When I was recently shopping for a used car, Carvana’s prices were above the advertised price of the local dealerships. Carmax was closer to the dealerships, but still higher. May work for some, but didn’t work for me

It's fascinating to me that someone will spend thousands of dollars more to not deal with someone on a asset that depreciates probably double that when you drive it off the lot.

Depends on how you value time. Also easier to swallow when you put it in percentages. The examples given seemed like 10% more or less.

For some, there may also be a trust issue and the feel like there is less risk with a used car from one of those places than a dealership.

I believe Carvana has differing profit/pricing models based on vehicle types. The price I paid for my 2015 Lexus ES 350 was at or below all three major pricing services and well below what I found for even roughly comparable cars locally. The closest local price was on a model with a prior collision history. And I had the balance of the manufacturer warranty.

Remember, too, that Carvana doesn't add "fees," but tag, tax, and title that you will pay either way. So it is important no one get the impression they are tacking additional profit on their quoted price. BBates, did your price include tag, tax, and title? Would be important for a true apples-to-apples comparison.

Like many retail outlets, Carvana will work for some, not for others. It worked great for me. As with all things, YMMV.:Smiley036

Depends on how you value time. Also easier to swallow when you put it in percentages. The examples given seemed like 10% more or less.

I don't get that comment. In my example, the difference was 18% ($4,900) hardly pocket change. Also, how is throwing away 10-20% saving time when the dealership process might take from 1-3 hours and Carvana takes several days to get your vehicle? Plus, who here has time that's really worth a couple thousand dollars for a couple of hours when car shopping? But, considering lots of people buy brand new knowing it's probably the single worst financial decision they could repeatedly make - I guess people can make anything make sense. The car I bought was originally purchased just two years ago for $39,000. So, it lost 44% of it's original value in only 2 years - insane IMO. I personally try and save every penny when car shopping simply because I start loosing money on day one. The only car that ever made me money was my Prius (got totaled in the recent hail storm). I drive enough that the mileage deduction/reimbursement actually caused the car to make me money.

...Remember, too, that Carvana doesn't add "fees," but tag, tax, and title that you will pay either way. ...

No fee? Then what's the $299 delivery FEE?

And yes, I'm including my $1,000 (and some change) registration and tag. I always call my insurance and the tag office before we buy any car so I know what I'm getting into.

? I didn't have a delivery fee. I know some areas do but Oklahoma is in their free delivery area (or was in January)

I don't get that comment. In my example, the difference was 18% ($4,900) hardly pocket change. Also, how is throwing away 10-20% saving time when the dealership process might take from 1-3 hours and Carvana takes several days to get your vehicle? Plus, who here has time that's really worth a couple thousand dollars for a couple of hours when car shopping? But, considering lots of people buy brand new knowing it's probably the single worst financial decision they could repeatedly make - I guess people can make anything make sense. The car I bought was originally purchased just two years ago for $39,000. So, it lost 44% of it's original value in only 2 years - insane IMO. I personally try and save every penny when car shopping simply because I start loosing money on day one. The only car that ever made me money was my Prius (got totaled in the recent hail storm). I drive enough that the mileage deduction/reimbursement actually caused the car to make me money.

26900 listed price for carvana
25000 listed price for dealer
difference of 1900
.10 * 26900 = 2690
2690 > 1900

If you want to take your anecdotal scenario and broadly apply it to everybody, that's your deal.

Inadvertent duplicate.

No fee? Then what's the $299 delivery FEE?

And yes, I'm including my $1,000 (and some change) registration and tag. I always call my insurance and the tag office before we buy any car so I know what I'm getting into.

