Some Car Dealers Are Turning Away From The Dark Side

Buying a car does not have to be a stressful, unpleasant experience filled with mistrust. The internet has had a significant impact on the way shoppers buy cars... and Dealerships are beginning to get the message.

Because of all the car-buying resources now available on the web, more and more "informed" shoppers are arriving at Dealerships. Using sources such as Kelley Blue Book, edmunds.com, invoicedealers.com, and others, consumers are far better informed as to proper pricing. Using sites such as autotrader and cars.com, car buyers can also now easily compare Dealer prices. And there's plenty of useful information available on the internet regarding negotiating tactics, interacting with Dealers, and Dealer sales tactics.

More and more Dealers have recognized this shift and have actually changed the way they do business. True, many are still fighting this "informed buyer" trend and are still selling cars the way they always have, which means long, distrustful hours at a Dealership. But more and more have been trying to evolve along with the customer and are trying to make the car-buying experience more "consumer friendly".

Dealerships still have significant overhead costs that affect their pricing (advertising, employees, rent, etc.), so you may opt to purchase from an individual or use an auto broker. But if you purchase from Dealers, or at least want to give them the opportunity to earn your business, there's some things to look for that will help you determine if a particular Dealership has moved towards a more consumer friendly policy.

While still a small minority, there's a growing number of "haggle-free" Dealerships. They put a price on a vehicle and that's, well, simply its price. No negotiating required. And when there's no negotiating, the stress factor drops big time. Consumers can make an informed buying decision just like buying a television, a computer, a tube of toothpaste and just about everything else they buy.

There should be no additional "prep fee" or "service fee" or "whatever" fee tacked on the price at the end. Dealers have traditionally added this extra charge, usually in the $100 to $500 range but sometimes as much as $1,000 or more on upscale, expensive vehicles. These fees are almost all pure profit for Dealers while providing little if any value for the buyer. Consumer friendly Dealers have eliminated these fees. Their costs are already included in their prices.

A Dealership should provide you a free copy of their vehicle's CarFax or AutoCheck history report. There's no reason for you to have to pay for getting one. And if a Dealer doesn't have one, why not? Have they priced a car without knowing its history?

Dealerships should provide a Mechanical Inspection report on the vehicle. If they're selling a car in "excellent condition", they should be willing to provide you with the information they used to come to this conclusion.

And "evolved" Dealerships should let you to get a second opinion by allowing you to get your own inspection done (at your expense) prior to purchase.

Informed car-buying has come a long way in the last five years or so thanks to the internet. And there are some good Dealers out there that have indeed gotten the message. I also believe that this is a growing phenomenon and we can look forward to more Dealerships turning away from the "dark side".