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View Full Version : Leapfrog car buying service



01RedDX
04-27-2017, 07:18 AM
.

ExtraSlow
04-27-2017, 10:41 AM
some form of online purchasing will emerge either from a third party like this or from the manufacturers/dealers themselves.

I hope it does well, but I honestly have no idea how the economics of that business will look.

vengie
04-27-2017, 10:51 AM
Originally posted by 01RedDX
Interesting idea from this startup. Pick a car, submit the price you're wiling to pay (from an approved price range) and if the dealer agrees, you skip the salesman part. The dealer pays them commission.

Thoughts? Could this business model take off or will it die on the vine?

https://www.leapfrog.bid/

It makes sense.

I've heard of people laying out the exact vehicle they want, price etc and sending it to multiple dealerships in an area (all dealers attached in the email) to see if any will play ball.

jwslam
04-27-2017, 11:14 AM
Sounds like a great concept for the consumer, that dealers probably won't bite on...

It's like when Shell introduced their easy tags, it significantly dropped the amount of people walking into the store and getting ripped off on chocolate bars they didn't need. That program didn't last long.

If you don't go in to make the deal, how are they going to upsell you on warranties you don't need? Or sell you $500 worth of floor mats?

pheoxs
04-27-2017, 11:28 AM
Originally posted by jwslam
Sounds like a great concept for the consumer, that dealers probably won't bite on...

It's like when Shell introduced their easy tags, it significantly dropped the amount of people walking into the store and getting ripped off on chocolate bars they didn't need. That program didn't last long.

If you don't go in to make the deal, how are they going to upsell you on warranties you don't need? Or sell you $500 worth of floor mats?

Yeah I'm curious how this works in the end. Like at some point I'd still need to go into the dealer to sign paperwork.

If all they're doing is 'I want that Ford for 30k' and them going 'kay we got XYZ dealer thatll sell it to you for 30k' and then I walk into the store and 30k magically becomes 33k with delivery and taxes, and then 37k with tire warranty/paint protection/ undercoating / finance insurance and I have to still fight with finance to get all that garbage taken off then it's kind of a pointless service.

ExtraSlow
04-27-2017, 11:43 AM
Originally posted by pheoxs


Yeah I'm curious how this works in the end. Like at some point I'd still need to go into the dealer to sign paperwork.

If all they're doing is 'I want that Ford for 30k' and them going 'kay we got XYZ dealer thatll sell it to you for 30k' and then I walk into the store and 30k magically becomes 33k with delivery and taxes, and then 37k with tire warranty/paint protection/ undercoating / finance insurance and I have to still fight with finance to get all that garbage taken off then it's kind of a pointless service.
I agree, if it works like that, it is truly worthless and won't last.

Mitsu3000gt
04-27-2017, 11:55 AM
Seems kind of useless to me. Just get a CCC report and you can keep any commission the dealer is going to pay that company in your own pocket. Almost zero effort involved. Seems like this just preys on the uneducated customer who has no idea what to offer for a vehicle - it just gives the dealers an opportunity to jump on the "offers" that come in way too high and further take advantage of people who think they are getting a deal through the service.

On top of that, one can only imagine how the agreed upon price will climb once you actually get to the dealer. "Oh that $50K offer we accepted? Yeah that's before Freight, PDI, GST, $500 admin fee, window etching, etc. etc"

Introducing a highly unnecessary third party is almost never a good idea - someone has to pay their commission and the only thing for certain is that it won't be the dealer at the end of the day.

J-hop
04-27-2017, 04:28 PM
Originally posted by jwslam
Sounds like a great concept for the consumer, that dealers probably won't bite on...

It's like when Shell introduced their easy tags, it significantly dropped the amount of people walking into the store and getting ripped off on chocolate bars they didn't need. That program didn't last long.

If you don't go in to make the deal, how are they going to upsell you on warranties you don't need? Or sell you $500 worth of floor mats?

Agreed, dealer put a ton of stuff we didn't need on our purchase bill like glass etching and tire warranty (for a used car with over 50,000kms on it hahahaha). Almost got it past me before I signed by brushing over it and saying oh don't worry about that. If too much is visible to the buyer and they aren't under pressure then they won't be able to slip much by potential buyers.

Would be so nice as a consumer though.

Masked Bandit
04-27-2017, 09:16 PM
You guys have to remember that the typical Beyond poster / reader is not representative of the general public. I for one LOVE buying cars. I love the research, the details of different trim levels and options. And I LOOOOOOVE the negotiations. However there are a lot of people that despise the entire process. Years ago I thought about a car buying service for people but the economics of it never seemed to make sense.

J-hop
04-28-2017, 09:25 AM
Originally posted by Masked Bandit
You guys have to remember that the typical Beyond poster / reader is not representative of the general public. I for one LOVE buying cars. I love the research, the details of different trim levels and options. And I LOOOOOOVE the negotiations. However there are a lot of people that despise the entire process. Years ago I thought about a car buying service for people but the economics of it never seemed to make sense.

I hate the negotiating process because no matter how well you do you're still getting bent over. You might feel like you did a good job, and you might have done better than anyone else but you still got screwed.

As a non-standard (I guess) consumer I also hate the whole trim package thing that dealers try to use as negotiating tools. Does it have heated seats? Beyond that I literally don't give a shit about anything but drivetrain. No I don't want your "upgraded" wheel and tire package that is going to look like every other guy that checked that box. Why are you still talking like that matters to me? Hahaha

killramos
04-28-2017, 09:46 AM
Tesla's purchase process is one thing I can really get behind. View all models available in an area online, price is what it is you either buy it or you don't. Or go through a spec sheet and order custom for later delivery.

Want to see it or test drive? Go to a boutique in the mall.

Negotiating is such a tasteless process. Just let market economics determine the sales price not my level of free time available to go back and forth with greasy salesmen.

ExtraSlow
04-28-2017, 11:58 AM
Fuck yeah K, you nailed it.