Fair enough. That just means you were looking at a vehicle that was not within Carvana's OKC free delivery zone. When I was shopping at Carvana, among the dozens of vehicles I saw, I think perhaps *one* fell outside then one and had a delivery fee. Perhaps it has to do with the scarcity of a specific type, style, or feature set on a given vehicle. Sorry it didn't work out for you. As with all things, it's important to do your research. The point is that the general transaction for Carvana doesn't add arbitrary garbage fees like local dealers do, such as "prep," "doc fees," "transaction fees," or similar nonsense. You generally pay their price plus local tag, tax, and title costs, plus delivery when applicable

I don't mean to be a Carvana shill, because I'm not, but just as you, I can only report on my own experience, which was a total success in all respects for me, including price. And I honestly never thought about the time and gas I *didn't* spend chasing cars down private lots or from other ad sources.

For some, there may also be a trust issue and the feel like there is less risk with a used car from one of those places than a dealership.

CarMax and Carvana buy all of their inventory from the EXACT same places that Bob Moore, Bob Howard, Smicklas, Hudiburg, Eskridge and all of the other OKC area dealerships secure all of their inventory from. The exact same pool of cars, dealer auctions, factory off lease sales, rental fleets. Period. There's no magic sauce, that CarMax or Carvana sprinkles over their inventory that makes them better/nicer/less prone to mechanical malfunction.

At the end of the day, CarMax and Carvana are great business models, because they cater to individuals who are scared/insecure and/or nauseated by the thought of having to deal with a real live salesperson. And clearly, there are a lot of those individuals out there. So kuddos to them.

But the fact remains the same, one of the main reasons CarMax and Carvana are such great business models is that they hold their margins, by offering their no haggle/no hassle experience. On a like/like apples to apples comparison, 9 times out of 10, you can step foot onto any pre-owned lot here in OKC, and walk away with a better out the door final price on just about any make and model car, that is just as nice, or possibly even nicer than whatever Carvana has to offer.



Easiest example-

Lets say there are a handful of 2016 Lexus IS cars at an auction. (Offered by Lexus Lease return)

Carvana buys one, and Eskridge Lexus of OKC buys one. (2 cars, sitting right next to each other, at th same auction, with pretty much exact same history. No accidents, perfect carfax, blah blah....etc. Just for fun, let's say they both pay exactly $25,000 for their cars.

Carvana sets their profit margin at $4,000 and parks it in a vending machine, and online for a No haggle/No Hassle price of $28,998.

Eskridge Lexus of OKC sets their profit margin at $7,000 and parks theirs on their lot and online for a price of $31,998.

This is where you enter in the two different types of consumers/personalities/mindsets.

The CarMax/Carvana type B consumer, will see both posted online and seeing that the Carvana price is already a great deal. They will go and buy that car, and be happy with their purchase, love the total experience, and tell everyone that will listen how great of a deal they got. (Paying $28,998)

The traditional type A consumer, will see both posted online and agree that the Carvana price is better. However, they decide to also head down to Eskridge Lexus, to see what they can buy that one for, before making a buying decision. Walking in, telling the Dick Cheese sales guy or manager, that they know that Eskridge only gave $25,000 for the car, and they can either sell it for $25,500 and put a deal on the board...or lose a customer to the Lexus store in Dallas. They will then buy that car, and not feel like they need to tell everyone how great of a deal they got. (Paying $25,500)

Rinse/Repeat

...
The traditional type A consumer, will see both posted online and agree that the Carvana price is better. However, they decide to also head down to Eskridge Lexus, to see what they can buy that one for, before making a buying decision. Walking in, telling the Dick Cheese sales guy or manager, that they know that Eskridge only gave $25,000 for the car, and they can either sell it for $25,500 and put a deal on the board...or lose a customer to the Lexus store in Dallas. They will then buy that car, and not feel like they need to tell everyone how great of a deal they got. (Paying $25,500)

Rinse/Repeat

How does the prospective buyer know that Eskridge gave $25,000 for the car? I haven't bought in over a decade, so things might've changed, but I seem to remember that the price a dealer pays for a car is something they like to keep secret.

How does the prospective buyer know that Eskridge gave $25,000 for the car? I haven't bought in over a decade, so things might've changed, but I seem to remember that the price a dealer pays for a car is something they like to keep secret.

