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A Changing Landscape -
Internet vs. Traditional Car Buying |
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Car retailing is on a long test drive, rolling through
the changing landscapes witnessed in everything from consumer products to home
appliances. Mergers, the Internet and a variety of other developments are
changing the structure of the industry, and those changes are reflected at the
consumer level.
Definitions are becoming a problem. Traditional franchise dealers and
independent used-car dealers are still around but in smaller numbers.
Multifranchise dealerships and auto malls — some with a dozen or more makes
under one roof — are getting to be the norm.
There are two entrances into today's new car dealership.
The first entrance is the traditional one where customers walk onto the car
lot, wait for a Fleet Manager or salesman to approach them, hear the sales
pitch and then hash out a deal in a sales office.
The new entrance leads into the "virtual dealership." Shoppers can read car
reviews, scope out photos and price their dream cars — all on the Internet.
We should not consider the numbers we get from the car lot salesmen to be very
firm. And more money could have been lost by making poor spur-of-the-moment
decisions on financing or additional products. On the other hand, the Internet
prices were specific and realistic.
When dealing with a salesman on the car lot there is the reassurance of the
human contact, however. One can't help but like one salesman more than another
and want to buy from them. Furthermore, the product knowledge and their advice
might, in some cases, be valuable.
On the other hand, the Internet route is fast, easy and clearly saves money. It
also is good for people who don't have an appetite for negotiations.
Furthermore, the decision is apt to be more informed since the buyer can
consider all the possibilities in a relaxed atmosphere away from the
well-documented enticement of new car smell. |
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