My Car Buying Experience
TLDR: Still a lot of dealerships out there that don't understand how to deal with geeks who buy everything over the Internet
I purchased the Prius using the Web. Spent 2 days doing research. I knew I wanted a Hybrid or EV, and was leaning toward an EV, but my research indicated to me that EVs are still in beta test. Since I buy vehicles new and then keep them for more than a decade, reliability is my #1 criteria when selecting a vehicle for purchase, and research showed the Prius as the most reliable Hybrid. I then did some research to pick the trim that I wanted and decided on the Four.
Next, I visited the usual suspects (KBB, Edmunds, NADAGuides, Truecar, etc.) to get an idea of what I could expect to pay. It appeared to be a good time to buy a Hybrid as sinking gas prices have left dealers with a lot of unsold inventory. Good time to buy a Prius as the 2016 Prius models will be the new Gen IV and dealers are trying to get the Gen III 2015 models off their lots. All the above sites were showing that dealers were selling the vehicle at prices at lowest end of price spectrum.
The Prius was to be a replacement for my Ford Ranger that I purchased new in 1998. It still had some miles left on it, but sometime in the next year I was going to have to spend some significant $ on maintenance. I decided that I'd rather spend the $ on a new vehicle. Still, it was hard to let go of the truck as it has been the most reliable vehicle I've ever owned. I took truck down to the local CarMax and got an appraisal.
Appraisal in hand, it was time to start the buying process. I went to the web sites of 5 local Toyota dealers and did a search on their inventory for a base Four. From the returned results, I picked a specific vehicle and used their online form to request a quote on that specific vehicle (VIN#). In the Comments section of the form I stated that quotes were to be in writing to the provided e-mail address; quote was to be out-the-door price listing all taxes, fees, etc.; calls to the provided phone number would not be answered; that I was soliciting quotes from 5 dealers on identically configured vehicle; and that I would purchase the vehicle the next day from dealer who provided lowest quote.
What happened next I found to be interesting. Dealer A responds within 5 minutes with a written quote just as I had specified. Dealer B responds within 15 minutes, also with written quote as specified. Dealer C calls several times, but I don't answer so he leaves voicemail asking me to call him back. Eventually, Dealer C sends me an e-mail, but the mail is not the requested quote. Instead, it extols the virtues of the Prius and asked me what day/time I would be making an appointment to test drive the vehicle. I send a reply informing the salesman that I had requested a quote on a specific VIN# and that I would not be visiting any dealerships except to complete paperwork to purchase the vehicle. He replies OK, he would send me a quote shortly. Never heard from Dealer C again. Dealer D calls several times, but never e-mails requested quote prior to deadline. Dealer D would send an e-mail later the next day asking what day/time I wanted to make an appointment to visit the dealership. I don't get any response from Dealer E prior to deadline. Later the next day, I would get several calls, but never an e-mail.
So by next day I had quotes from 2 dealers. I had hoped for 3. Both quotes were lower than the lowest average sales price at the car sites. Dealer A was ~$400 less than Dealer B. That morning, I replied to Dealer A quote, accepting the offer, and asked what info was needed to expedite paperwork to minimize my time at the dealership. He told me what was needed (DL# and POI) and I provided it. I also told him that I would like to offer my Ranger in trade if dealer paid competitive price (didn't tell him that I had Carmax appraisal in hand). I arranged for DW and I to meet him at dealership in 45 minutes. By the time I got there, he already had the vehicle prepped. He took my keys to get truck appraised, and while that was happening, we did a walk around, and he went over all the manuals and papers that came with the vehicle. The appraisal on the truck was a lowball, but when I showed them that I already had a much better offer from CarMax, they matched it. After that, it was just a matter of signing paperwork (I paid cash, but there was still a lot of paper to sign). When that was done, the salesman got in our new Prius with us to go over the operation and features. When he learned I'd never driven a Prius, he insisted that I do a standard test drive to make sure I understood how to operate the controls. All in all, it was a pleasant experience.
I will admit that I am mystified that in this day and age, a lot of car dealerships still don't know how to use the Internet to make a sale. Most of them use their Web portals as a method to gather sales leads, not make sales. I did discover that if a communication was from someone in a dealership whose title included "Internet Sales", then that person was actually interested in selling you a car over the Internet. OTOH, if the communication is from someone in the dealerships Sales department, they are just looking for a lead in the hope of selling you a car 'the old fashioned way'.
