Online Services Experiences (Carsdirect.com, Carwoo.com, etc.)

wklenha

The Cars Direct price includes destination fee.

loribb

Hi,

I ordered a car from cardirect, and am now waiting for them to locate the car, etc. As others have said, I have not found them to be overly communicative during this process, but I can be patient for a while.

Does anyone know the procedure regarding trade-ins? Since you're working directly with cardirect, is it possible to trade the car in with the dealer, once they've located the dealer? Or do you work with car direct?

Any insight and experiences regarding this subject would be helpful, thanks.

wklenha

loribb: If you've waited more than 2 days, call them. I called them on the 2nd day when they hadn't called me. They were very helpful once I got through. The reason they hadn't called me is they hadn't been able to locate the color I ordered. The rep told me everything they had available local to me on the phone, so I just picked a different color.

I'm pretty sure you can handle the trade-in through the dealer just like any other trade-in. Know your numbers going in though, because I'm certain they are going to lowball you on it, since they aren't making alot of money on the other end. It would be better to sell yourself if at all possible. If you need the trade-in for your down-payment I would be prepared to accept low wholesale bluebook on it.

Use nada.com or kbb.com pricing to get an accurate idea of that price. My experience had been that Edmunds is higher on their wholesale price than most dealers are willing to give you.

nymjk

Anyone have a problem at delivery time? I am curious about how payment is made and what happens if there is a problem with the vehicle (dirty, scratched, etc.) at delivery.

ruski

I just checked out what it would cost to lease a car through CarsDirect and was surprised by very high numbers. I specked out a 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP with 1SB package. $24,730 cap cost. 36 months. 15,000 miles. The price I would pay - $2,372.30 down and $440.56 monthly.

I think that this is way too high because I leased a '98 GTP - $24,000 cap cost, 36 months, 12,000 miles, under $2,000 down and $380 per month.

I am also leasing a '99 Chrysler 300M - $29,000 cap cost, 6 months, 12,000 miles, ZERO down, $452 per month.

I think I know a thing or two about leasing by now.

Hmmmmm... after a few calculations, I figured out that CarsDirect A) uses 11% interest underestimates the residual value.


On top of that, they incorrectly show Florida sales tax at 7% (what do they ask the zip code for?)

I would take the price from CarsDirect site and bring it to the dealer to see if he could match it. I think I could get a better lease interest rate on my own.

wklenha

ruski: When I leased through Carsdirect they used a money factor of .003685. That calculates to approx an 8.84% interest rate. Their residual percentage is 44% which on my Altima left me with a residual value of $8616.00. That seems very fair to me and based on my research of the Altima used market, my car should be worth more than $3K more when my lease comes due. I compared them to Nissan's Lease specials. Carsdirect (really Bankone) was the better deal. My only complaint is that their acquisition fee of $595 seems a little higher than industry standard, but the residual pct and money factor were better than most.

I did a 36 mos. 15K mile lease. in August, 2000.

ruski

actually very close to 12%


wklenha - did your lease numbers match the approximate numbers shown on the CD web site?

audia8q

How dare they try to make money. Dot.com's are supposed to give everything away.

when your add a layer of costs (broker) why wouldnt you expect the higher costs to be passed along to the consumer??

Rich

ruski

I like CD's deals in terms of the sale price. Greenlight.com and Driveoff.com give pretty good prices too. I will probably take the lowest of the three when the time comes and then try to see if Priceline.com could do better. Or just take the printout to the dealer and see if he could beat it. Then I will worry about lease rates. Hear that, audia8q? Dot.com is here to knock some of that arrogance that certain dealers have, one way or another.

check out the leasing worksheet at www.dealernet.com, click on Money Matters, then Leases. Or if you go to Today's rate, you will get on the Bankrate.com web site where they have an article about leases and another worksheet which is pretty similar.

What I don't understand is the scientific foundation behind calculating the interest payments: add the Adj.Cap.Cost + Residual and then multiply by the money factor. I guess they found a shortcut that kind of works instead of teaching the dealers how to solve differential equations.

ruski

on Edmunds, they add the acquisition fee and security deposit and call that Cap Cost Reduction. I don't think that it is correct.
Cap Cost Reduction should be whatever additional money you want to put down.

Correct me if I am wrong.

im_brentwood

Well,

Are you using the MSRP to calculate the residual? That may be where the numbers dont jive..