You can make an educated assumption, based on the value of the car. This wouldn't be 100% accurate, but it gets you close.

I think the vending machine is a psychological pre-qualifier for a customer. A person who sees a car as an appliance, or a commodity. A smart person who believes a faceless big company is more honest that a "slimey", local used car dealer. A vending machine always delivers a fresh, icy cold Coca-Cola, doesn't it?

Now, how does a person dispose of their previous car, and how do they get their Carvana purchase financed? I assume Carvana handles both in some fashion, but they are also a part of the "good deal-bad deal" equation (AKA "You Got Screwed").

I think the vending machine is a psychological pre-qualifier for a customer. A person who sees a car as an appliance, or a commodity. A smart person who believes a faceless big company is more honest that a "slimey", local used car dealer. A vending machine always delivers a fresh, icy cold Coca-Cola, doesn't it?

Now, how does a person dispose of their previous car, and how do they get their Carvana purchase financed? I assume Carvana handles both in some fashion, but they are also a part of the "good deal-bad deal" equation (AKA "You Got Screwed").

I sold my old car privately and made more than I expected. Trade-ins are a loser proposition, and my car was an age where I'd have been lucky to get anything for it LOL.

Carvana will give you the option of financing through them with a rate offer based on a soft pull of your credit at the time of purchase. They offered me a good rate, but not better than my credit union.

CarMax and Carvana buy all of their inventory from the EXACT same places that Bob Moore, Bob Howard, Smicklas, Hudiburg, Eskridge and all of the other OKC area dealerships secure all of their inventory from. The exact same pool of cars, dealer auctions, factory off lease sales, rental fleets. Period. There's no magic sauce, that CarMax or Carvana sprinkles over their inventory that makes them better/nicer/less prone to mechanical malfunction.

At the end of the day, CarMax and Carvana are great business models, because they cater to individuals who are scared/insecure and/or nauseated by the thought of having to deal with a real live salesperson. And clearly, there are a lot of those individuals out there. So kuddos to them.

But the fact remains the same, one of the main reasons CarMax and Carvana are such great business models is that they hold their margins, by offering their no haggle/no hassle experience. On a like/like apples to apples comparison, 9 times out of 10, you can step foot onto any pre-owned lot here in OKC, and walk away with a better out the door final price on just about any make and model car, that is just as nice, or possibly even nicer than whatever Carvana has to offer.



Easiest example-

Lets say there are a handful of 2016 Lexus IS cars at an auction. (Offered by Lexus Lease return)

Carvana buys one, and Eskridge Lexus of OKC buys one. (2 cars, sitting right next to each other, at th same auction, with pretty much exact same history. No accidents, perfect carfax, blah blah....etc. Just for fun, let's say they both pay exactly $25,000 for their cars.

Carvana sets their profit margin at $4,000 and parks it in a vending machine, and online for a No haggle/No Hassle price of $28,998.

Eskridge Lexus of OKC sets their profit margin at $7,000 and parks theirs on their lot and online for a price of $31,998.

This is where you enter in the two different types of consumers/personalities/mindsets.

The CarMax/Carvana type B consumer, will see both posted online and seeing that the Carvana price is already a great deal. They will go and buy that car, and be happy with their purchase, love the total experience, and tell everyone that will listen how great of a deal they got. (Paying $28,998)

The traditional type A consumer, will see both posted online and agree that the Carvana price is better. However, they decide to also head down to Eskridge Lexus, to see what they can buy that one for, before making a buying decision. Walking in, telling the Dick Cheese sales guy or manager, that they know that Eskridge only gave $25,000 for the car, and they can either sell it for $25,500 and put a deal on the board...or lose a customer to the Lexus store in Dallas. They will then buy that car, and not feel like they need to tell everyone how great of a deal they got. (Paying $25,500)

Rinse/Repeat

As a Carvana customer, I will dispute any notion I'm the least bit hesitant to argue or fight any dealer or salesperson. That's a ridiculous and stupid generalization. And I will further dispute that there were as many as ten local alternatives available when I purchased. The closest legitimate local alternative was a twice-wrecked version at a Drive Time lot with more miles and listed at a higher price. Local Lexus dealers didn't have the color/interior combination I wanted at all at any price; what inventory they did have were easily several thousand dollars higher, primarily due to the "Certified Pre Owned" moniker which is largely an ad gimmick.

