My previous experience with Honda, feeling intimidated by the salespeople at the dealership, having them try to sell me on additional features that I couldn’t afford right out of college, dealing with their financing department, etc. The whole thing took multiple trips to the dealership, had to bring a friend who was a lawyer with me just to help so I wouldn’t feel like they could cheat me. Flash forward to a 100% online purchase of a Tesla, only wanted to go to the showroom for a test drive beforehand and even when there they didn’t push a sale on me. Ordered online, got a text/email when it was ready, and picked it up. Guy just had to show me how to use it. Nothing being up-charged, the price was the price. I’ll never go back to a traditional dealership again.

I personally HATE stealerships. I would do ANYTHING to put them out of business for the rest of eternity.

We are sick of dealers scams!! Even after having a fully agreed on price, my mom took 4 hours to do the paperwork for a cash buy. I would have walked out. Thanks Toyota!

I'm 100% willing to pay more for a car just to not have to use a dealership.

How about instead of going from an in person middleman to online middleman, we just order the car directly from the manufacturer?

Answer: Dealers are unnecessary and pricey middlemen who make buying a car more expensive and unpleasant.

Going to the dealer to buy a car takes the whole goddamn day.

My last 3 car purchases were online after a test drive of a similar model at a dealer or “retail” outlet. I cant remember the last time that a salesperson knew anything about a vehicle model of my choosing that I hadn’t learned from the internet already. Once I see and drive a vehicle, be it at a Tesla store, or a friend’s driveway, I’m ready to configure, order and pay online. BTW I am 64 years old so this not not just a “millennial thing”.

I bought my Tesla online. I don’t miss the Salesman trying to figure out how to get as much money from me as possible.

We’re tired of getting hosed …..that’s why!

We have bought Tesla's recently and love the lack of the stealership experience. I HATE HATE HATE that - its no wonder people will use any service that gets them out of that horrific experience.

"Less than 1% of consumers enjoy the dealership experience" - well then, that explains it.

Bought my first car (a used car) online. My parents bought their first used car through a dealership, they said the online experience was 100 times better. Never going back to a dealership, whether I'm buying new or used.

Carmax 'Method' is not bad. Fixed commission. No salesman playing tricks. Their cars are overpriced thou.

I love how in the beginning of the video it says that some people are doing their research online. Really, you really find that surprising?

One thing I notice is dealerships almost always lie about the trim they sell. I went to buy a Prius and wanted a higher level trim. Every time I saw the car in person, it was a lower level base model trim, despite being listed as a higher end trim. Edit: for some reason people think I didn't know the trim level of the car. I did. I researched all the trims. That's how I knew they were lying. And since I wanted heated seats only available on the higher level trim it was painfully obvious. I'm not sure why people are saying that I should have done my research first, I did, the whole point is that you shouldn't be lying, and I'm not sure why so many people are defending dealers lying about their cars, if we switch this to the medical industry or the financial industry you guys would freak out yet for a car dealership you're willing to accept that the dealer should lie to you? With no consequence? Please, give that level of belief to the financial industry and stop complaining about how big banks and the rich screw you over. No? Then why are you willing to accept it in cars? Why not the same outrage you have when big banks lie and screw the financial system?

who the hell wants to deal with a sketchy car dealer trying to make you pay more for warranty packages and getting u to sign a 6 percent interest loan.... am I right?

Ford dealers charges $20,000 markup for Mach-e right now, let that sink in

You may hate Elon Musk, but you got to thank him for the invention and kick starting online car purchase revolution

Bought my camry from Carvana and they shipped it to my house like a freaking Amazon package lol. The whole experience was outstanding, also my first time buying from a dealer online.

You should have included that traditional car dealerships are initially mafia style monopolies. What if you had to buy cereal not at Safeway but at individual stores? You have to go to the Cheerios store and then over to the Frosted Flakes store.

The act of going to the dealership and dealing with that BS is more unpopular than congress - which is always low.