The residual is always a percentage of MSRP.

Also, the acquisition/bank fee is added to the cap cost of the car, "paying it upfront" means that you're essentially making a cap cost reduction equivalent to the bank fee.

Bill

ruski

the residual is actually shown on the Carsdirect page and is adjusted automatically if you change the lease term and/or miles.

When I leased my GTP back in 1997, the residual after 36 months and 36K miles was projected to be a bit over $14K.

With carsdirect, I am getting a higher cap cost than I negotiated 3 years ago, plus their residual is only a bit over $13K.

suvfan13

I wish I could say that our experience with Carsdirect.com was satisfactory. It wasn't. We placed an order and after vehicle was located, wired purchase price to Carsdirect.com only to have the vehicle sold out from under us by the dealer that had the vehicle. It took a few days to get our money back, which was a nail biting experience. Pluses: good price quoted on vehicle we were looking for. Minuses: unreliable closing of deal. Staff that did not seem to have its act totally together. Promises to get back to us by a time specific were not fulfilled much of the time. This was particularly distressing, and seems like it could be fixed with better training and supervision of staff.

If you are searching for a readily available vehicle, and you are not fussy about color and options, you may do o.k. But be careful. The price quoted on the internet does not guarantee that they will be able to locate and provide delivery of your vehicle. Also, the attraction of the internet is to be able to buy a car free from haggle and game playing, at a good price. What we found out is that there can be different kinds of stresses that you can encounter. Again, be careful, and keep your eyes open.

silly1040

On all the cars that I have compared www.driveoff.com has beat cars direct price badly. Once you get the the price of the car at drive off, click on the box that shows price and mileage. You could save a thousand for just driving a few more miles.

I would have went with drive off but, I got my RX300 $750 cheaper using a tool that I received through www.fightingchance.com

isellhondas

These wonderful buying services....

grefor

to get the best deal. I checked driveoff and would have to go to a dealer 276 miles away to save $7.00 on my 2001 maxima se. Every other price was anywhere from $100 to $800 more. It probably depends on the model you are looking for. As for fightingchance, you still have to deal with salesmen and there is no guaranteed price before you go. It looks they sell you info on how to buy a car. If I want to go through the headache and stress of negotiating, I would get info fom edmunds and go to town. The reason most people use web services is to get an upfront price and eliminate the wheeling and dealing.

KCRam

Hi Town Hallers!

This topic has been frozen due to extended inactivity, and will be archived or deleted in the next few weeks. Please use our Search feature in the left margin to locate other topics in Town Hall that may be of interest to you by entering keywords that address your needs. Also, remember to check the "Archived Topics" in this conference, accessible from the main topic list page. If you discover that no other topics exist that satisfactorily answer your questions, please feel free to start a new one so that they can be addressed.

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sysop

drsancho

I ordered a Nissan Maxima in mid-November. The staff at Carsdirect.com were very professional at the front end of the deal. It was a very easy process. However, the delivery stage has been a nightmare. I was promised that the car would be delivered in the early part of December, the 15th at the latest. On the 12th, I received an e-mail from the person (David Watson) who would "help me" in the delivery process. I sent an e-mail back asking for clarification on the delivery date, but got no reply. Several days passed. I e-mailed other staff at Carsdirect, but got no response. A week later, I got a call from Mr. Watson saying that he had been on vacation and that my car was due any day. He would contact the distributer and call be back in two hours (obviously, he had not contacted the distributer yet). His attitude seemed rather caviler. No call. Three days later, I sent him an e-mail asking whether I should look for a car somewhere else. This seemed to get his attention, as he called me back in five minutes (again, promising that the car was due "any day"). Now, it is after Christmas and Mr. Watson just told me that my car is due to arrive on January 12th.

While the front end of my Carsdirect experience was good, the delivery process (assuming I will ever get my car) has been terrible. It seems clear that Carsdirect dropped the ball -- totally unprofessional. I'm will not use their service again -- nor would I recommend Carsdirect.com for anybody buying a car.

drsancho

I ordered a car from Carsdirect in mid-November. It was supposed to arrive (at my door) in the first half of December. When I didn't hear from Carsdirect by December 15, I sent e-mails but got no response. After several days, I finally got a phone call. I was told that my car was "due any day". I took time off from work so I could enjoy my new car, which never came. More than a week later, I was told that my car would arrive on January 12. On the 11th, I e-mailed Carsdirect to find if my car was coming, but got no response (again). I called them on the 12th and left a message, but I have not received a call back. I would not recommend Carsdirect to anyone purchasing a car. My experience with them has been terrible.

audia8q

both posts are not a surprise...when you try to buy something from somebody who essentially has nothing to sell you ....what did you expect?

