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CarWoo is shutting down

carwoo.com

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Re: CarWoo is shutting down

#11

Post by meritt »

uptown wrote: post #10

Am I the only one that doesn't mind the car-buying process? All it takes is the fortitude to sit through a litany of maneuvers trying to convince you to agree on a price - when you've got zero obligation to consent. Sure - it takes time, which is a scare commodity for many - but for the amount of money generally being spent, I've got no problem pushing a salesperson to get the price to where I want it.

I'd gladly pay someone else to do that for me (assuming their commission falls below the cost savings they provide). I have zero tolerance for salespeople and their associated bullshit.

Re: CarWoo is shutting down

#12

Post by gatehouse »

johnatwork wrote: post #3
mrfusion wrote: post #2

I was totally going to use them to buy a car next month! Are there any good alternatives? I can't handle anymore haggling and tricks.

Well as the article said, try http://www.truecar.com/ I guess. Being in Canada, I was hoping that CarWoo would do well and eventually move up north. The car purchasing experience is terrible, and is very ready for a disruption.

there is the "APA" car buying service in a couple major cities, if you pay them http://www.apa.ca/purchasing.asp

Re: CarWoo is shutting down

#13

Post by jader201 »

I used CarWoo a couple years ago to purchase my current car. Before I was introduced to CarWoo, I did my own "no-haggle" negotiating by contacting various dealers via email.

I think I contacted about 3 or 4 dealers, all of them local (within 30 miles). I ended up with one that was my best price.

Then I found CarWoo, and thought I would try my luck with them. They did a similar search, and contacted 5 dealers, two or three of which were the same ones I contacted.

Of the others, they were further away than what I was willing to deal with initially, but after seeing one offer a fairly significant savings over the other (about $750), I decided to take that offer to one of the local dealers.

They matched it, and I walked away with about $700 savings (after the CarWoo fee) vs. my initial offers. So in the end, I was definitely glad I went with CarWoo.

If I had to do it again without CarWoo (and I would now, apparently), I learned that I should open up my searches to not-so-local dealers just to get the best offer, then have a more conveniently located dealer match it. That is, unless you want to reward the best-offer dealer with your business, and it's not too much of a hassle.

But I was still able to get roughly the same experience on my own, just dealing with the dealers via email.

Re: CarWoo is shutting down

#14

Post by thomasmeeks »

mrfusion wrote: post #4
johnatwork wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well as the article said, try http://www.truecar.com/ I guess. Being in Canada, I was hoping that CarWoo would do well and eventually move up north. The car purchasing experience is terrible, and is very ready for a disruption.

I may be wrong but truecar doesn't remove the need to haggle?

I used truecar (through overstock.com, I don't think overstock uses them anymore though) 2 years ago to buy a sonata. It was a great experience, and quite a lot off sticker.

Zero negotiation, walked in with the paper, that's the price of the car.

I don't think you will get the deal of the century through them, but you'll at least not get screwed. Just don't let the dealership nickel & dime you on protectants & floormats, etc. If they can't honor the exact price, just go somewhere else.

Re: CarWoo is shutting down

#15

Post by jaksmit »

they gave an awesome talk about 2.5 years ago at the AngelPad incubator about their story of hustle getting started; they slept under their desks in the office etc. it sounded like they had a real thing going, identifying out of down dealers that specialized in set models. Shame to see it shut down.

Re: CarWoo is shutting down

#17

Post by [deleted] »

[deleted] wrote: post #9
sayemm wrote: post #5

I really digged the idea of CarWoo when I first read about it on HN years ago... sorry to hear this news, all the best to the team. On a side note, kinda crazy reading about 3 well-funded venture-backed startups shutting down at the top of HN today: http://www.crunchbase.com/company/canv-as http://www.crunchbase.com/company/outbox http://www.crunchbase.com/company/carwoo

[deleted]

[deleted]

Re: CarWoo is shutting down

#19

Post by jack-r-abbit »

uptown wrote: post #10

Am I the only one that doesn't mind the car-buying process? All it takes is the fortitude to sit through a litany of maneuvers trying to convince you to agree on a price - when you've got zero obligation to consent. Sure - it takes time, which is a scare commodity for many - but for the amount of money generally being spent, I've got no problem pushing a salesperson to get the price to where I want it.

I have a fond memory of going with my roommate when he was buying a new car. He had a decent amount to give as a down payment. Armed with the knowledge of how much the dealer pays, he basically walked in, said he'd buy a certain car for a certain amount and not more and handed them his down payment check. The salesman took the offer to his manager. He returned with a counter offer. My roommate didn't budge. After three trips to talk to the manager (each time their offer came down), my roommate remained stuck in his price. On the last trip, their offer was just $500 higher than the desired price. Roommate still held his ground. We watched as the two men were discussing the check in hand. The salesman kept pointing at the check. We couldn't hear what they were saying but we knew it had to be along the lines of "He's going to buy a car. Give him the price he wants." The manager would not come down any lower. We walked out... just $500 away from closing the deal. And the best part... he got a call later that evening asking if he'd still be interested in the car at his desired price.

If you have the time and initiative (and can be willing to walk away without a car) you can get a good deal.

Re: CarWoo is shutting down

#20

Post by puls »

mrfusion wrote: post #4
johnatwork wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well as the article said, try http://www.truecar.com/ I guess. Being in Canada, I was hoping that CarWoo would do well and eventually move up north. The car purchasing experience is terrible, and is very ready for a disruption.

I may be wrong but truecar doesn't remove the need to haggle?

I bought a car a couple months ago, and as soon as the sales manager saw a TrueCar page open on my phone, the negotiation ended and I paid the price on the phone. Pretty amazing how easy it was.
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