[mr.smith]

Mercedes-Benz will be offering its customers in Germany and Poland the option to shop for high-end and high-volume vehicles through an online store. While customers would still be directed to a show room to complete the "final sales administration phase" the amount of time saved by using this process is impressive. This process is also expected to appeal to younger customers who are more comfortable with online shopping, and to aid inner-city show rooms which will no longer have to keep as much stock on hand.

There are pros and cons to vehicle shopping online. Would you consider using an online store to shop for your next vehicle?

 

[brianch]

Sure why not. I mean I'd like to customize my car online so I don't have to deal with that in the dealer but I'd still like to negotiate pricing in the dealer showroom.

I do not think that the online shopping aspect of the process should involve prices.

 

[booker]

Mercedes-Benz will be offering its customers in Germany and Poland the option to shop for high-end and high-volume vehicles through an online store. While customers would still be directed to a show room to complete the "final sales administration phase" the amount of time saved by using this process is impressive. This process is also expected to appeal to younger customers who are more comfortable with online shopping, and to aid inner-city show rooms which will no longer have to keep as much stock on hand.

There are pros and cons to vehicle shopping online. Would you consider using an online store to shop for your next vehicle?

I've heard about BMW experimenting with a similar idea to much dismay of their dealer network. I see shopping for a car online similar to purchasing shoes or pants online, you need to TRY THEM.

Online is great for getting a feel for whats available or even for finding a better deal on what you want but there is no way the online experience can make up for test drives and hands on time with the vehicle.

Take the CLA for example, theoretically it could be bought on stats alone but i need to make sure that the things i need to fit in the trunk will actually fit there. I believe returning a vehicle is much harder than returning a pair of boots.

Selling vehicles online certainly has a place in the car buying experience but there is no way it can completely supplant dealer networks, people want test drives even if only to turn around and go order the vehicle online...

 

[mr.smith]

Apparently you will also be able to book test drives at dealerships through the online shopping site. So there is an understanding that people will still need to be in the dealership at points throughout the process. I think the point of the online store is to allow you to do at home a lot of stuff which now you have to go to the dealer for, but you really shouldn't have to.

 

[booker]

Apparently you will also be able to book test drives at dealerships through the online shopping site. So there is an understanding that people will still need to be in the dealership at points throughout the process. I think the point of the online store is to allow you to do at home a lot of stuff which now you have to go to the dealer for, but you really shouldn't have to.

How cool would it be if i could book a test drive at my house. Click around online and a few days later a Mercedes rep shows up at my door with a CLA and time to kill. Impractical but still would be sweet.

 

[mr.smith]

How cool would it be if i could book a test drive at my house. Click around online and a few days later a Mercedes rep shows up at my door with a CLA and time to kill. Impractical but still would be sweet.

I feel like that would not be cost effective for dealerships, but consumers would definitely appreciate it. Maybe if you had to pay for the test drive...

 

[Zeus]

I just don't see how an online store where you have to go into the dealer in the end to make the final purchase would be any different from the configurator programs that are already online. I would look into it, but in the end the web will be more from reference and research and the dealership is where the buying and selling will go down.

 

[holding]

I just don't see how an online store where you have to go into the dealer in the end to make the final purchase would be any different from the configurator programs that are already online. I would look into it, but in the end the web will be more from reference and research and the dealership is where the buying and selling will go down.

unless Mercedes is able to bake in an incentive to purchase online. Considering you wont need a sales person to buy Mercedes should be able to cut a few bucks off the price because there isnt commission and salary that need to come out of the purchase price for your sales rep.

Thats the only way this flies. Although it could be big for rural areas where there aren't any dealers for miles and miles.

How would taking possession of a vehicle purchased online work? Say i purchased my CLA online, would i have to head over to a dealer to pick it up or will FedEx show up at my front door?

 

[Zeus]

unless Mercedes is able to bake in an incentive to purchase online. Considering you wont need a sales person to buy Mercedes should be able to cut a few bucks off the price because there isnt commission and salary that need to come out of the purchase price for your sales rep.

Thats the only way this flies. Although it could be big for rural areas where there aren't any dealers for miles and miles.

How would taking possession of a vehicle purchased online work? Say i purchased my CLA online, would i have to head over to a dealer to pick it up or will FedEx show up at my front door?

I think you'd have to go to a dealership to pick it up in the end. The big obstacle in setting up an online store is dealerships. Dealerships don't want direct car sales because it will be the death of them. Whatever online system that is set-up will have to figure out how it relates to dealerships, either that or dealerships' days are numbered.

