By Gary Smith (Contributing Writer) | Published on March 2nd, 2021 | Last Updated on
By Gary Smith (Contributing Writer)
Published on March 2nd, 2021. Last Updated on .
What Are Car Buying Services?
The main goal of a car buying service is to help you purchase or lease a new or used car. This is perfect for the individual who doesn’t want to haggle for their next vehicle, a car buying service could be worth it. Below we break down the differences between a car buying concierge and a Broker.
What's the Difference Between a Car Buying Concierge and aCar Buying Broker?
The Car Buying Concierge’s main goal is to advise you on your choice of vehicles, negotiate the best price, and review the final contract. They will also even arrange to have the vehicle delivered to your desired location. Even though they normally charge an upfront fee it is in their best interest to negotiate a low price that yields the highest amount of saving for the buyer.
A Car Broker is paid by the dealer so that it can be a free service for the car buyer. While the role may be similar to the concierge in that the broker will find the vehicle, negotiate a price, and schedule the car’s delivery; the broker can also get a fee from the dealer which can make the customer suspicious if they negotiated the best price. Also, the broker might have preferences on which dealerships they have the best relationships with so the vehicle choices can be more limited.
Popular Retailer, Club, & Bank Car Buying Services
AAA
The AAA program will let you purchase your car in person or you can buy it from the comfort of your own home. You can also see what others are paying to get competitive price quotes from local dealers. There is also a chance that you can be eligible for a discount on your auto loan if you add AAA’s car buying service. With test driving, you can typically get with a local dealer to test drive it and can sometimes even have the vehicle delivered to your home if the listing includes a “Buy from Home” badge. Visit: AAA Auto Buying
AARP
Similar to being a AAA member, you can check out the many car buying services that are available on the associated website. Members can price a new or used car and connect with a local dealer to get discount pricing upfront. If you do go ahead and end up purchasing a vehicle through their program it is recommended that you report this purchase on their website. By doing so will get you a free online driving course and up to $2,000 in post-sale benefits. Visit: AARP Auto Buying
Consumer Reports
By being a member you are authorized to receive access to their Build & Buy Car Buying Service powered by TruCar as well as access to the used car marketplace by both Cars.com and TrueCar as well. Once you accept the terms and conditions which allow dealerships to contact you, they will eventually reach out with pricing on vehicles that fit your preferences. If you have a Consumer Reports membership then you will be able to see their proprietary reliability and owner satisfaction scores right in the vehicle listings. Visit:Consumer Reports
Costco Auto
By being a Costco member gives you access to the company’s car-buying services online. Dealerships in Costco’s network are hand-selected which means unlike some of the other companies on this list they aren’t powered by TrueCar. On top of this, the dealership pays a fee to participate in this program which means there will be no additional cost to you for using the car-buying service. Visit:Costco Auto
Credit Unions
Most credit unions offer some form of car buying services for their members. Some credit unions even offer additional savings if an auto loan is taken out after using the service. The biggest benefit of going to credit unions is that financing is most likely going to be better as well.
More “Personal” Car Buying Services
Your Car Buying Advocate
Their philosophy is that the key to getting an awesome car deal is by making dealerships compete. Since they serve the customer and not the dealership you can be sure that they will have your best interest in mind. Their simple, 3-Step process keeps things hassle-free and as efficient as possible:
- Get started with a free strategy call to define your budget and narrow down the vehicle you are looking for or are wanting to trade-in.
- They go to work for you by contacting dealerships and getting both trade-in quotes or proposals for the vehicle you want. They will then present you with the offers and terms in writing.
- Once an offer is accepted you can either pick up your vehicle or they can have it delivered to your doorstep. Visit: YourCarBuyingAdvocate.com
myHopscotch
Using myHopscotch is similar to hiring an all-in-one professional to ignore all of the games, hassles, and frustrations that the car buying process can often be. They also have a guarantee that you will spend less on purchasing your car with them than any other way without them. By them being a personal advisor, shopper/locator, negotiator, attorney, and the concierge will show you that your car buying experience will be completely stress-free while in turn giving you a great deal. Visit:myHopscotch.com
Car Pal
With their free consultation, Car Pal will show you that they can put you together with your next new or used car at the best price. They focus on taking you out of the equation when it comes to negotiating with salespeople and let them do the heavy negotiations. They also say that the amount you will save by going with Car Pal will more than cover their fee, which will save you, even more, to begin with. Visit: Car-Pal.com
Tailored Auto
Their main goal is to keep you out of the dealership as much as possible and out of the hot seat entirely. Their services include time saved, a better deal, professional service, and total fairness. With their 4 step process, they only require 1 flat-rate fee to get you in a new vehicle in less time with zero hagglings.
- Contact them by giving them a call or shooting them an email. They will ask a variety of questions about what you’re looking for.
- Once you retain their services they will do the leg work in locating the vehicle you want to the minor details. They will then negotiate an offer.
- They will present you with offers and walk you through the pros and cons of each to know exactly what you are buying.
- Once you accept an offer they will direct you to the dealer to sign all of the paperwork and finalize the deal. Visit:TailoredAuto.com
Personal Car Negotiator
By handling the entire transaction from start to finish all they need from the customer is the exact vehicle that they want that is currently in stock at a physical dealership. Once they get this info they will use every technique at their disposal to get the based possible deal. The entire negotiation system is used by dealerships across the country and is based on the premise that consumers don’t understand the math and that’s how they like it. Personal Car Negotiator combats this system due to the professionals that you work with knowing this exact system and using it against the car dealerships. Visit: PersonalCarNegotiator.com
Authority Auto
What sets Authority Auto apart is that they always look out for the customers’ best interest by not accepting any form of compensation from car dealerships. They even offer free car buying tips with no fee on your part at all. Maybe you aren’t looking for a car buying service and just better techniques to do it all yourself. Authority Auto provides this option and this shows that they care about the customer getting the best possible deal. Visit: AuthorityAuto.com
American Car Buying Service
The ACS Corp is centered around one simple motto, “If it’s good for customers, it’s good for dealers”. Their dealer services yield excellent shopper engagement by producing increased sales and profits for dealers, OEMs, lenders, website providers, and 3rd party retailers. They shape the industry with their patent-pending calculation engine known as “truPayments”, which powers their instant monthly payment figures. Their 32-year history has shown that they have served their customers with honesty and integrity. Visit: ACSCorp.com
Final Thoughts
The process of buying a car is one of the most dreadful experiences we as people face. While the notion of using a car-buying service might seem confusing or scary, be sure that this can be one of the most simple, hassle-free processes when it comes to dealing with dealerships. Most of these car-buying services only charge 1 flat rate fee which ensures you aren’t being nickeled and dimed for everything you have. While there can be a wide variety of different car buying services to choose from, we hope this list can better help you with your search.
