Ford to sell certified used cars on Amazon?

[cadblu]

Strange coincidence that Ford, the most obvious threat to Slate with its newly announced sub $30k truck and of course the Maverick, is partnering with Amazon, who’s founder is providing financial backing to Slate.

Full Article
Ford Motors is partnering with Amazon to let dealers sell the automaker's certified used vehicles on the e-commerce platform, providing consumers with a way to shop for a car and arrange financing online.

The Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker on Monday said the deal allows customers to browse local dealers' pre-owned Ford vehicle selections on Amazon Autos, and complete most paperwork online. Shoppers can then schedule a time to pick up their auto in person.

The program will debut in Los Angeles, Seattle and Dallas and add other locations over time, Ford said.

The vehicles come with a manufacturer-backed warranty and other benefits, the same as if they were sold directly through a dealership.

Ford notes that the only step of the purchase process that cannot be completed online is the retrieval of the car: "No Amazon Prime delivery for cars!" the company said in a press release announcing the partnership.


Ford said that about 180 dealers have so far expressed interest in participating in the program, with 20 having already signed up.

Amazon Autos first started offering used vehicles to shoppers in August, citing interest from its dealer partners. All vehicles listed for sale through Amazon Autos are sold by participating dealerships, not Amazon, which simply facilitates transactions.

Hyundai Motor Co. has also partnered with Amazon to sell cars through the e-commerce site.

The deal comes as new car prices hit a record high in September, according to data from Kelley Blue Book. The average American new car buyer paid $50,080 that month, marking an all-time high. The average new car price has since dropped below $50,000, according to the provider of auto industry insights.

 

[bloo]

Add to that all the Ford Maverick ads I get at the top of my browser when I search for "Slate Truck"

 

[Bo’sFarmGeneva]

Strange coincidence that Ford, the most obvious threat to Slate with its newly announced sub $30k truck and of course the Maverick, is partnering with Amazon, who’s founder is providing financial backing to Slate.

Full Article
Ford Motors is partnering with Amazon to let dealers sell the automaker's certified used vehicles on the e-commerce platform, providing consumers with a way to shop for a car and arrange financing online.

The Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker on Monday said the deal allows customers to browse local dealers' pre-owned Ford vehicle selections on Amazon Autos, and complete most paperwork online. Shoppers can then schedule a time to pick up their auto in person.

The program will debut in Los Angeles, Seattle and Dallas and add other locations over time, Ford said.

The vehicles come with a manufacturer-backed warranty and other benefits, the same as if they were sold directly through a dealership.

Ford notes that the only step of the purchase process that cannot be completed online is the retrieval of the car: "No Amazon Prime delivery for cars!" the company said in a press release announcing the partnership.


Ford said that about 180 dealers have so far expressed interest in participating in the program, with 20 having already signed up.

Amazon Autos first started offering used vehicles to shoppers in August, citing interest from its dealer partners. All vehicles listed for sale through Amazon Autos are sold by participating dealerships, not Amazon, which simply facilitates transactions.

Hyundai Motor Co. has also partnered with Amazon to sell cars through the e-commerce site.

The deal comes as new car prices hit a record high in September, according to data from Kelley Blue Book. The average American new car buyer paid $50,080 that month, marking an all-time high. The average new car price has since dropped below $50,000, according to the provider of auto industry insights.

did they actually announce an EV maverick? I must have missed it.......

 

[PuppyRocker]

That Ford-Amazon partnership is interesting, makes browsing and financing way easier. While reading up on it, I was checking pedirayudas.com just to see what kind of grants and support info is out there in Spain. It’s wild to think you can almost buy a car like you do a TV now, just gotta go pick it up at the end.

 

[bloo]

I like the idea if it means I can browse cars the same way I do everything else online. Makes comparing options easier without dealing with pushy salespeople right away.

Careful what you wish for. The used music gear market was ruined by the online marketplace. All it takes is one person with deep pockets, anywhere in the country, to drive up the price of an item. The days of going to the local music shop and scoring a fair deal are long gone.

This is also happening in the used car market - and it's getting worse. I paid 23,750 for my AWD Kia Seltos EX in 2021. It has every feature I could want and a few I don't. I found the same year and model with "low miles" (45,000) for $19,450 on CARFAX. In a nationwide market, someone will buy that car at that price.