Rich

isellhondas

That sometimes the "old fashioned" way of buying goods and services still works better.

I'll pick up the phone anytime rather than hoping my e-mail went through and then wondering if the recipant will bother responding when and if they get it...

CarMan@Edmunds

I thought that some of you may find the following article interesting:

"CarsDirect.com to Acquire Greenlight.com; Extends Lead as Largest Multi-Brand Online Car Buying Service
Source: Business Wire
Publication date: 2001-01-31

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 31, 2001--
CarsDirect.com Gains Market-Leading Dealer Partners, Exclusive Alliance With Amazon.com, Key Auto Industry Leader as New Board Member
CarsDirect.com, the leading direct online automotive provider, today announced that the company has agreed to acquire Greenlight.com, the fast-growing online car buying service partnered with Amazon.com (Nasdaq:AMZN). The merger, which will fully integrate Greenlight.com operations under the CarsDirect.com banner, extends CarsDirect.com's lead as the largest independent multi-brand online car buying service. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. By combining resources, the company will unite four of the nation's largest dealer groups within the CarsDirect.com national dealer network, bringing the total number of CarsDirect.com priority dealers to almost 3,000. The acquisition will also reinforce the company's continued commitment to building strong dealer relationships by adding another key automotive executive to CarsDirect.com's board of directors, Brian Kendrick of Asbury Automotive. In addition, the acquisition will significantly extend CarsDirect.com's marketing reach and growth potential through exclusive partner relationships with Amazon.com and AutoTrader.com. "With the acquisition of Greenlight.com, we are solidifying and extending our leadership position in the online car buying business," said Bob Brisco, CEO, CarsDirect.com. "CarsDirect.com pioneered direct online car buying, and we continue to lead the industry evolution through technological innovation, consumer advocacy, intelligent investment and partnerships with top automotive retailers. As the largest multi-brand online car buying service, CarsDirect.com is the number one choice for online consumers who demand objectivity, superior service, great selection and guaranteed low, upfront pricing." "By combining the strengths and resources of our two companies, we're delivering a home run for dealers, partners, investors and, most importantly, consumers," said Joel Manby, CEO of Greenlight.com. "CarsDirect.com and Greenlight.com have always shared a vision of transforming the car buying process into a pain-free and enjoyable experience, designed around clear consumer preferences. Both our business philosophies and practices were developed to help achieve this goal. The consolidation now enables a critical next step -- the creation of a clear market leader with the world-class services, resources, marketing power and the superior dealer network needed to truly delight the growing number of online car buyers." According to Gomez, market potential for online car buying remains enormous: the firm estimates that some 10 million consumers will initiate an automobile transaction online by 2004, with new vehicles representing more than half that number -- an overall revenue opportunity approaching $200 billion. On the financing side, Killen & Associates forecasts that 40 percent of auto loans will be booked online by 2005. "Asbury Automotive initiated the development of Greenlight because it recognized early on that the dealer would be integral to a successful Internet distribution model," said Brian Kendrick, president and CEO of Asbury Automotive. "Today's transaction is a logical next step and validates that the Internet continues to evolve as an important sales channel in automotive retail. We're excited by the prospects that the CarsDirect/Greenlight combination will bring to Asbury's dealerships." Immediately upon closing of the acquisition, Kendrick will be added to the CarsDirect.com board of directors. Kendrick joins Roger Penske, chairman of UnitedAuto and Gerald Greenwald, former vice chairman of Chrysler and CEO of United Airlines, as well as idealab! principals Bill Gross and Howard Morgan, who formed the company in 1998. "By incorporating Greenlight and adding new portal partners, CarsDirect.com's marketing reach now extends broader and deeper," said Penske. "We applaud this strategic move, because UnitedAuto Group and Penske Automotive Group dealers will be able to reach more qualified customers than ever before." Commenting on the decision to combine efforts, Bill Price, senior vice president of Amazon.com, said: "We're excited to continue our affiliation with this rapidly evolving online industry. The strength of the combined network and the simplicity and convenience of the service will ensure an even better shopping experience for our more than 29 million customers."