I go into a car negotiation knowing what I think is a good deal before I start haggling. Yes, Carvana is no haggle, but my own research convinced me the price I paid was not one with your out-of-your-butt $4,000 profit margin. Heck, even a cursory glance at similar vehicles months after my purchase tells me I got a more then reasonable deal. Yeah, it's always possible I got screwed somehow, but I don't think so.

I've stared down salesmen with take-it-or-leave-it offers, bought used, used to buy new, and have estimated dealer take prices within $100. So I'm not the frothing idiot you seem to be rendering as the typical Carvana customer. And I'm not saying Carvana is the be-all, end-all, either. It worked for me.

The point, as I've made before, is that Carvana has differing profit models and margins for different cars, and each person has to do their own homework up front. If you do or don't buy from Carvana, neither translates into some type of character flaw.

what inventory they did have were easily several thousand dollars higher, primarily due to the "Certified Pre Owned" moniker which is largely an ad gimmick..

Depends on the manufacturer. Ford's CPO extends the drivetrain to 7 years and 100k miles. Basically the extra price is paying for longer warranty but also gives more room for negotiation. We did it on daughter's convertible mustang and paid for itself when we needed some work done. On my other daughters convertible bug....CPO added 2 years and 24k miles to the original warranty. both times I negotiated a deal where I felt I didn't pay anything more because of the CPO but hard to tell as I was buying almost new cars with less than 10,000 miles on them so not a lot of comparison models. For me it is worth it as the extended warranty will last through their first couple of years in college so they can just take it to the dealer if a problem.

The other consideration is finding the vehicles sometime. I wanted one year old with less than 10k miles. I found 2-3 VW convertibles in the country that met the requirement ans also in one of the color schemes my daughter wanted. Found several mustangs but once again....it was difficult to find one with what we wanted on it and still not be a rental return with higher mileage or stripped down model. Carvana would have been great because I spent more than $299 flying to chicago and flying to Austin to get the cars.

Jeep, can you give any advice on buying used from an out of state dealer? I am in the market for a car that was a low volume model that I am sure i will have to travel to to get.

All Certified Pre Owned means is that it's guaranteed that the car was in fact pre owned.

I think most of us on this thread lately appear to be "Baby Boomers", and I don't think Carvana is geared toward us. I think their market is the Millenial. Their ad featuring the Millenial young lady looking at the red GLA via a 360 image on her phone, while the tag line says "You can buy a car while binge-watching your favorite show". They want convenience and appliance.

I think the post war era gave birth to the love of the automobile in America. And car buying as big game hunting was a big part of the overall experience for us "Boomers". The Carvana and Car Max models go against everything we were trained to believe. I recall reading that Carvana is an offshoot from Drive Time, or some other large traditional dealer group. They think there is a market for it, the only question is how large that market is.

^^^ I think there is a lot of truth to that. Back in the day, there were a lot more customers who were not only brand loyal, but dealer loyal as well. And they stuck with that dealer for all their vehicle purchasing history. That's not the case any more.

All Certified Pre Owned means is that it's guaranteed that the car was in fact pre owned.

It appears from the post by Jeep it meant more than that.

Dob. I think you hit on something there. I have noticed the aversion many of this generation have of even talking on the phone, let alone negotiating a deal.

26900 listed price for carvana
25000 listed price for dealer
difference of 1900
.10 * 26900 = 2690
2690 > 1900

If you want to take your anecdotal scenario and broadly apply it to everybody, that's your deal.

