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Amazon Vehicles

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Re: Amazon Vehicles

#151

Post by fryguy »

simonsarris wrote: post #4

Before you laugh that you'd never use this to buy a car, it may be worth taking the time to find your make/model and add it to your "Garage" on amazon. Amazon will then try to confirm or not if the cabin air filter you are about to buy is a correct fit for your car. Amazon tries to do the same thing with camera gear. At least, that's the theory. In practice you still need to do 100% of the due diligence or you'll end…

Well I laughed upon adding a Tesla Model S and the "parts and accessories for your vehicle" showing tons of things that weren't even relevant like oil, oil filters, and exhaust systems.

Re: Amazon Vehicles

#152

Post by NickNameNick »

bonestamp2 wrote: post #118
ejcx wrote: post #47

I think it would be great to buy a car from Amazon. The WYSISYG pricing is something missing from car buying. Negotiating a car price can be a lot of fun if you're a good negotiator, but people who aren't might love this. It also gives you a tool for negotiating if you DO plan to take the offer in to a local dealership.

> The WYSISYG pricing is something missing from car buying. You can do this on most manufacturer's sites. Just configure the vehicle and print out the result. Unless it's an extremely hot vehicle, they will give you that price since most people are trying to haggle below that price. The real problem is inventory. You're not likely going to find one with exactly what you want, and you can order one at that price but t…

Dealer installed options can be problematic,

My dad's last car had some dealer installed trim applied to the door sils, they drilled holes to mount the trim, and didn't properly re-seal the metal, so it rusted.

Dealer installed radio in a previous car had faulty wiring.

Friend had a car where the dealer had replaced the normal badge with the premium hood ornament. Rust again.

Re: Amazon Vehicles

#153

Post by [deleted] »

mikeash wrote: post #58
hardwaresofton wrote: post #27

Yes please. Anything that will get us closer to direct-to-consumer sales of cars. I'm ready for car dealerships to be a relic of the past.

Me too! I thought I had a pretty good experience the last time I dealt with one. Low pressure process, they were friendly, and I got a good deal. Then I bought a new car and attempted to trade that car in. Turns out the dealership had filed my title with a lien on it as if I had financed the purchase through them, which ended up being a gigantic multi-day hassle talking to the dealer, to the car company's financial a…

[deleted]

Re: Amazon Vehicles

#154

Post by function_seven »

rictic wrote: post #143
cbo100 wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They were still doing it in 2008. I had a 2008 Lancer and the owners manual constantly had to make distinctions between "California" and "non-California" versions for various procedures/features. (I'm not even in North America, that's just global manufacturing for you)

Doing some quick searches suggests that this is an emissions-related issue.

It is, but California's emissions standards have been adopted by other states, and a lot of companies just make one model that is compliant in all 50 states. I'm not sure what the cost difference is these days, but I wonder if it's worth having to maintain two separate lines of inventory. It presents a problem to people who buy a new car, then move to California. If there aren't enough miles on the odometer, California will refuse to register the car because it doesn't meet their emissions standards.

Re: Amazon Vehicles

#155

Post by ypog »

webwanderings wrote: post #32

I was just wondering yesterday, if there is a service out there, which would let me see the type and model of cars which are popular, and most-bought? I assume there must be such a dataset available somewhere through government sources? Or perhaps not. Such a data could be a valuable service based on crowd's wisdom. Amazon here seems to provide public comments, which is generally available via Google.

Likely not helpful, however it is possible to check registration records in Germany (Europe?). Isn't there a way to check these in the US too? Is the type of car recorded (and on which administrative level)?

If you could get these info and subtract cars previously registered, a blurred picture of recent sales should emerge.

Re: Amazon Vehicles

#156

Post by balls187 »

fweespeech wrote: post #129
balls187 wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where are you seeing amazon is charging for cars--have any links available? All I could find were Cars that could be added to a virtual garage, presumably to ensure compatibility with any automotive parts purchasing.

They are listing MSRPs. I wasn't clear sorry.

Ah, thanks for the clarification.

Re: Amazon Vehicles

#157

Post by jmstickney »

grahamburger wrote: post #92
robbiemitchell wrote: post #59

It will surprise many that this is already a thing. e.g., vroom.com

Is there something like this for buying new cars online? I thought I something a while back about a company like this working directly with dealerships selling new cars but I can't find it now. I'm planning on buying an EV car this year for the tax benefits, but I'm dreading the dealership.

Carvana ?

Re: Amazon Vehicles

#158

Post by rckclmbr »

ThePhysicist wrote: post #121

What's really interesting about this business model is not the fact that you can buy a car online, it's the price transparency that you create with this: Car dealers often have 10-20 % margin on a car sale, and they make most of their money by providing services to you after you bought the car, so they are usually able to give you some big discounts. Also, as they usually receive a bonus by the car maker for selling…

KBB has existed for quite a while for precisely this reason.

Re: Amazon Vehicles

#159

Post by vecinu »

htedatsu wrote: post #115

This will be a... clarifying moment for eBay. I make my living on eBay and gross about 10x the average USA wage. Used stuff is involved. eBay once loveed people who bought and sold used stuff. They are one of the biggest used car venues in the world. They want to sell new stuff and become Amazon. Now Amazon is beating eBay on its own turf. Maybe eBay will have to remember their roots and start taking care of both its…

You make about $300k/yr by selling used items on eBay? Consistently?

Re: Amazon Vehicles

#160

Post by prawn »

overcast wrote: post #43
hardwaresofton wrote: post #27

Yes please. Anything that will get us closer to direct-to-consumer sales of cars. I'm ready for car dealerships to be a relic of the past.

Seriously. My last car (BMW) from seven years ago, I did entirely through email. Sent a handful of dealerships their cost sheet with the options I wanted, until I got the price I was looking for. Few months later when it was built and shipped from Germany, I drove my old car to the dealership, and drove off with the new one. Done. As an aside, I just ordered a mattress site unseen from an online only company, and it…

Do you have government/fleet auctions in the US? In Australia, government fleet vehicles are auctioned after a couple of years of use and you can pick up cars before they are grabbed by dealers and topped by margins.

Last car I bought was through an online auction. Didn't actually see the car in person until I went to pick it up.

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