This is an issue Tesla is facing right now. It just wants to use a showroom, but some states are saying that it has to use a dealership. That doesn't seem very free market, does it?

 

[booker]

I think you'd have to go to a dealership to pick it up in the end. The big obstacle in setting up an online store is dealerships. Dealerships don't want direct car sales because it will be the death of them. Whatever online system that is set-up will have to figure out how it relates to dealerships, either that or dealerships' days are numbered.

This is an issue Tesla is facing right now. It just wants to use a showroom, but some states are saying that it has to use a dealership. That doesn't seem very free market, does it?

LOL The States and Free Market is a paradox. Thats good old government red tape mechanical rape. Protecting interests and jobs, thats the problem with disruptive technology/systems/companies, they face an unbelieveable amount of backlash from the status quoers who just want to ride the wave as long as possible and will fight to the bloddy bitter end to make sure it all stays the same. Psychology is a *****.

 

[Zeus]

LOL The States and Free Market is a paradox. Thats good old government red tape mechanical rape. Protecting interests and jobs, thats the problem with disruptive technology/systems/companies, they face an unbelieveable amount of backlash from the status quoers who just want to ride the wave as long as possible and will fight to the bloddy bitter end to make sure it all stays the same. Psychology is a *****.

I just hate it how legislator who claim to be all free market everything can then turn around and do the opposite. Doesn't anyone stand by their principles anymore?

While we don't understand completely how the system will work, online shopping for vehicles (and everything) is the future. To put up a stupid roadblock saying that you can't sell stuff online is stupid. I am interested to see how the online shopping systems develop in other places. maybe once it catches on in other countries there will be more pressure to allow it in the states.

 

[booker]

I just hate it how legislator who claim to be all free market everything can then turn around and do the opposite. Doesn't anyone stand by their principles anymore?

While we don't understand completely how the system will work, online shopping for vehicles (and everything) is the future. To put up a stupid roadblock saying that you can't sell stuff online is stupid. I am interested to see how the online shopping systems develop in other places. maybe once it catches on in other countries there will be more pressure to allow it in the states.

well it depends what you're principles are in the first place. If its a commitment to lobbied dollars and industry big wigs one is standing by admirably. The way to the top is through the lowest roads possible.

 

[BenzFan]

I would buy a brand new vehicle online after test driving one like it and knowing as much as I can about it. No way would I buy a vehicle without a test drive.

 

[Salizar]

I am really liking the order a test drive to your house idea on this thread. That combined with online shopping would be ideal IMO.

 

[Zeus]

I am really liking the order a test drive to your house idea on this thread. That combined with online shopping would be ideal IMO.

Would such a program also be opposed by dealers as well? For one it would take a lot of time for dealers to drive cars to customers houses, and the dealer wouldn't even be guaranteed a sale. I think that the system would only work if there was a charge for it. And who really wants to pay for a test drive?

 

[BenzFan]

Would such a program also be opposed by dealers as well? For one it would take a lot of time for dealers to drive cars to customers houses, and the dealer wouldn't even be guaranteed a sale. I think that the system would only work if there was a charge for it. And who really wants to pay for a test drive?

having to pay for this to your door service is likely, i can see it happening but it will be smart if they don't do it.

yeah if they make it a free service they will get a ton of people that aren't serious about buying a new mercedes, but they can combat that with things like say a.... deposit.

 

[Zeus]

having to pay for this to your door service is likely, i can see it happening but it will be smart if they don't do it.

yeah if they make it a free service they will get a ton of people that aren't serious about buying a new mercedes, but they can combat that with things like say a.... deposit.

I could see a deposit being a good way of combating an overuse problem. The program would also have to have a limited geographic region in which it would be active. People who live far away from a dealer in the burbs would still have to go to the dealership to test drive because salesmen are not going to drive upwards of 30 minutes to your house for a test drive.

This program would eat up so much time. Driving to the customer, taking them on the test drive, driving back to the dealership.

 

[Anatoliy Soloshenko]

If you are going to make an order online, be careful when stating the delivery address. Some cities have the double name of the streets or there may be two streets with the same name in it. So to avoid any confusion with the delivery, you have to be absolutely sure you have stated the correct zip code. You may check the data on the internet if you need postcode finder. Correct zip code will significantly speed up your delivery.

 

[irralik]

As far as I know there are online auctions for the sale of cars. and it's a successful project

 

[golarson]

I prefer going to a dealership so that I can test drive the car.