CarsDirect price! Too good to be True?

[RLiu818]

I priced a 2005 Limited 4x4 V6 on CardDirect and their CarDirect Guaranteed low price was $450 ABOVE INVOICE!!!

OMG OMG OMG

Is this possible for a 2005 model year? Maybe they forgot to update their system.

I am in Southern California btw.

How exactly is a purchase done through CarsDirect? I know some of you say that local dealers may be willing to match that price but 450 above invoice seems too good to be true. I dunno.

What do you guys think??

 

[tkr128]

I don't think it's a mistake, $450 over is about right. I bought my '03 for about $75 over invoice back in 2003 and IIRC, carsdirect.com's price was pretty close to that. I've never gone through with them, only for getting an idea of what I should pay. In some cases, you might be able to get a better deal just by sending an email to your dealer asking for a quote (I was able to get my sister's Accord for $500 under carsdirect.com's price this way). If you really like the price, go for it, I'd like to hear how the process goes! Otherwise, just use it as a guide to know about how much you should be paying.

 

[rando]

I know someone who bought from Carsdirect. They had zero problems and the process was painless. Because they ordered an uncommon set of options, they had to wait a while to get their car -- that's the same evey you order from a dealer.

Ultimately though, I think it's possible to get a better price face to face. If you're not confident in your negotiating abilities or just don't want to deal with the frustration of it all, Carsdirect may be a great option for you. Ultimately, your unlikely to save more than $1-$2k (absolute tops) over their price. On the other hand, if your not good with numbers you can get completely raped at a dealership (> $5k higher).

 

[Faeylyn]

Carsdirect works through local dealers. Carsdirect will negotiate a contract with you, you pay them, they buy the car from a local dealer (and get $100 or so kick-back), and you go to the dealer to pick up the car.

The part I don't like is that you don't get to see the exact car before you buy. Does the car have 20 miles of test drives on it? Personally, I like to see exactly what I'm paying for before I pay.

However, you can get the same price from a local dealer by showing them the carsdirect price. Go directly to the fleet or internet sales people to avoid any hassles. They know you can get that price if you really want it, so they're willing to deal. I got mine at Longo in El Monte that way.

But, like any sales situation, if you're not prepared to walk away from the deal and if they sense you're too excited about it, they'll get you to pay as much as they can.

 

[SteveM]

I've heard good things about Longo in El Monte. They move a LOT of cars.

We bought ours at Toyota of Orange and had the most painless car deal in history. They didn't even push the extended warranty, paint protection, interior protection package. In fact, they said "you don't want any of these packages do you?"