I’ve mentioned a few too many times in this space that I’ve been shopping for a new car, beginning last spring. And bought one just before the end of the year.
As I was doing my research, I heard from friends, family, and lots of internet chatter that things had changed, especially since the pandemic. The process, I was told, was completely different.
Except that it really wasn’t.
In 2024, my car buying experience wasn’t pretty much the same as the one I went through almost nine years ago. Or, for that matter, the first time I bought a new vehicle in 1972.
The auto dealership system is in total control of the transaction and always has been. They maximize profits by making things as opaque as possible, and most are very good at it.
The manufacturers’ websites really push the idea that potential customers have some kind of agency in the purchase process. Click a few buttons, build your own car, and get exactly the features you want.
Except you can’t. That vehicle you built will likely never exist. Especially at the price shown.
In reality, your choice is limited to whatever they happen to have on their lots, or what they’ve ordered from the factory. Especially since the pandemic, dealerships keep their inventory very lean and push specific models very hard. You certainly won’t be getting that lowest-priced “base” model.1
Which seems to include mostly vehicles with dark interiors and very bland exterior colors. Plus lots of expensive “add-ons” (also nothing new) that most people skip when “building” the car online.2
As for price negotiations, that’s also been a fairy story for as long as I can remember. I’ve never been much good at haggling, but that process is pretty difficult for even the best negotiator when everything about the financial end of things is murky at best.
Anyway, after lots of research, too much time looking around car lots, ten or so test drives, dozens of unsolicited texts and phone calls, and lots of compromises, I signed all the paperwork.3
My wife got her red color, light-colored interior, and heated seats. I got a relatively high-mileage hybrid car from a company with a good record of reliability and support. With a price and financing that fits comfortably in our budget.
Which is probably about the best I could expect from the car buying process.
At least I don’t have to do it again for another eight years or so. Maybe things will have changed.
That’s our new car at the top. Or at least a representation of the base model from the manufacturer’s build-a-car website. From this angle you can’t see all the “extras” that came with the actual car.
1. The electric car companies that sell online or through stores in the mall are no different. You can “build” the car online but unless your choice is in stock or scheduled from the factory, don’t expect to see it.
2. I really didn’t want an $1100 “moonroof” or an $85 set of USB cables. But they were part of the “package”.
3. Which is now all done on a tablet. I guess that’s new.