Convenient you're leaving out that you can haggle with the dealer (which i did) and get a much lower price (which I did).

I was comparing what I actually paid at the dealer. Since you can't haggle with Carvana I know their price is not going to change. Who cares what the difference is online. It's what you pay that tells the story. I just assumed we all got that.

Convenient you're leaving out that you can haggle with the dealer (which i did) and get a much lower price (which I did).

I was comparing what I actually paid at the dealer. Since you can't haggle with Carvana I know their price is not going to change. Who cares what the difference is online. It's what you pay that tells the story. I just assumed we all got that.

Call it what you want to make you happy.

You also assume that everybody that walks in would get the same deal. If I were to guess, I thought you weren't aggressive enough with your haggling. Middle of the road deal. Some people could get better, some could get worse. We'll never know.

Again. If you want to take your anecdotal scenario and broadly apply it to everybody, that's your thing. I'm not going broadly assume things across the board.

All Certified Pre Owned means is that it's guaranteed that the car was in fact pre owned.
Most certified programs means the car was subjected to a multi-point inspection on critical issues and other items like minimum tire tread, etc. is met. Should be the things you would take a car to a mechanic to inspect. Should carry some assurances.

^^ Certified pre owned... certifies that the car has been pre owned.... get it?

Any way. I agree as you said, multi-point inspection of critical items that should be done when you take the car to a mechanic. Things that should be done anyway before the vehicle is put on the dealer’s lot. But how do you know for sure unless you have it checked out. While there may be some benefit, IMO certified pre owned is a sales gimmick that benefits the dealers more the the customer.

Certified is no check engine light. (that or they pulled the bulb)

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/carvanna052619a.jpg

^Seems like it has been at this stage for a while now. Maybe progress that I am missing. Will be interesting to see when its finished.

Glass is on all four sides of the tower's first three stories. HVAC units are on the rooftops. Several lift trucks were on site today.

nm. Tried to post pics, but came up rotated/messed up. Will try again later.

Okay, let me try this again. This isn't the greatest pic ever, but was taken on the fly about a week or so ago. They'd started putting up the glass panels and the trim on the tower and the lower delivery area was mostly finished structurally.

15460

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/carvana080419a.jpg

Construction looks complete.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/carvana091619a.jpg

I bought a car from their website 2 weeks ago. It was my best car buying experience ever.

They've already loaded some cars into the vending machine.

The trick to burying from a carvana vending machine is to buy car that is behind the car dangling from the edge so that you get two cars for the price of one. The only issue is that one of the cars will require "light" bodywork after it crashes to the ground. :)

The trick to burying from a carvana vending machine is to buy car that is behind the car dangling from the edge so that you get two cars for the price of one. The only issue is that one of the cars will require "light" bodywork after it crashes to the ground. :)


This happens when the car gets stuck and you have to shake the machine.

Cars inside the vending machine are cars that have been bought. The cars aren’t for sale.

Cars inside the vending machine are cars that have been bought. The cars aren’t for sale.

Yes, But that ruins the joke.

Seems like this concept would really take the sport out of buying a used car. Half of the fun is feeling like you won the negotiation (even if you didn't).

Seems like this concept would really take the sport out of buying a used car. Half of the fun is feeling like you won the negotiation (even if you didn't).

In truth, it really depends on the person. Personally, I don't enjoy the traditional dealer model - pushy salesmen, and the haggling over price and the repeated "lemme go talk to my manager" things. But others such as yourself enjoy the game of negotiation, and that's perfectly fine! As Carmax, Carvana, and others have shown for quite a while now, there is a market for convenience and zero-pressure car buying. No reason we can't have both :)

^

I've used CarsDirect where you put in the make and model and options you want, then they show you a target price. There are other, similar sites.

You can go one step farther and have them put you in contact with a dealer that will honor that price, but I've always just printed out their numbers and taken it to a dealer I like and asked them to give me the same deal, and they have always done so.