Leadership Position Solidified via Key Synergies

Greenlight.com was founded in 1999 by Asbury Automotive, the nation's largest privately held national automotive dealer group, and top Silicon Valley venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins, Caufield & Byers. "We continue to see tremendous potential for the click-and-mortar business model, and believe that the alliance of CarsDirect.com and Greenlight.com brings together all the right elements for tremendous long-term success," said Russ Siegelman, partner at Kleiner Perkins, Caufield & Byers. Specifically, by acquiring Greenlight.com, CarsDirect.com will:

-- Gain top automotive group retailers in addition to its existing
relationship with UnitedAuto Group/Penske Automotive Group. These
new partners include Asbury Automotive, with more than 100 dealers
throughout the country, representing virtually all makes and
models of cars; Hendrick, the nation's sixth largest automotive
retailer with 61 franchises and 48 dealerships in 10 states; and
Sonic Automotive, with 168 franchises.

-- Become the new exclusive preferred partner of Amazon.com, enabling
CarsDirect.com to reach Amazon.com's 29 million experienced online
shoppers. This adds to the company's marketing reach and builds
upon CarsDirect.com's existing partnerships with Autoweb.com,
Edmunds, and Kelley Blue Book.

-- Add an alliance with AutoTrader.com, the leading Internet
destination in the United States for buyers and sellers of used
cars and for consumers seeking information regarding automotive
products.

-- Experience accelerated growth and operating efficiencies, such as
increased traffic, increased sales through aggregation, and
purchasing efficiencies through combined marketing budgets.

-- Provide an enhanced consumer experience through expanded sourcing
of vehicles from a more extensive dealer network, closer
relationships with the nation's leading automotive retailers, and
additional technology infrastructure resources to meet consumer
need for increased site features and functionality.

About CarsDirect.com

Los Angeles-based CarsDirect.com is the leading multi-brand online car buying service, providing new automobiles and related products and services, such as loan and lease financing and in-demand aftermarket products including extended warranties. As the pioneer of the direct online car buying model, CarsDirect.com offers upfront pricing to consumers, who can research, price, order, purchase, insure and finance a vehicle online via an intuitive Web site that offers product information for nearly every make, model and style of new automobile available in the United States today. Shoppers can also simultaneously compare the specifications of competing vehicles. CarsDirect.com has received top awards and honors from Forbes Magazine, PC Computing, PC World, Time Digital, Yahoo! Internet Life and e-commerce authority, Gomez. The company is funded by idealab!, idealab! Capital Partners, UnitedAuto Group/Penske Automotive Group, Primedia Ventures, Foundation Capital, MSD Capital LP, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, Hambrecht & Quist, E*O Investors LLC, Oracle Corp., Liberty Digital, TMCT Ventures L.P, Hikari Tsushin and Soros Private Equity Partners LLC.

About Greenlight.com

Greenlight.com was founded in 1999 to bring to new car buying the same convenience, confidence and simplicity that online shopping has brought to other consumer goods. Greenlight.com has developed a true click-and-mortar model -- combining an online buying experience with the nation's strongest network of local dealers. Greenlight.com is backed by Kleiner Perkins, Caufield & Byers, a leading Silicon Valley venture capital firm, and Asbury Automotive, an automotive retail industry leader backed by Ripplewood Holdings and Freeman Spogli."

I found this article in the News Section of Edmunds.com. You should check it out, lots of interesting information filters through there. You can use the following link to go to that section of this site: Edmunds.com News.

Car_Man
Host&#1
I thought that some of you may find the following article interesting:


"CarsDirect.com to Acquire Greenlight.com; Extends Lead as Largest Multi-Brand Online Car Buying Service
Source: Business Wire
Publication date: 2001-01-31