Ford knows how this works. They will make the process convenient so people anywhere in the country can pay a New York price for a used vehicle.

 

[cadblu]

I found the same year and model with "low miles" (45,000) for $19,450 on CARFAX.

Did you mean CARMAX? 🙂

 

[bloo]

Did you mean CARMAX? 🙂

I HATH autocorrect.

 

[sodamo]

I don’t have much concern buying a new vehicle online, but used? Quite different.

 

[cadblu]

Looks like Amazon Autos (beta) is live…
And they list all major OEM brands.

Does this mean we can soon order and purchase new or used vehicles at the listed price with no haggling?

 

[AKrietzer]

Is it still going through the dealerships though? The ones that show up for me shows the dealer's name, and "about the dealership" info. I think it is just Amazon letting businesses sell on their site, for a fee.

 

[sodamo]

Hope we see Slate added

 

[cadblu]

Is it still going through the dealerships though? The ones that show up for me shows the dealer's name, and "about the dealership" info. I think it is just Amazon letting businesses sell on their site, for a fee.

There’s something about the familiar “Amazon platform” that makes shopping in general a pleasant experience. Now if this can be extended to new or used vehicles with transparent pricing, count me in.

I’d prefer walking in to a dealership with sort of a done deal, no surprises, rather than going in cold not knowing what to expect. All fees presented up front before I leave my home. Then all I do is test drive, hand over a certified check, or a bank transfer, and be on my way.

This is the next best thing to the DTC model.

 

[SparkYellow]

Ten years ago I worked briefly in car sales at a local Mazda dealership. A customer and I worked out a deal by email over a few weeks with numbers approved by the sales manager. He finally came one evening by Uber/Lyft, ready to complete the paperwork and pick up the car. It was the end of the month and the same sales manager felt some money was left on the table. He decided to start from scratch. I was too green to handle that situation so I cleared up my desk and quit. Looking back, I should have stayed. The customer could decide to rework the deal or leave. It may or may not have gone down as I expected.

Before that, I once had a transaction where the price on a used CX-5 went up while the customer was in route. The sales manager missed a feature in the initial pricing and made the correction before the appointment. It was the longest negotiation that I was involved in.

The other time a nice couple came in an older minivan to check out a MX-5 Club. The sales manager made an offer that the husband was fine with. His income, as subsequently revealed in the paperwork, almost made the sales manager bang his head against the wall.

I would love for a purchase to be straight-forward with no surprises. Even better if through Amazon. Otherwise, the traditional structure in car sales has too many twists and turns. 🤦

 

[beatle]

Ten years ago I worked briefly in car sales at a local Mazda dealership. A customer and I worked out a deal by email over a few weeks with numbers approved by the sales manager. He finally came one evening by Uber/Lyft, ready to complete the paperwork and pick up the car. It was the end of the month and the same sales manager felt some money was left on the table. He decided to start from scratch. I was too green to handle that situation so I cleared up my desk and quit. Looking back, I should have stayed. The customer could decide to rework the deal or leave. It may or may not have gone down as I expected.

...

I would love for a purchase to be straight-forward with no surprises. Even better if through Amazon. Otherwise, the traditional structure in car sales has too many twists and turns. 🤦

I walked away from a Miata for sale at a dealership in NC that advertised up front pricing. I was prepared to get a check and drive down to pick it up. I called the dealership and they started adding on fees and over $700 in Lojack to up the price. These were apparently non-negotiable so I told them to kick rocks. The sales manager called me the next day asking if they could do anything to earn my business. I told them they already had my business, but the salesman successfully negotiated his way out of an easy sale. For whatever it's worth, I told him these experiences are why people are distrustful of dealerships. I'm sure everyone has at least one story like this.

I ordered both of my used Teslas online and picked them up with a check in hand. They were mostly frictionless. I hardly even talked to the sales people when I picked up the second one. Rivian was similar.

I don't know if Amazon is the answer to car sales, but anything that removes all the nonsense when trying to give someone your money for something would be a boon to the experience.

 

[AZFox]

The car dealership model sucks.

Maybe consumers are catching on and replacement models are emerging.

That would explain why dealerships are going out of business at a record pace.