Cars Direct .com online - like wearing a raincoat in a shower
Written: Dec 18 '02
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There are a number of online car sellers online now, and having access to info does give the buyer a leg up. Cars Direct is a decent site, but I would not rank it at the top, because they still play those car lot games. When I was buying my Nissan Xterra, Cars Direct always came out on top on the prices listed online, but they really were not as “game” as they seem.
With most sites, you can’t really see any prices until you give out personal contact information. On Cars Direct, you do see a new price list crossed over in red on the higher prices and a supposedly lowest price listed up. If you really dig in, then you will see that these low prices tend to be the base models, which do go lower in price than what most people will want on any given model. They do include the add-ons and the prices, which is nice, and I don’t see that on many sites online. You can go down a list and see what it runs to add on automatic transmission, stereo, air conditioning and so on. Then, you need to mentally add on for all kinds of other fees not accounted for at Cars Direct.
I am a bottom line person. What I want to know is how much I need to pay for a car. I really don’t care how much they list up on trade in for my old Corolla, how much they charge for the floor mats optioned on, and those dealer costs for driving it wherever. The way I figure it, they can crunch the numbers. I’ll pay the price if it’s attractive. Don’t jerk me around and charge up on all kinds of things I won’t think to total in. And, Cars Direct does not come out smelling like roses on that. They tag up an attractive price that does not include EVERYTHING.
When it came to straight up information, then Autobytel -- review at http://www.epinions.com/content_81820552836 -- was the best of the online car sites. Autobytel needs to buck up a bit on the customer fluff stuff (especially when dealing with women), but they do nail the prices unlike Cars Direct where they pump them up and make them look awful darn nice when they really aren’t.
One plus on Cars Direct is the Used Section. Some sites make you jump through all manner of hoops to see the used cars and get in contact. Cars Direct throws those up where you can look, negotiate, and buy right on the spot. You can email or set up a test drive right from Cars Direct. No big deal to do that. That’s nice.
Now, the problem with the used deal from individual sellers is . . . you just never know. If your neighbor wants to sell you his car, then you have an idea about how often it was out of commission or what problems came up. When you go online, then you have no clue, and it really is a gamble even with those history reports you can order in from Cars Direct. Maybe it wasn’t in a wreck, but maybe it was broken down more than riding.
It did not take me long to figure out that Cars Direct was under pricing on new, and I don’t want to hit a lot and look like a moron demanding unreasonable prices based on “some internet research.” I’m not a thief; I just want a decent deal. So, I was looking at the used vehicles on the site, since it was easy to see and get to the used vehicles. I figured that a person-to-person deal was pretty fair and that I might go with that. I wasn’t sold on their new deals, but I did nibble on some of the used.
There were two used vehicles that caught me eye, and I contacted on both. One was a 2001 Xterra and the other was a 1999 Jeep Wrangler. After some emails, I spoke with my brother who is a part-owner in a used car lot. He said that both were bumped up on the prices. He also noted some problems with what was said in the emails. For example, the Xterra owner said that the vehicle had never been off-road. It was clearly off-road in the photo included, and my brother noted that they almost certainly jammed the tow hitch getting in the rocks where it was photoed. When I priced this vehicle out in contrast to a brand new Xterra, it was cheaper to go new rather than the used with 30k miles on it. My brother said that they probably did not put much down, did not get such a hot deal, and they were trying to unload it. On the Wrangler, he could get me a better deal on the car lot where he has connections, but I sure don’t want to trust that owner he’s hooked up with. There were no real red flags on the Wrangler other than that it was up there on the price for used and didn’t have the hard top and was purple colored. My brother said that some of the 99 Wranglers had transmission probs, but the owner said it was in great shape. But, he wants to sell it, so what is he going to say really?
For a new vehicle, I would say that Cars Direct is a good place to start. They have that break down on the options not available at most car spots online. The prices are lowball though, and you have to go with a net dealer or a local dealer (depends on the area and availability) to get a “real” price. And, that’s what I really want—the REAL price. I’m really too old to dicker around with add this and take this off and such. And, I sure don’t appreciate getting bad info, which I would call this stuff priced too low to be realistic. You get a ballpark, but add a couple of thousand to get some tires and such that you might actually want on a car or truck.
On the used, this looks like deal city. They make it easier than most sites. You can see what you might buy and get in touch with sellers. But, remember that sellers want to sell. If they were dealing the vehicle really good and at a low price, then they could probably sell offline. You don’t sell your neighbor out (or I sure don’t), but you might stiff an online invisible person (though I still wouldn’t). Now, my Corolla was oil leaky, and I just said that and took a low trade in. Fine. If a car lot wants to scam, then they can do that. I’m not telling any stories myself.
I do think that online car buying can have advantages. I hit it hard when I bought my Xterra. Having some prices gave me a lot of control when I went to a lot and put down the money. Autobytel had it really close, but Cars Direct really could have made me look like a moron. I’m glad I looked at it from a lot of sides before I went in. I knew what I wanted. I knew the invoice price. I knew the add-ons. But, I did not get the best information from Cars Direct, and I will remember that.
Recommended:
No
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About the Author
Member: Cyndi
Location: out in the yard grilling
Reviews written: 1176
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About Me: The first and greatest commandment is, don’t let them scare you. Elmer Davis
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