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 31, 2001--
CarsDirect.com Gains Market-Leading Dealer Partners, Exclusive Alliance With Amazon.com, Key Auto Industry Leader as New Board Member
CarsDirect.com, the leading direct online automotive provider, today announced that the company has agreed to acquire Greenlight.com, the fast-growing online car buying service partnered with Amazon.com (Nasdaq:AMZN). The merger, which will fully integrate Greenlight.com operations under the CarsDirect.com banner, extends CarsDirect.com's lead as the largest independent multi-brand online car buying service. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. By combining resources, the company will unite four of the nation's largest dealer groups within the CarsDirect.com national dealer network, bringing the total number of CarsDirect.com priority dealers to almost 3,000. The acquisition will also reinforce the company's continued commitment to building strong dealer relationships by adding another key automotive executive to CarsDirect.com's board of directors, Brian Kendrick of Asbury Automotive. In addition, the acquisition will significantly extend CarsDirect.com's marketing reach and growth potential through exclusive partner relatio3;
Smart Shoppers / FWI Message Boards

frankrichards

the sector is collapsing in front of our noses....but this is such a HUGE deal that they will be around for quite sometime - hold on the bed posts!

...my guess ABTL will buy the Hunters and Gatherers or could it be the other way around?

tonychrys

I escaped a comapny that was going clicks-and-bricks back in the fall. They're now in debt because they had to postpone the IPO.

Just yesterday, Disney announced that Go.com will be closed/sold-off.

The list goes on...

All Internet based sectors are collasping/consolidating. It's not just the car-buying services. Wall street is finally coming back to "real world" business models.

I think Frank is dead on about further consolidation happening, just how is anybody's guess.

TC

blyndgesser1

CarsDirect has acquired Greenlight. Greenlight had a generally good service reputation, based on the posts to Edmunds Town Hall. CarsDirect, by contrast, seems to have real problems with customer service.

Any bets on what will happen to Greenlight's reputation for customer service?

sienny

Don't know if I'm in the minority but I had a
very positive experience with Carsdirect. I picked up a 2001 Honda Civic mid-December last year. From order to pickup at the dealership was about 4 days. The service advisor was helpful and kept me up to date on the car search. Went to dealership where papers were waiting, signed, paid, went through some no pressure "extras" pitches and drove home. Can't say how cars that are in limited availability will affect your experience but I would use the service again.

audia8q

simply the internet players who get real cozy with dealers will last if they let the car people manage the business. We have seen over and over people who think they know something try to get in the car biz with total failure. They think, "oh gee whiz, how hard can this be, everyone hates dealers." but dealers arent as hated as everyone wants to believe.
Cardealers have proven time and again to be some of this America's shrewest business people.
Who else could sell K-cars to millions, hahaha

Rich

steverisity

Nice to hear it can work;
How many times does it fail when someone goes to pick up thier new car only to find that it hasn't shown up yet, or it's the wrong color, or it hasn't been detailed yet. No one is immune to making mistakes.

Some will say the internet is a middle man, but so to is the guy that shakes your hand on the show room floor and tells you to wait while he gets a price from his manager.

The only pain I see in the internet, is if I had invested in it. Using it is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Perhaps you could share with us what you paid?
The maybe Isell could confirm if you got a good deal?
Now, that would be interesting to hear.

sienny

I got the 2001 Civic EX sedan with auto and side air bags. The cost including dest. charge but before tax, title and license was $50 below dealer invoice. I'm in the Bay Area. Don't know if haggling at a dealership would have gotten me a better deal but the time saved and ease of use was worth it to me.

howeem98

I'm getting a Beemer at sticker (the going rate) in a few weeks from carsdirect- pickup at a So Cal dealer. The purchase contract is with carsdirect, not with the dealer. Should I try to get the dealer to sell me the car directly, for the same price, which is the market rate? Does it matter? Is the Cal. lemon law against the manufacturer, or the dealer? Does it matter if my contract is with carsdirect, not the dealer? Which is better?

smart_alec

This week I asked for quotes on a 2001 Chrysler T&I from several dot coms as well as from Cars Direct. A local dealer responded with an offer of $200 over invoice. Cars direct quoted $125 over invoice. And, they would spot it on my driveway. Such a deal! At that time the factory offered a $1000 rebate.
A day later the rebate jumped to $1500. For lack of something useful to do I obtained another quote from Cars Direct. This time they quoted $375 under invoice! I called their toll free number to confirm my suspicion. Yes, they use the factory to customer rebate in their calculations.
I suppose their clients will discover this once the car is delivered and they are asked to sign the rebate over to Cars Direct. How many folks will have the nerve to ask them to take the car back? Not enough to force Cars Direct to stop this fraudulent scheme!

isellpotiac

My business card to John Doe.com Sales Consultant. This way the customer can be sure they are getting the best price because it was bought on-line.