I’ve purchased from Carvana. Hands down the easiest car buying experience I’ve ever had. No complaints at all. I plan on using them for my next car purchase as well.

cause dealerships are well known as STEALERSHIPS

Buying a car online may not be the cheapest way at times. But theres a reason why more and more people are doing it. Dealing with car salespeople are one of the worst dreaded experience in life. Take note dealerships, take note. Before its too late

Just bought a used car from a Chevy dealership in Miami. Worst buying experience of my life. Never again.

Lol I wanted a Jeep Grand Cherokee, lightly used with low mileage and premium sound system, but every car salesperson were pushing a Lexus or a Kia and I just bought my keep on Carvana, they didn’t push me to get another car that I didn’t like. I really like Carvana too. They did a great job

You forgot the biggest reason to avoid dealerships, many lack integrity. Dealers often take advantage of the fact that they sell cars all the time whereas you rarely purchase one and they exploit this power/information imbalance. I have stopped using dealers and use a buying group just so I don't need to have a wash after visiting the dealership!

Bought a ford explorer 2016 around 2 years ago, it was supposed to be 24k but ended up being 30k because! i got ripped off for not knowing how bad dealers are in this country. ( first time buying a car in the USA and i had only been in the country for 6 months) Fast forward to june of this year. I bought a tesla model 3 because we needed a 2nd vehicle. It took me 5 mins. And the price advertised was the price i paid. I would never visit a dealership again in my life

I bought a new Tesla model 3 on Tesla's website at the end of last year. Excellent experience. No trying to negotiate price with a stranger, everything was digital from selecting the car options to applying for a loan so I did it all from home, and no dealership mark up. The only time I had to go to the service center was to pick up the car. Thankfully I didn't need the car immediately so I could wait 2 months for it to arrive although I know now that's not the case for new orders.

My husband and I just had our first experience with online car buying; we used Carvana. Got a pre-owned 2019 Jetta. The transaction was smooth and we are happy with the terms of their financing. Due to Covid, we did have to wait an extra week for delivery than the date we expected at signing but they communicated well with us, assured us what was happening with clarity and efficiency. Delivery itself was great! The driver was very knowledgeable and the car looked perfect. We’re about 2-3 months in and we’re very happy still. Haven’t found anything to criticize really. It was easy in nearly every way compared to going to the local dealer to verbally spar at prices with a coked up 30-something a fake smile and the hunger for the sale. Our recent Carvana experience was like the anti that. Super easy and we didn’t encounter any hidden costs or anything sus.

I bought a car on carvana about 2 weeks ago on my phone while having dinner. The first car I got I drove around and just didn’t really like so I went back to carvana and got another vehicle no problem no questions asked. The car gets delivered and they pick up your trade in that same day. The vehicles are all clean title, you can get your own financing and you don’t have to deal with sleazy salesmen. I live in Miami Florida and most cars are either Rebuilt title, beat up, and as soon as you mention self finance the car is suddenly sold lol!

Reminds me of a Family Guy episode where they go to a mattress store and try beds out, once they find one they like they simply ask for the model number and look it up online to buy it, order it while still in the mattress store and have to hurry home so they can be back before it’s delivered at their door via drone 😂

The need to see a car in person increases as the age/mileage of a car increases

Carvana is otherworldly when it comes to ease of use, being consumer friendly, and assisting with any questions or concerns a car-buyer should have. I bought my second car from here after months of searching over 3 states online at dealerships for a car that was affordable, lower mileage, and a newer year, but they all were easily $6,000-$10,000 more than the exact same car with much much less mileage on listed on Carvana. After my Carvana experience, I will almost certainly never buy a car from a dealership and will choose Carvana 100% of the time.

The point of a test drive of a new car is: do I like it? Seats, driving position, infotainment, materials. If you don’t mind it, buy the cheapest you can.

There are too many experiences with auto dealerships that makes the average consumer prefer not to deal with them at all. You always have this feeling that not only will the personnel want to charge you the highest price they can for each car they sell, but that there are too many hidden variances in the sale process that boosts the costs to the buyer beyond what is reasonable.

