This Story begins a couple of years ago,…with a Commercial. A scruffy Young Man is standing before a wall covered in various pictures of an SUV. A Young Lady (probably his wife) stops, enters the Study, and softly says “WOW!” He replies, “I finally figured out what car to get” and then turning to another wall with a Large Map and colored strands of yarn strung across it says “Now, where to find the best deal”. The Woman then responds, “You know, why don’t I help” and we are then introduced to the Online Car Company, “CarGurus”, where she smugly celebrates finding the answer in just a couple of seconds.
At the time, this was a very Provocative Commercial. Not only did it portray the Young Man as a LOSER, and the Upstart Young Lady, as a WINNER (something I won’t comment on right now), it also introduced us to a Revolutionary way of buying a Car! Though not in the Market for a Car at the time, the commercial was something you just could not forget.
So, Fast Forward a couple of years. Our 2013 Toyota Prius, that I absolutely adored, had developed some Mechanical Issues which had $$$ written all over it. Rather than sink money in an older car, what was the first thought that came to “my mind”? You got it; CarGurus!
So I started to peruse Vehicles; mainly of the Toyota Prius Species. It was a Fascinating Experience. They had gotten this down to a Science. You could look locally, at what they showed within your geographic area. You could plug in various parameters for Year, Model, Trim, Cost, Mileage, etc. You could look at various distances, even Nationwide. You get the picture. You could even select the Value Range of the Car, anywhere from Overpriced to Great Deal (not sure why someone would want Overpriced). They did this based on Website Car-Price data, and an Algorithm developed to create the different levels. Anyway, as a Computer Guy, I was Hooked!
This went on for well over a year. We were in no hurry. Our car worked fine. It was just getting Poor Gas mileage; at least from My perspective. We had been getting 60-65 mpg in the Summer, and suddenly, were struggling to stay above 50. No reason or rationale; it just Dropped! I read and researched exhaustively to find a solution; Nothing! Took it to our Toyota Dealer, and $100 later, same Answer; Nothing! Because the Prius is a Hybrid and runs partially on Electric Motor, Computer, and Battery, I was starting to Smell Big Bucks, so I began looking more aggressively.
There were some decent deals within driving distance; Indianapolis, Chicago, Columbus, to name a few. But the further out I went from Grand Rapids, the better the Deals started to appear; especially New York and California. And not just Price, but in overall appeal; Lower Mileage, Newer Year, Trim Package, and of course Price. So I started identifying some, contacted CarGurus (who contacts the dealer), and began initial communication. There were a couple that I liked, but was still apprehensive about finalizing things Online like this. This kind of Car Buying was the equivalent of a Blind Date!
I came very close to a 2017 in Long Island, NY that was a Fantastic Deal. It had a couple of scratches and a cracked front emblem, but price wise, was way lower than anything else. I was looking at Airfare and ready to close the Deal, when they contacted me – – “We Sold It”. RATS!
Anyway, the Holidays came and went and I eventually saw a 2020 in Santa Monica with under 10K miles and priced $3,000 lower than “Anyone” else in the Entire Country. And of all places, at a Lexus Dealer!
So I contacted them, found out it had been a Fleet Vehicle at Santa Monica Toyota (same Parent Company) and they didn’t have success there; so moved it to the Lexus Dealer. Okay!?! I wasn’t going to ask questions and wanted to look at it more closely. Got a Salesman, asked a bunch of questions, and it seemed like the Real Deal! When he offered to pick me up at the Airport, I was sold. I bought a One Way ticket from Grand Rapids to LAX and was scheduled to fly that Friday.
Moral of the Story? We live in Extraordinary Times! If you were to tell me how I would buy my next car, a couple of years ago, I would have said “You’re Crazy”! Never in my wildest imagination would I have considered doing something like this. But it is a Different Time we are living in. Just like when we bought something off of Amazon or eBay for the first time. That was pretty Radical back then! But today we have Vehicle Data to use, like “CarFax”, that tracks every time a car is in for Service. It provides what’s been done, by who, and when, etc. and gives you a detailed report. Or, the ability for a Dealer to take Pictures of the Vehicle and Post them on their Website. This kind of stuff is still fairly new. Now granted, you can’t take a Test Drive online, but other than that, “This Is” the way our Culture is headed. Just thought I would pass on My Experience of entering this “Brave New World”!