nighter50

I wonder if you are just being a smart alec...Carsdirect does not misrepresent the customer rebate, in fact, it is listed as the first option on the options page!

buckworth

Like nighter50 said, Carsdirect *clearly* shows the factory rebate factored into their price when you use their site. If a customer only "discovers" this upon delivery, it's their own fault. Just this morning I heard a radio commercial for a local dealer who did the same thing ("come in now and save big with a $1000 factory rebate"). I'm not saying Carsdirect doesn't have problems (I've never ordered thru them so I can't say), but they seem legitimate to me. As far as problems with delivery, I think it's an inevitable problem with any transaction where you're dealing with a middleman (in this case, Carsdirect), especially if you've selected a car & options that are not common. I still think it's a (potentially) great service.

drsancho

isellpotiac

of course I am being a smart alec. It is just an observation on my part that some customers can be blinded by info on the net concerning cars. I compare it to the numerous ways different religions read into the bible.

sysop

CarMan@Edmunds

Hi baseballmom94. There are already several active and archived discussions on this company here in the Town Hall. Here are some links to the first posts in a few of these discussions:

kcram "Carsdirect.com continued..." Jul 31, 2000 10:59pm

universal1 "CarsDirect.com" Apr 9, 1999 12:52pm

drsancho "CarsDirect.com" Dec 27, 2000 10:58am

universal1 "CARSDIRECT.COM" Apr 9, 1999 1:23am

I think that you should be able to find answers to most of the questions that you have about this company in these areas.

Car_man
Host
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baseballmom94

Thanks again, Car-Man. The links will be helpful... I don't seem to have any luck with the search feature on this board.

im_brentwood

You know..

Youre much better off, from where I sit, researching the car ytou want to buy right here in Town Hall, and see what other people are paying.

A lot of the carsdirect.com prices are beatable, if not at least matchable locally.

Just walk in and say, Hey, I can buy this car for this price plus tax only. Can you match the deal and I'll buy it right now?

An easy way to shop really.

Bill

toivo

I tried both Carsdirect and Autobytel. I requested quotes for two cars from Carsdirect (Nissan Sentra and Altima) and one from Autobytel (Mazda Protege 5). Neither Carsdirect nor Autobytel ever got back to me with a single email, phone call or letter. Since at that point I got a really good deal on a demo from a local dealership, I didn't much care. I can't recommend them, though. Not even getting back to a serious purchaser can't be a sign of a reputable business.

CarMan@Edmunds

Have you or someone that you know ever used the Internet car buying service Carsdirect.com? Have you heard any positive or negative things about it? Would you ever consider purchasing a vehicle through them? Please feel free to share you thoughts on or experiences with this company in this discussion. Thank you.

Car_man
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suzzann

To get a competetive price, but didn't buy through them.

I would have bought from them if they'd been a little lower, and I do know some people who have bought cars from them and swear by the service.

colorsofspring

I have been actively checking the Cars Direct price on a 2002 Nissan Altima. Since October 2001, the price has been steadily dropping. The CarsDirct price is consistently lower than the Edmunds TMV.
In 3 -4 weeks, I plan on faxing/emailing dealerships on my own as well as using this service to see which one works out the best .I'll update here with my experience.

colorsofspring

On the same night I put in an order thru CarsDirect and also sent out emails/faxes to several dealers. The next morning I had 2 replys to my emails/faxes. By the time CarsDirect contacted me a 2 full days later, I had already made a better deal on my own. Saved about $400 over CarsDirect's price.

lboyers

Mid-December delivery is about right for a car ordered today. It will vary a little bit based on the available production slots that the dealer has avaialble.

ray80

price had changed when I got to dealer (not for the good). E-mails for follow-up were not answered. Have not been able to drive vehicle for 18 days (and counting) because Carsdirect dealer hasn't sent me plates yet

ghomaz

I used CarsDirect.com to get a confirmed price (which was just $100 over invoice) and then got my local dealer to beat that price. On principle, I could have bought my car (2001 Accord LXV6) from CarsDirect but they did not have the color of my choice. As pointed out in an earlier message, CarsDirect prices are nearly always less than the Edmunds TMV!

sam_beaver

I used CarsDirect to get a price on a car, only to find out that you can't actually get a car configured with those options. They don't make it at all clear that the car you've configured and priced may not in fact exist anywhere in the country, and may never be built.