…will probably be going on line, for good. Test drives do seem like the hardest part.
7 thoughts on “Car Shopping”
Good bye car dealerships. If car buying can be brought online dealerships aren’t needed. They’ve been an unnecessary inefficiency for at least 20 years.
The piece assumes that social distancing is a habit that won’t dissipate either once the virus has come under control, or after people have assessed the risks and gotten used to them.
I don’t see it happening that way.
Next flu season, I intend to wear mask and gloves. I hope other people do the same.
You’re going to rob a bank then? Okay, but I wouldn’t advertise the fact.
After wasting considerable time (and exasperation) at Ford, Nissan, and Toyota dealerships, I ordered my 2017 Subaru Impreza by email. I went to the dealership twice: once to hand over the $500 deposit, then again to hand over the balance of $19,250. I had to sign a few papers taking title, and made a call to my insurance agent while they were bringing the car around to the door. Then I took the keys and drove home. Ayear later I did test drive a 2018 CrossTrek before buying one off the showroom floor and driving it away. Ford, in particular, wasted 3 hours of my time, and then let me walk away. When they called 2 weeks later to see if I’d come to my senses, it was fun to say, “No. I bought a Subaru. Bye.”
I got to tell my local Honda dealer that I bought the same car at another Honda dealer. They treated me much better and I got a better deal. That said, if I could go someplace just to test drive and then buy online, I’d be a happy camper.
I didn’t get any negative surprises from not having test driven the Impreza. I figured it’d handle like any other compact station wagon, such as the equivalent Toyota. The main differences would be the synchonized all wheel drive and that mine had a stick shift. That and the strange engine sound from the Boxer. The only actual surpise I got was the riding on rails feel from the all wheel drive. With automatics, Subaru sets it 50/50, but with manuals it’s 60/40 to compensate for oversteering. And the Boxer does make that little Jetsons noise.
All I wanted from the Ford dealer was for them to sell me a Fiesta with a stick and no “trim.” They diddled me around for 3 hours, insisting I had to have the trim packages available at area dealerships, that they couldn’t order me what I wanted from Ford. So I left. The nice lady at Subaru said, “Yes, sir. Your car will be here in a few weeks.” A few days later she called to say she found an orphan meeting my specs in transit that could be diverted. So that’s what I got. I needed a car quickly because my 2008 Vue squirtgun failed and the 1995 SL-1 gas line was leaking. I figured I couldn’t be ferrying my sick wife around in a 2001 Ranger. I bought the 2018 CrossTrek when my wife didn’t die.
Good bye car dealerships. If car buying can be brought online dealerships aren’t needed. They’ve been an unnecessary inefficiency for at least 20 years.
The piece assumes that social distancing is a habit that won’t dissipate either once the virus has come under control, or after people have assessed the risks and gotten used to them.
I don’t see it happening that way.
Next flu season, I intend to wear mask and gloves. I hope other people do the same.
You’re going to rob a bank then? Okay, but I wouldn’t advertise the fact.
After wasting considerable time (and exasperation) at Ford, Nissan, and Toyota dealerships, I ordered my 2017 Subaru Impreza by email. I went to the dealership twice: once to hand over the $500 deposit, then again to hand over the balance of $19,250. I had to sign a few papers taking title, and made a call to my insurance agent while they were bringing the car around to the door. Then I took the keys and drove home. Ayear later I did test drive a 2018 CrossTrek before buying one off the showroom floor and driving it away. Ford, in particular, wasted 3 hours of my time, and then let me walk away. When they called 2 weeks later to see if I’d come to my senses, it was fun to say, “No. I bought a Subaru. Bye.”
I got to tell my local Honda dealer that I bought the same car at another Honda dealer. They treated me much better and I got a better deal. That said, if I could go someplace just to test drive and then buy online, I’d be a happy camper.
I didn’t get any negative surprises from not having test driven the Impreza. I figured it’d handle like any other compact station wagon, such as the equivalent Toyota. The main differences would be the synchonized all wheel drive and that mine had a stick shift. That and the strange engine sound from the Boxer. The only actual surpise I got was the riding on rails feel from the all wheel drive. With automatics, Subaru sets it 50/50, but with manuals it’s 60/40 to compensate for oversteering. And the Boxer does make that little Jetsons noise.
All I wanted from the Ford dealer was for them to sell me a Fiesta with a stick and no “trim.” They diddled me around for 3 hours, insisting I had to have the trim packages available at area dealerships, that they couldn’t order me what I wanted from Ford. So I left. The nice lady at Subaru said, “Yes, sir. Your car will be here in a few weeks.” A few days later she called to say she found an orphan meeting my specs in transit that could be diverted. So that’s what I got. I needed a car quickly because my 2008 Vue squirtgun failed and the 1995 SL-1 gas line was leaking. I figured I couldn’t be ferrying my sick wife around in a 2001 Ranger. I bought the 2018 CrossTrek when my wife didn’t die.