Can you really buy a new car online?

The last time I bought a brand new vehicle was in 1995. Getting that Ford Ranger required several weekends of visiting dealer lots while reciting the “I’m just looking” phrase every time a shark approached. Eventually I knew if I wanted that truck I’d have to bite the bullet and face up to the cheezy salesman. Six hours of him telling me he can’t go any lower on price – followed by me acting ready to leave his office – and him coming back with a lower price, we finally struck a deal. Of course his manager then tried to sell me several unnecessary warranties, a stereo upgrade, and undercoating. It was a miserable experience that made be vow to only by used cars for the rest of my life.

Well when the ‘Big Ugly Work Truck‘ threw a rod and left me stranded two weeks ago (long story) I figured it was time to consider something new again. This time around I decided my goal was to buy a new F150 online, without setting foot on a dealer lot, or ever having to speak to a salesman. After all you can buy pretty much anything online, so why not a new truck?

I Googled “new car” and a host of new car buying sites came up. Within a matter of minutes I had the base-model 2006 F150 STX all configured, and it appeared as if I was a click or two away from a price and placing an order. Seemed pretty painless. However it turned out that all of the websites I visited, such as cars.com, edmunds.com, autobytel.com, and even Ford’s own “FordDirect.com” were nothing more than deceptive lead generation sites. They get your hopes up by directing you to select the vehicle, colors and options, only to inform you on the last page that your information has been passed on to a dealer in your area. FordDirect.com even prepares for you a printable document of the truck you created, as if it will be built and waiting for you at your local dealership.

One site however actually came surprisingly close to what I wanted in an online car buying experience. CarsDirect.com lets you select the vehicle and options of your choice, but unlike the other sites, it displays a guaranteed price. I punched in what I wanted – the cheapest F150 STX SuperCab I could get. My only desired options were a tow package and 3.73:1 limited slip differential. I even entered my first color choice of Dark Shadow Gray. CarsDirect displayed a price of $21,400 and asked me if I wanted to proceed. Skeptical, yet curious, I pressed onward. Since they weren’t asking for my credit card I figured there was no risk to see where this would go.

While it turns out even on CarsDirect you aren’t really placing an “order” for the vehicle, at least your contact info isn’t being passed off to a dealership. CarsDirect actually goes out and finds your vehicle. Perhaps they are taking on the role of the salesman, but keep in mind you never have to see this person or step into his office. In fact, since you’ve already seen the price you can kick back and let him or her find the car you specified. That is the caveat however, they find your car or truck, it is not factory ordered. So once again you are led into believing you have the ability to buy the exact vehicle you want, but in fact CarsDirect like everyone else is trying to find the closest match on a local dealer lot.

In my case they found a few Dark Shadow Gray F150 STX’s with tow packages, but only with the standard 3.55 open differential. It was the best I could get, so I went for it. The final pricing was surprisingly right on par with what I was quoted on the CarsDirect.com site – adjusted for the options the truck did or did not have. While they did try to push an extended warranty for $1800, and about $50 worth of junk fees were hidden on the invoice, there were no hard sales or bait and switch pricing. In fact, at $21,700 before taxes the truck came in at thousands less than what any of the dealers who called me could offer.

But what about my goal of never setting foot on a dealer lot?
So far everything related to this F150 purchase was handled via a computer screen or by phone, so I was getting curious how a real truck was going to be delivered to me. CarsDirect informed me that the truck was at a dealership about 100 miles away and I’d have to head up there to take delivery and sign the paperwork. It appeared as if I would have to make eye contact with a salesman in a cheap suit after all. That is until Future Ford in Roseville called and said they would actually deliver the truck to my home. Hats off to them.

So while the online car buying concept still needs work, CarsDirect is the only site out there that seems to come close to understanding guys like me truly despise dealerships. I never had to haggle with price and spent a total of 10 minutes, in the comfort of my own home, signing the paperwork to my new F150. That’s how new car buying should be.