Full review
The first time I used CarsDirect was in April of 2002.
I had also purchased our home at that time as well and my aging 1994 Ford Escort with 184,000 on the clock needed replacing.
I was short on time what with moving and prepping our house for moving in and such I could'nt be bothered with the dealer experience.
I wanted a Mazda Protege DX with Automatic and A/C.They found me a car nicely equipped with the extras I requested;
floor mats, splash guards, upgraded stereo, etc. and the color I wanted. And the price was right at invoice for $13,000 (2002) dollars.
I was paying cash and the only problem was I was buying the car sight unseen and the dealer was 70 miles from home.
CarsDirect needs a small deposit which comes off your purchase price to locate the car which is reasonable.
I used my CC for $100 and 3 days later they had my car. I talked to the dealer and they said the car was prepped and ready to go.
When I went to pick it up, it was ready as promised and all I did was sign the bill of sale, took the title and paper- work and was on my way.Easy as pie!
Four years later I went to use the service again and I found them disappointing. We were looking for a Kia Spectra. Nothing crazy. In my area there are 5 Kia dealers within NYC limits. Does CarsDirect work with any of these? NOOO!
They are still like they were 4 years prior, dealing with one dealer who has 2 cars out in the boondocks of Smithtown NY about 100 miles from me. And this guy wants full price because he has only 2, and in black and red, guess what? We went elsewhere.
CarsDirect was a good idea and their website is a good source for pricing but when it comes to buying I go local.
Believe me, it pays in the long run and when you know the price of things, it's harder to be bamboozled. Knowledge is power. Besides when it comes to service our KIA dealer is down the street not 100 miles from here.