Buying car online is a scam. They say zero dealership charges but sell their cars 2-4K above the market price

The dealer COVID experience (May 2020)I had for my truck purchase was great….didn’t have a sales person sliming me the whole time, let me test drive solo and the purchase was super chill yet beneficial for me in the end…

The Tesla buying experience was painless and amazing versus my past dealer experiences.

The only issue i see with these online retailers is that they sell used vehicles - which means the specific vehicle you are purchasing may have an issue that you don't know about because you did not test drive it. You may have test drove another similar model and trim somewhere, but not this one. Yes, its delivered to your door and you could probably return it in 7 days depending on where you live - but the issue with the vehicle may not show itself in the first 7 days. As these companies grow larger, they become as corporate as can be and profit is in volume and numbers. Your vehicle will get as little TLC as possible during reconditioning to get it out the door. You will eventually find issues with it that are beyond the return period and you will be stuck with it. The idea that you can return it "anytime" in 7 days makes you lazy and you never end up going to a trusted mechanic to get it checked out and test driven until its too late and you're stuck with the car.

I refuse to buy a car online, truth be told it's one of the few things I will never buy online

After my last round of buying a car, I will try to avoid the dealership. Nothing but lies and issues, and they take FOREVER to do anything (it takes at least half your day to purchase a vehicle now). I'll go to the dealership and test drive the vehicle, but not spending a second talking to them about purchasing one. I would never miss dealerships if they went out of business permanently.

Cut out the middle man and save thousands!

This will be the way my family purchases vehicles in the future! I was taken for over $3,000 the last go around with a sleezball car sales man.

Car dealerships need to step up their customer service and transparency or risk being pushed out by these online services. Simple as that.

No pre-purchase inspection is insane. Carvana just buys cars from the public and resell them at $4K markup. Just adds inflation to an already inflated market.

If you're buying a brand with a generally good reliability record (Honda and Toyota/Lexus especially), buying online is a no-brainer, in my opinion.

I would want to do a physical overlook myself. I've had new vehicles pitched to me with noticeable defects. It was obvious it was damaged in transport.

Doing your homework before you make your purchase is the key! These online auto sales companies ain't that favorable when it comes to price. Their strategy is use their almost unlimited investment fund to buy up all the acceptable inventory from Craigslist, auctions or other resources, and they jack up the used cars market price. I was looking for a specific car on Craigslist one day, and couple days later it was gone. Then surprisingly, it reappeared again about a week or so, but this time it was under Carvana's title with $4000 above the original owner asking price. WTF!

My last vehicle that I bought at a dealership, I parked my van that had major damage from an accident but was drivable in the new car parking area and then walked with my dad to the used car area. It was the last day of the month (which is the best day to go to a dealer). The car salesman ask what we were looking for and came out with the van I was looking for. He quoted me the price. When we went in to do the paperwork he asked if I had a in, trade in. I said yes.When he came back, he tried to raise the price, so I started to get up to leave telling him that wasn't the price he quoted me. he asked me what he could do to make it right and I told him to deduct xx amount, which he did and I bought the van for the blue book price and also got a 5 year warranty with it. You just need to know when the best time to go to the dealer and how to haggle and don't tell them you have a trade in, until after they give you a price. Record it if necessary. Also, have financing available. And as far as insurance is concerned, you can use the company you already have and add the vehicle to it. In my case I was out of state and my dad added the vehicle to his insurance temporarily. So, it's all in how you play the game with them and just say no to their add-ons. Also, Carvana has been know to sell vehicles that were stolen, so beware of buying cars online.

Test drives are important to me to make sure that I like the driving characteristics and interior functionality of the vehicle I’m considering purchasing. I’m an enthusiast though and I understand not everyone necessarily cares about those things but rather a reliable source from A to B.

With many consumers it not so much about loving the online car buying experience as how much they HATE the dealership experience. The dealerships continue to earn their poor reputation and drive their own customers away.

I can do all the research and inventory search online. But I would still need a test drive to see if the car is comfortable. I didn't get a 2010 Escape because its driver seat had really short cushions that didn't offer the support I needed.

