Car Buying Now Brought To Your Doorstep

Thomas Kreutzer
by Thomas Kreutzer

In a move sure to cause concern at every brick and mortar car dealership, Tred.com has begun a program that allows you to order a car online and have it delivered to you at your home for a test drive.

For just $349, a fee that is refundable should you actually purchase a car through the service at their “great price,” Tred will bring the car of your choosing to your house where, presumably, you will be able to better assess its qualities by stuffing it with your kids and their related paraphernalia, your bicycles and any other life-essentials that you happen to have laying about. Narrowed down your options but still not set on which exact car you want? For just 499 refundable upon purchase dollars, you can have two cars delivered.

In an era where more and more car buying research is done on-line, this seems like a natural extension of that process. I assume the purchase price is similar to other car buying services offered at places like Costco so this really comes down to a matter of convenience. The cars will be delivered by a “concierge” who will help explain the various features of the vehicle and help you decide which features may or may not be right for you. Good thing or not? You decide.


Thomas Kreutzer
Thomas Kreutzer

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  • Kyree Kyree on Apr 16, 2013

    The part about the fee being applied toward the purchase of one of their cars sounds good, but unless you just don't mind parting with $400-500 dollars, it does limit your purchasing range and power. If the specification of the car you want---or something close to it---can be found at Hertz or Enterprise or Avis, you're better off just renting it for a day...

  • JSF22 JSF22 on Apr 16, 2013

    I'm waiting for the dealers to shut them down. It probably violates salesperson licensing laws, or bird-dogging laws, or brokering laws, or something, and the dealers will find them. If car dealers would take the resources they spend fighting anything new, like keeping Tesla from opening factory showrooms, and spent the same effort fixing the things that make us hate them, everyone would be better off.

    • Corntrollio Corntrollio on Apr 16, 2013

      For this one, I'm not sure. I'm sure dealers will try to stop it, if they feel it will cut into their business and if they can, however, buying services have always existed.

  • Xeranar Xeranar on Apr 16, 2013

    This seems overly convuluted but I'm sure there is a large group of people who will jump on it. I personally enjoy the showroom experience because if a salesperson gets pushy I can leave. If I get a modicum of humanity out of them that's even better. By the time I'm in a dealership I'm trying cars for size. But that's me and my lack of small children.

  • Fordcomm Fordcomm on Apr 16, 2013

    Is Tred buying its cars direct from the manufacturers? If so, you'd think an OEM's dealer network would be a tad upset. The end run around the dealership for the initial sale is bad enough, but you've also created an orphan customer that has no connection to a particular dealership for routine maintenance and service, warranty work, recalls and so on.

    • Corntrollio Corntrollio on Apr 17, 2013

      "but you’ve also created an orphan customer that has no connection to a particular dealership for routine maintenance and service, warranty work, recalls and so on." Stealership sales departments already do that. Once the salesperson is done with you, even if he/she says that he/she will back you up with the service department, good luck getting them to answer the phone. It's hard enough to track them down for sales-related questions after the sale is made. That's why I'd never buy a car with a "due bill" -- the service folks would blame the sales folks and vice versa, and you'd never get what you need.

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