I still perfer the dealer model. I bought my truck about 5 yrs ago. it a rare Tacoma that I could not even order one in Oklahoma. I found one on the internet at a dealer (new) in St Louis. It was exactly what I had been looking for. I called and asked for their best price to drive it out the door and explained that I am in Oklahoma and would have to drive up to get it. Give me a price and I'd say yes or no. They cut me a deal and in a week or so drove up and bought it. Only issue I had was after telling them what day and time I planned on being there, they forgot to tell the salesman and he was off that day, also that they closed 15 min after I would get there. No time to do the paper work. I had rented a car to drive up (one way rent) and so had to find a hotel to stay the night. They took the cost of car rental and hotel room off the agreed price without my asking for it. Simple sale the next day, they even loaded my out with sandwiches , snacks and cold drinks for my trip home. Cannot say enough good for a dealer. and yes they gave me a good price on the truck.

I still perfer the dealer model. I bought my truck about 5 yrs ago. it a rare Tacoma that I could not even order one in Oklahoma. I found one on the internet at a dealer (new) in St Louis. It was exactly what I had been looking for. I called and asked for their best price to drive it out the door and explained that I am in Oklahoma and would have to drive up to get it. Give me a price and I'd say yes or no. They cut me a deal and in a week or so drove up and bought it. Only issue I had was after telling them what day and time I planned on being there, they forgot to tell the salesman and he was off that day, also that they closed 15 min after I would get there. No time to do the paper work. I had rented a car to drive up (one way rent) and so had to find a hotel to stay the night. They took the cost of car rental and hotel room off the agreed price without my asking for it. Simple sale the next day, they even loaded my out with sandwiches , snacks and cold drinks for my trip home. Cannot say enough good for a dealer. and yes they gave me a good price on the truck.

I never have any real issues with dealers as now days you can find the price of a car online and work from that. If they don't bite you can just leave.

What I really hate about dealerships is the paperwork. Dear god no one wants to spend that much time on paperwork. Hell I bought a car for cash and it still took two hours. I get why people use sites like Vroom or Carvana.

I never have any real issues with dealers as now days you can find the price of a car online and work from that. If they don't bite you can just leave.

What I really hate about dealerships is the paperwork. Dear god no one wants to spend that much time on paperwork. Hell I bought a car for cash and it still took two hours. I get why people use sites like Vroom or Carvana.

this is my thought as well... it isn't the haggling for price... it's how much is your time worth with all the paper work... i spent 3.5 hours doing just the paperwork just a few weeks ago for my new car. i would have gladly paid a bit more on the price of the vehicle to not have needed to take a full day off work just to buy a car

I bought a new car through a dealership in California and all the paperwork was handled through email.

Then, they drove the car to me (had someone follow the driver to take him back to the lot).

It was an awesome buying experience.

When I bought my last one, Battison negotiated with me online and had the paperwork all ready. All I had to do was go up there, sign in a few places, and done. I was in and out in about 45 minutes. A little planning ahead always saves time.

My wife & I drive luxury cars of the same brand, and you'd think that the local dealer would be respectful, straight-forward and considerate of our time & loyalty. They aren't. For her car we curated a short list of similar cars, offered a price but the local dealer wouldn't budge. We purchased her car in Tulsa. For my car I did the same research with similar results, made an offer and the salesman refused to budge. I gave him the VIN of identical cars in Tulsa & Dallas, and said their prices were lower than his. Only then would he come down. Why would you treat a repeat customer of a luxury item this way? Our next cars will be different brands because of this local dealer.

My wife & I drive luxury cars of the same brand, and you'd think that the local dealer would be respectful, straight-forward and considerate of our time & loyalty. They aren't. For her car we curated a short list of similar cars, offered a price but the local dealer wouldn't budge. We purchased her car in Tulsa. For my car I did the same research with similar results, made an offer and the salesman refused to budge. I gave him the VIN of identical cars in Tulsa & Dallas, and said their prices were lower than his. Only then would he come down. Why would you treat a repeat customer of a luxury item this way? Our next cars will be different brands because of this local dealer.