The car buying experience needs to become Amazonized.

Crazy how Tesla solves this issue completely.

Commission sales is a thing of the past . People don't have the patience to deal with a shady sales man . The real estate market is next .

Missed point. Tesla sells cars completely online. I ordered, got financing, and even my trade in all online. I did not deal with a person until I went and picked up. Y car… even then, it was 6 mins, and I was on the road.

I bought my last 2 cars on Carvana and it was well worth it. The real time pricing, the ease of use of buying and most of the time within 3 days i had my cars.

I got it down to a science.... pre-approval from my credit union, I do all my research online, head to the dealer and take a 10 minute test drive 🚗.....after that I tell them I have XX,XXX amount of money to spend, if they can't make it work then I'm GONE!! Give them 10 minutes to figure it out😉

Carvana is legit though. Bought my Prius hassle free AF.

The issue is people go into a dealer not having the financial strength to call the shots, so they have to rely on what lenders the dealer can find (whether it makes them money or even more money). If one goes into a dealer with their loan/payment in hand, the negotiation power is in the hands of the buyer.

I tried purchasing a vehicle through Carvana recently. As soon as new cars were on the website they were sold, like within minutes. People were even buying the “Coming Soon” cars that didn’t even have a photo! It was a rat race. After a few months of that crap I found my perfect car at a family-owned local dealer and had a great experience. I’ll stick to in person shopping, less competition.

Thanks to how Dealers still do business, these On-Line sellers will do well.

Buying a car is terrifying for most. People don’t trust car salesman. They see them as snakes. If you can avoid that experience in your life then it’s a win

[Quote by Will Clark] *_"I don't know the point of the test drive...it's a brand new car; it's a Honda...."_* He goes on to say he anticipates there will be *_"nothing wrong with the car"_* and that *_"he can return it in seven days"_* under his State's consumer laws. He also sees no point in experiencing the car in person before purchasing. Uh huh. I can think of a bunch of both huge and minor reasons one needs to drive whatever car they're buying. This also means a *proper* test drive---half an hour at least---on all types and conditions of roads and in everything from stop and go traffic to highway cruising. (Different design problems only become evident in certain conditions.) A few practical reasons to thoroughly experience the car in person first, just off the top of my head: --I can't get comfortable in these seats; --What's that annoying.......? [fill in blank with any of dozens of odd *_design flaws_* of any random vehicle. *_Not defects_* ---just things that you either don't like how they sound / feel like / appear / etcetera]; --This steering is too hard / too easy / has no 'road feel' --Why don't the sun visors go lower? [short person] I can't block the sun from my eyes. --The brochure said the rear seat room is "x" but it's really tight. Dad will never be able to sit back there. -- _That's_ how the stereo sounds?! What a piece of crap. --Are these brakes ever touchy! I hope I can get used to them. I've never experienced such touchy brakes! --This arm rest is too low. I'll never be able to use it on the long trips we take. --[on highway] Man, is this ever a lot of road / wind noise. I thought these cars were supposed to be quiet. --[in cold climates] It sure takes a lot longer for this heater to warm up than our previous car. I can't begin to grasp how this man thinks. Either he and his wife are the most undiscrimminating, imperceptive car users in history, or he's always previously driven whatever he's about to buy in a different context---like renting one while on holidays.

As someone who worked at Ford and worked with the guy who developed the test site for online sales back in the early 2000's. I can say it's a tricky thing. Back in the early 2000's , absolutely no one wanted to buy a car online despite the fact we had a site that enabled it. People want to test drive a car, they want to see the car colors in the flesh (computer displayed colors do not represent accurately what the color looks like), same with add ons. What people do is research online, find out all the details about a car and work out what they want and prices around the place. Then they test drive the car at a dealership, look at the colors etc in the flesh. Can I see them then leaving the dealership to buy online, sure. And that was the problem 20 years ago that the dealerships cry out about, they dont wont time wasters going to their dealership checking out the car, asking them questions to then walk out the door and buy online. It's a tricky issue. Which is why dealers usually revolt when head office of a manufacturer start talking about online sales. I think it was suggested that if online sales were to happen, dealerships would get a cut somehow. It's the only way to stop dealer ships protesting. And they have a point for the reasons I mentioned above

