CarsDirect

Pros:  Simple and timesaving, no haggling

Cons:  Got a decent prices on a BMW 330cic

The Bottom Line:  If you want to buy a hard-to-find car and are willing to pay a few dollars more, this is a simple and effective alternative.

Full review
In the San Francisco Bay Area, BMW 330 convertibles are as rare as a successful Internet start-up.

I'm not good at haggling in person, since a) I'll get bored with the theatrics and slip out while the dealer is "talking to his manager," b) availability of a new 330cic was nil at a dealer lot.

Online car shopping seemed like an easy alternative. I tried CarsDirect.com, AutoByTel.com, and one other that I can't remember. CarsDirect just gives you the price while you're still on their site, and it turned out that MSRP was the winning bid (unlike Mercedes, BMW dealers can and do charge more than MSRP).

Could I have saved $1K or more if I'd gone from dealer to dealer in So. Cal? Sure. But the entire buying experience at CarsDirect.com took a grand total of...get this...10 minutes.

Here are the pitfalls:
1. One of the options I wanted and I'm pretty sure I selected using their online order form wasn't actually ordered. I could have caught this on the fax form they sent, but I didn't. CHECK YOUR ORDER CAREFULLY.

2. The dealership they worked through messed up and ordered the wrong interior color. They gave me $700 off to make up for it.

Here's the good news:
1. It's super easy

2. Their call center people are knowledgeable, courteous, and smart.

3. After I signed the papers and handed over my check, the dealer told me that he could have sold it for at least $2K more than I had paid. Whether this was just to make me feel good, I'm not sure, but I have seen huge price gouging in the SF area.

Overall, I'd still have to give the experience a high score. I love my car, it was pretty close to what I wanted to pay, and it arrived on time.