4 ms·

People don’t have trusted mechanics or know how to get one. For the majority of people, the dealer where they got the car is their “(somewhat) trusted mechanic”

by qzw 4y ago

People don’t have trusted mechanics or know how to get one. For the majority of people, the dealer where they got the car is their “(somewhat) trusted mechanic”. That’s why they go to dealers or CarMax and pay a huge premium, just for the psychological comfort. And for certain premium brands, a certified preowned car that comes with an extended warranty might not even be that bad of a deal, at least during normal market conditions.

BeetleB 4y ago
I could talk to each of these points, but at the end of the day, you're agreeing with me: As much as people complain about it, they prefer dealers, or options even more expensive than dealers (e.g. CarMax) even if for very poor reasons. All the problems you list are not difficult to overcome when it comes to private party. People do not want to overcome it - they would rather pay a few thousand dollars more.
- qzw 4y ago
  I don’t disagree with you that serious money can be saved if one knows the correct way to buy from a private party. But psychological comfort also has real value for a lot of, maybe even most, people. It may seem like a poor reason to you, but for them it’s worth it. Plus, you should be happy to have fewer people competing with you to buy from private sellers, thereby further lowering your price.
eikenberry 4y ago
I buy at CarMax because... a) I hate bartering. b) I want to visit a website, look at the cars available, go test drive a few, buy the one I like best. IE. Convenience. My time is worth the few thousand extra I pay that would be spent tracking down private owners, driving around to all of them to test drive, getting a mechanic to check it over, dealing with all those people, etc.
- BeetleB 4y ago
  > My time is worth the few thousand extra I pay that would be spent tracking down private owners, driving around to all of them to test drive, getting a mechanic to check it over, dealing with all those people, etc. This is a common refrain, and while you can afford it, I doubt many people I know can really afford that cost of a few thousand dollars. If I offered a $1500 fee for doing the leg work for them, would they pay me the money? If not, then "convenience of saving time" is not the reason.
  - qzw 4y ago
    The convenience is a factor for some, but perceived safety is probably the primary factor for most. They may not be able to afford to pay thousands extra, but they can even less afford to be scammed or buy a lemon. So they will compromise on the model or age or mileage of the vehicle and get a little less car for their budget.
  - eikenberry 4y ago
    If there was a trustworthy service I could pay to buy me a car that, with their fee, would cost around the same as CarMax (or maybe even a bit more) I'd 100% try it. I love the concierge type services and take advantage of them whenever possible. There just aren't many of them to use.

by qzw 4y ago

BeetleB 4y ago

I could talk to each of these points, but at the end of the day, you're agreeing with me: As much as people complain about it, they prefer dealers, or options even more expensive than dealers (e.g. CarMax) even if for very poor reasons. All the problems you list are not difficult to overcome when it comes to private party. People do not want to overcome it - they would rather pay a few thousand dollars more.

qzw 4y ago
I don’t disagree with you that serious money can be saved if one knows the correct way to buy from a private party. But psychological comfort also has real value for a lot of, maybe even most, people. It may seem like a poor reason to you, but for them it’s worth it. Plus, you should be happy to have fewer people competing with you to buy from private sellers, thereby further lowering your price.

eikenberry 4y ago

I buy at CarMax because... a) I hate bartering. b) I want to visit a website, look at the cars available, go test drive a few, buy the one I like best. IE. Convenience. My time is worth the few thousand extra I pay that would be spent tracking down private owners, driving around to all of them to test drive, getting a mechanic to check it over, dealing with all those people, etc.

BeetleB 4y ago
> My time is worth the few thousand extra I pay that would be spent tracking down private owners, driving around to all of them to test drive, getting a mechanic to check it over, dealing with all those people, etc. This is a common refrain, and while you can afford it, I doubt many people I know can really afford that cost of a few thousand dollars. If I offered a $1500 fee for doing the leg work for them, would they pay me the money? If not, then "convenience of saving time" is not the reason.
- qzw 4y ago
  The convenience is a factor for some, but perceived safety is probably the primary factor for most. They may not be able to afford to pay thousands extra, but they can even less afford to be scammed or buy a lemon. So they will compromise on the model or age or mileage of the vehicle and get a little less car for their budget.
- eikenberry 4y ago
  If there was a trustworthy service I could pay to buy me a car that, with their fee, would cost around the same as CarMax (or maybe even a bit more) I'd 100% try it. I love the concierge type services and take advantage of them whenever possible. There just aren't many of them to use.