All these scammers dealers

Bought a used car off auction for the first time last week. Got 5k cheaper than what dealer was asking for

i will never buy at a dealership again, their goal is to rip you off whereas online is fully transparent and simple

Back in 2019 I bought my 2017 mustang over the phone without ever stepping foot in the dealership or seeing the car in person. I’m in Michigan and the car was in Texas. I sent the dealer all the paperwork in the mail and had a 3rd party company ship the car to me. Nice and smooth process. I love cars but I hate the process of buying them. This is how I plan on buying my cars from now on.

I sold my car to carvana last year. I was in and out in 12 minutes. Literally. I checked. They even paid for my uber ride home. You can't beat that

I just want to buy either new from the manufacturer directly or used from the previous owner.

Last time I bought a new car from a dealer was 18 years ago, and even then I got quotes from other dealers via the internet, and then went to the dealer closest to me to either get that price, or I'd go to another dealer. Their choice. I got that price. Strange that this all would seem new to some people!

The first car I bought was online through Carvana, and for what it was, I paid maybe $2k more when buying through them vs. local listings and listing at dealerships, but like they said, it was very transparent and I was done with everything within an hour, and later had my car delivered to my house. Then that car was totaled, and I bought from a Honda dealer, I spent about 4 hours at the Honda dealer that was an hour away from my house. I would much rather buy online next time. It was so much easier

Unless you're buying a Tesla, even "online" sales of new cars go through a dealership. You're just buying from the dealership online instead of buying from a dealership in person. Buying services don't get their cars directly from the manufacturer. They buy from a dealership and add their own middleman costs on top. A lot of people don't know that and think they're outsmarting dealers by buying online. Remember, Tesla sales centers are illegal in seven states because Tesla really, truly doesn't use dealers. All those other online buying services are legal everywhere because they pay dealer tax.

Used car dealers and dealerships in general being scummy is what makes buying online seem risky. Carvana and Vroom could have a 1 year guarantee and still wouldn't trust anything used coming from them, especially sight unseen.

This is where I'll stay old school. I could never buy a car I haven't test driven

Go to the store to test drive and see it in person. Buy it on line later. Same thing with technology and other stuff. In the future brands will have their physical stores more as showrooms than a point of sale, and that's great, since most stores try to push the worst possible deals to their costumers so they can profit more in the end, sadly (yes, there are exceptions, of course, but not many). If those businesses can do the entire thing on line (including taking your used car back if you're doing a trade in, even if they offer you a subpar repurchase price, like they'd likely do in person anyways) I think that's fantastic. It feels like something more suitable for new models, but it might work with used cars if they iron out issues around people not liking what they buy (maybe lose a predetermined deposit and have a time limit for regrets).

Bought a 2016 Honda CRV with 18K miles on Carvana. Amazing hassle-free experience and the car has been good to me the past 2 years.

*Going to a dealership is like going to a drug dealer on the corner. **_You know there's nothing but scams and shady deals going on._*

People have always done their research online, but they still go to the dealers for test drives.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 stars!!! Going to a car dealer is so FUN!! I almost pulled all my hair out, and having them pressure me to sign my soul away after 30 minutes of talking to them is a once in the lifetime experience. Highly recommend.

For the past 25 years I have bought cars strictly over the phone. After researching the brand & model on CR & UKposts, I test drive the car when I'm not ready to buy a car. When I'm ready to purchase, I search for the exact model & color with under 20k miles in adjoining large cities and start calling. I offer a firm cut price for cash. Once offer is accepted, I request a purchase offer doc. Only then do I go to purchase the car. For good measure I test drive the car on the highway usually alone. Using this method, I have had a pleasant experience in purchasing 5+ cars with the manufacturers warranty still intact.

I think sites like carvana are a good push in the right direction, but their prices are outrageous usually 5k-10k higher than a specific model of car is worth outside of them. I will go to a dealer to try to save that money.

totally love the car selling experience with Carvana..it is pretty streamlined.