Jackie Cooper I assume? My wife and I both bought cars there a few (8) years back and it was the worst experience I’ve ever had.

For our last 4 or 5 purchases we have just found what we wanted online and emailed dealers across the country to price shop. We then just have them delivered, usually anywhere from $500 - $1500. Well worth the time and money savings.

How does it work when you are buying a car for out of state?

For some reason, I thought that was problematic.

How does it work when you are buying a car for out of state?

For some reason, I thought that was problematic.

My dad just dealt with this. He found the car he wanted at a dealership in Seattle, and tried to go through the dealership here to purchase it. The OKC dealership was apparently not cooperative with the group in Seattle, so he just went through them directly. <$1,500 to ship the car here and he negotiated that into the total purchase price so no "extra" money out of his pocket. He signed all docs electronically and made it seem very easy.

My dad just dealt with this. He found the car he wanted at a dealership in Seattle, and tried to go through the dealership here to purchase it. The OKC dealership was apparently not cooperative with the group in Seattle, so he just went through them directly. <$1,500 to ship the car here and he negotiated that into the total purchase price so no "extra" money out of his pocket. He signed all docs electronically and made it seem very easy.

Dang. I am going to try this on my new car next year.

I know that a local dealer can basically find whatever car you want and have it shipped to them.

That's how it works most the time but if you just didn't want to work with the local dealer for whatever reason, I didn't realize it was that simple to buy from out of state. I thought there were issues about tagging and paying tax but I guess they just figure that out.

this is my thought as well... it isn't the haggling for price... it's how much is your time worth with all the paper work... i spent 3.5 hours doing just the paperwork just a few weeks ago for my new car. i would have gladly paid a bit more on the price of the vehicle to not have needed to take a full day off work just to buy a car

Seriously. I bought a new car on Carvana today, while eating lunch.. I pick it up from the new facility Friday. I do have to take some time to get on the app this evening to check a few contract boxes, but other than that I'm done. Next I just pick up the car. Never had to deal with a person, and no sitting outside the finance office waiting to get paperwork, and no one asked me to buy an extended warranty. Now, I would have paid more for this experience. It just so happens that I paid less than I could find it from any local dealers. I'm sure any one of them would have matched the price, but why go through that trouble? There's definitely a demographic for these type of sales. I imagine over time the traditional dealers will streamline their processes to compete with this experience.

It's simple. Especially so with our new "keep your tag" policy (if buying used). You run with the paper tag and register/tax in your home state.

You can get great deals shopping in different regions as the manufacturer will have different incentives for different regions. Case in point, I saved $2000 buying a car in Minnesota then driving it back. It cost me $120 for a flight, some gas, and I made a mini vacation with a stop in KC.

FYI for all you Costco members. Costco sells more cars than any other retailer nationally. They work with various dealers and volume discounts. If i didn't get retiree pricing from Ford I would explore that option

FYI for all you Costco members. Costco sells more cars than any other retailer nationally. They work with various dealers and volume discounts. If i didn't get retiree pricing from Ford I would explore that option

Sam's has a similar program. People say great things about both.

I know that a local dealer can basically find whatever car you want and have it shipped to them.

That's how it works most the time but if you just didn't want to work with the local dealer for whatever reason, I didn't realize it was that simple to buy from out of state. I thought there were issues about tagging and paying tax but I guess they just figure that out.


Most dealerships are pretty good about figuring it out, there’s usually a lot of express mail involved but it’s easy. A few times have taken longer than the temporary tags last but now that we as Oklahomans keep our tags it won’t be an issue unless you actually get pulled over.

While dealerships can in theory get any car from another dealership both have to be willing and it’s going to cost you more than just buying from the original seller. I was lucky enough to be able to sell cars while in college and learned a ton that has helped me with my addiction to buying new cars as often as my sweet wife will allow. Higher end brands are easier to deal with but it can be done with any brand if buying new.