerged promising to offer consumers
an efficient, fairer and simpler way to shop for a new car online. These
web sites let you point and click your way to the perfect vehicle at a
perfect price. What could be better?
While these online car buying web sites do in fact facilitate the sales
process for both consumers and dealerships, many of the most frustrating
traditional variables of buying a car in-person still remain, even when
the initial inquiry originates online. This is because whether you place
your vehicle inquiry online, or walk on to the lot, you still have to
negotiate and seal the final deal in person. Let's take a closer look…
The online car buying process typically works like this:
1. Select car make and model
2. Select options
3. Provide your contact information
4. Wait for dealer rep to contact you with a quote
However, there is a "step 5" that does not get much emphasis
within the context of the seemingly streamlined online car buying process,
and that is the aforementioned final negotiation, which puts the consumer
right back to square one. Even if an online car buying site offers a "locked
in deal", the customer may find themselves presented with a number
of "up-sell" tactics once they arrive on the lot in the name
of enhanced feature packages, extended warranties and other unforeseen
add-ons, not to mention the painfully confusing matter of financing and
leasing options.
What you don't know…
What most consumers do not know is that online car buying web sites effectively
serve as a referral base for car dealerships to receive customer leads
with a kickback incentive going to the referring site. In this sense,
the car buying site offers up prospective consumers as fresh bait for
the dealerships- but what strategic advantage has the service really provided
you as a consumer? After all, in the time it took you to complete the
online search process, you simply could have called the dealership, which
is where you'll end up anyhow.
From one perspective, online car buying sites may be regarded as automated
referral services in high-tech packaging. However, this is not say that
some consumers do not benefit from the efficiency of online car buying
services. Indeed, the Internet has made it much easier to research new
cars, compare models and features and locate nearby dealerships. But at
the end of the day, it is still up to you the consumer to close the deal
on your own. Having a dealer contact you as the result of an online request
is really no different than calling the dealership walking onto the lot
in person.
How is a personalized car buying service different
from automated online car buying web site?
A personalized car buying service, such as AutoHeroes, offers the following
benefits:
- Expert advice and personal consultation helps you make intelligent
decisions based upon your unique needs, preferences and budget.
- Bargaining power - because of professional relationships and the promise
of repeat business, car buying assistants are able to negotiate and
leverage buying power with dealerships on behalf of consumers.
- Personal car buying assistants handle dealer negotiations for you
and are involved directly in the car buying process from beginning to
end (including the final paperwork, where problems often arise) - they
don't just refer you, take a commission, and then leave you to fend
for yourself.
Adding Things Up - Online Car Buying Sites vs.
the Personalized Approach
Most online car buying sites are great for getting a quick quote from
a dealership and researching vehicle features, but that's about as far
as it goes. AutoHeroes gets you great prices, and so much more.
For example, if you use an online car buying website, you ultimately
still need to go out test-drive the cars that interested you. Because
the online websites don't offer staff to accompany you to the dealer,
you are on your own. The dealer may try and pressure you to make a deal
that you aren't ready for. They may try to get you to commit to a deal
that is not in your best interest. In contrast, an AutoHeroes representative
will schedule test drives for you, accompany you when you visit the dealership,
and insulate you from unwanted sales pressure so you can concentrate on
making an informed decision on your purchase.
Beyond providing a level of service that is nonexistent with online car
buying sites, AutoHeroes obtains the best prices possible for our customers.
Let's take a look at how much some recent AutoHeroes customers saved on
their automobile purchases compared to quotes from a popular national
online web site:
Now, let's take a look at the "discounted prices" that one
of the online buying services offers on the same cars:
As shown in the cases above, AutoHeroes beats the "discount"
online car buying sites hands down. On the Acura TL, for which the online
buying service couldn't offer a discount, AutoHeroes saved our customer
$1,500.00! On the Toyota Sienna, which the online service got a $100.00
discount on, AutoHeroes saved our customer a solid $804.00! And last,
the online site advertises a discount of $1,213.00, though AutoHeroes
saved our customer $1,963.00!
In addition to the monetary savings enjoyed through the personal car
buying process, AutoHeroes customers save time and frustration time as
well. Unlike most online car buying sites, AutoHeroes does not provide
kickbacks or financial rewards to any of its dealers, so consumers know
that they are getting a professional and objective vehicle negotiation
each and every time.
By working directly with our customers we are able to identify all the
factors that amount to the best value in a way that can not be accomplished
with the "one size fits all" offered by the automated database
approach of online car buying web sites. This attention to detail and
needs assessment allows AutoHeroes to work with our customers for a truly
unique and satisfying car buying experience, not to mention a great deal.
For additional information about personalized car buying services and
how they work to save you time and money, call the AutoHeroes Help Line
toll free at
1-866-533-HERO (4376), or contact us online.
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