The next thing to fix is the dodgy dealer servicing! I caught the Kia dealer (Osborne Park Western Australia) not changing the oil &filter & pollen filter ! Top tip put a spot of silicone between the filter & its housing ! So then I checked the pollen filter & that hadn’t been changed either .

Three folks I know bought from Carvana and all three gave the experience a resounding positive response. I personally like to haggle, just more fun.

You pay $3000 or more when you buy online vs the dealer.

Short answer: because stealerships. Here, I saved you 17 minutes of your life. Use those wisely.

Wanted a used acura vehicle from a VW used car. The dealer won't even pull it out of a lot for a test drive. Told me to go to Acura dealership next door to test drive and get the feel for the car and come back to put an offer. Cited covid regulations in Canada. I politely said goodbye went to Acura and bought my car directly with Acura. Customer Service is KEY. I can guarantee you everyone asking me about my car will hear this story.

Sometimes when an auto make dealership owner has a lock on a market, where no discounting deals can be made, I can see where shopping online is a good alternative. Case in point: A friend of mine living in Southern Nevada wanted an upscale SUV, where there were only two dealerships in that region: Las Vegas and Henderson; both owned by the same people. Try as she did, no deal could be done to discount the price of the SUV. So, what did she and her husband do? Did some shopping online and found the upscale SUV they wanted at a San Bernardino (California) dealership, discounted by (US) $10K from what the Vegas region dealerships asking price was. So, for the price of two airline tickets from Vegas to Ontario (California) and taxi cab fare to the auto dealership, my friend saved thousands of dollars, even when it meant they traveled over 200 miles to make the deal. When visiting my friend and her family, I've noticed other new SUVs in the neighborhood with Southern California region dealership paper plates on those vehicles; so word has gotten around that a particular upscale auto make multiple dealerships in Southern Nevada won't cut discount deals with its SUVs.

Just do your research on what car you want, secure funds before getting to the stealer and tell them exactly what you want and do not deviate

No mention of Shift Technologies?

I bought 5 new cars in my life, the first 3 were full of headaches and regrets that ended up costing me thousands of dollars more, the last 2 were a breeze and salesperson and financing manager’s heads were spinning by the time I drove away, I got financing through my local credit union in advance, I rented a truck just like the one that I wanted to buy, I called a few dealerships to ask if they had it in stock by model and color, made appointments and I spent 5 minutes in the first 2 because they lied when they talked to me on the phone and they were trying to sell me something different, my response was “I’m looking for that very specific truck because is a gift for a love one” the third dealership had the truck in the right color and price, when I said “Great, I will take it” they didn’t know what to say, financing manager was confused and upset, she couldn’t sell me anything extra, that was a really good feeling.

Just recently brought me a used car through Carvana. I liked that I had seven days to test out the car. They also give me an additional 30 days before my purchased warranty kicks it. It was a simple process, and I absolutely love my new car.

Carvana is WAY OVERPRICED!!! I would never buy from Carvana.

You left out all the stories of people not getting the correct titles with the car cars having lots of damage that was not disclosed before the car was bought and shipping issues with obtaining your new car. If you like overpaying for a car that you do not get to test drive or inspect then maybe this is a good solution for you.

Here's what you do people. Find a trusted mechanic. Shop for a decent used car, have him check it out. Think about this: the first guy that purchased my $40,000 20-year-old Dodge caravan paid $40,000 to drive it 100,000 miles. I get to drive it 100,000 mi for $2,500, plus throwing in like a starter, whatever. I've kept track, excluding regular oil changes and maintenance, cost me $38 a month, including all repair necessary, to own my van for 8 years so far. I'm good with used.

For every car that I’ve bought, I ensured that I was pre-qualified to know how much I’m working with, then I called my insurance company to get a few quotes on the cars that I was interested in, checked the Bluebook value, test drove and was done ! 0 back in forth ! Why folks, those that finance cars, don’t get prequalified first is odd ! You check your account before you go shopping don’t you ?!?