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Carsdirect: Makes Buying a BreezeApr 24 '00 Write an essay on this topic.In March 2000, we purchased 2000 Honda Accord from cardsirect.com. The experience was very good, and I recommend carsdirect.com to anyone who is in the market for a new car. First, because carsdirect is an online car broker, we did research at local dealerships where we could actually test drive the cars we were interested in. I don't think there's any substitute for actually driving a car before you decide to buy. We ended up liking the Accord with the V6 engine based on test drives, and decided to buy it. Carsdirect has a very easy to use web site. It has a lot of comprehensive information on the cars, and a wide variety of makes and models. As a research tool, Carsdirect.com was very useful, although I also recommend edmunds.com for research as well. One of the best features of carsdirect is that they give you a price quote on the car right up front. To me, one of the worst parts of buying from a dealer is haggling over the price for hours; at carsdirect, you get the price right away and can decide if it's fair or whether you could do better at a dealership. Personally, though, I think that dealerships will usually lie to you and say they can give you the same price, and then add on all kinds of charges when it actually comes time to buy. For example, we bought our first car through a dealer who gave me a firm, signed quote -- and then when we got to signing the financing agreement, they had "accidentally" filled in a price that was over $1000 higher. They changed it when I pointed it out to them, but it confirmed for me the general stereotype that dealers will try to cheat you if at all possible. After that experience, I was ready to try a service like carsdirect that gives its prices up front, with no games. I was very pleased to find out that the price that carsdirect offered was the price we paid. It was very straightforward and professionally done. Carsdirect will bring the car to your house, or you can pick it up at a dealer. They found the car we wanted at a local dealer very quickly, so we went to pick it up three days after placing the order on carsdirect.com. Also, we were trading in our old car and carsdirect arranged for the dealer to take it as a trade-in. You do have to negotiate the trade in price with the dealer, but they offered bluebook so we went ahead with it. Carsdirect will provide financing for you, or you can get your own. I got a car loan through my bank, which offered a lower rate, and we had no problem using the bank check to pay for the car. There is also a $250 refundable deposit when you place the order that you put on a credit card. The customer service representatives at carsdirect were very good, and found the exact car we were looking for. Of course, we were getting a Honda Accord -- a very popular car -- not exactly hard to find, and we did not get any options beyond what was standard on the EX model. I think this made the process easier. The car was actually ready for us to pick up the day we sent in the payment to carsdirect.com (but carsdirect had not received the payment yet -- it was in Federal Express in transit to them). The dealership where the car was located allowed us to pick it up even though carsdirect had not received our check. However, when we got there, the dealership insisted that we execute a financing agreement at some outrageous interest rate like 19% on a contingency basis in case carsdirect.com did not receive the check. I had to spend almost an hour trying to convince them to allow me to write on the contract that it was conditional on non-receipt of payment, but they finally allowed me to do so and promised to tear up the financing agreement if the check arrived. Of course, the check did arrive at carsdirect the next day, and I assume they cancelled the financing agreement because they have not tried to enforce it. So, for anyone who is planning to pick up a car ordered through carsdirect from a dealer, I would recommend waiting until carsdirect actually receives your payment before going to get the car! Altogether, carsdirect was fast, efficient, and friendly, and got us a good price on the car. I recommend it.  |
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