[swatthatfly]

> Most of the personnel retained at a dealership do useful work. That same work will be required regardless of who runs the show.

Some people may benefit from this "service", but not me, nor any of the people I know. The only benefit I could see from my previous buying experiences is the act of handing out the key for a test drive. Everything else was simply designed to extract as much money from my pocket without giving me back anything in return. I had all the information I needed to make a purchase decision, the financing doesn't need to be done at the dealership, the car can be bought from a website, and delivered to the curb. A bunch of grown men sitting around all day and swarming people that enter the floor with the goal of "giving them a good deal" is not a value proposition. It's a complete misallocation of resources.

[maratd]

Salesmen aren't a substantial part of the workforce in a dealership. Mechanics, secretaries, service coordinators are. You still need those.

Finally, while you're OK dropping the equivalent of a year's pay on a website, most people are not. They need to talk to someone. So you're still going to need salespeople ... although they'll be far more pleasant to deal with, since there will just be one price that everyone pays and you won't have to be in constant fear of being ripped off.

[brandonmenc]

> Finally, while you're OK dropping the equivalent of a year's pay on a website, most people are not.

It seems to be mostly tech workers who pine for the "buy it now" experience for car shopping. They all seem to know exactly what make, model, and color they want, and they never buy used.

Everyone else has a budget, coupled with a wide range of what they consider an acceptable car - which is why test driving and "show me what else is on the lot" will always be a thing.

[swatthatfly]

> Salesmen aren't a substantial part of the workforce in a dealership. Mechanics, secretaries, service coordinators are

You're describing a regular garage here. We have those on most corners. Some also sell used cars btw. The argument is centered around the sales activities, hence the comment.

[maratd]

I'm describing a dealership. Most dealerships make very little money from car sales. They make their money from servicing vehicles that were purchased there. When you have a brand new car with a warranty, you will take it to the dealer so that you don't have to pay for the repair and they bill it back to the manufacturer. And after the warranty ends, you are now in the habit of going to the same place and continue going there, paying out of pocket.

And most dealerships strive to make the service part of the equation very pleasant to keep you coming back. You will get a work area, internet, coffee, snacks, TV, etc. while you wait. Or if you want a loaner, they'll make it happen too. Some even have shuttles that will drive you to the local mall.

Mind you, all of this would still be in place with a factory store, minus the hellish experience of buying a new vehicle.