Nothing Spells Luxury Cars Like Amazon

In a bizarre move, Lincoln will sell its cars through online retailer Amazon. Come Monday, while you’re buying a couple of CDs for that favorite niece of nephew for the holidays you can also pick up a new Lincoln MKZ for yourself or that really lucky niece or nephew. Of course, you’ll still have to go through a nearby Lincoln dealer to complete the transaction, so we wonder how different the process will be from building a vehicle on Lincoln’s own site (or on sites like, say, Cars.com) and requesting quotes from dealers in the area.

There are some negative quotes in The Detroit News story with one analyst bluntly calling the concept “absurd.” We also wonder how the company is deciding which dealer gets the lead from Amazon in large markets. Plus, Lincoln is trying to sell itself as a luxury brand; does Amazon have any luxury cachet?

[Lincoln's newest dealership: Amazon.com, The Detroit News]

Comments

[Lil'Tom]

I may be in the minority but I would love to be able to order a car online if I could test drive it first, and get it for a reasonable price. I don't think many Lincoln buyers are on my side, but I say anything that allows me to avoid talking to car salespeople is a good thing. If you can only buy what's on a nearby dealer's lot then it's stupid; however if you can buy directly from the factory and get a car configured a car exactly as you wish then I like it. Of course Ford will find some new way to make online buying just as painful as in real life.

Online sales could enable companies to small to survive on their own (like Lincoln) to stay in business. Ford dealers wouldn't have to have a lot of LSs and LTs taking up valuable real estate. They would just need a couple demo models

While this is probably pointless for Lincoln, I'm not sure it would be a bad idea for Scion. Online ordering is more conducive to Scion's allowance for customization; and their young, net-savvy clientèle would be more open to it.

[Dave T.]

well you'd still need the test drive. What I don't get is if you use Lincoln's own site or ours to build the car you want you can get multiple quotes and pick the best one, that's not clear here if Amazon will work the same way.

I like the idea of dealerships being test drive and repair centers and buying done like a big box store with prices and discounts clearly marked.

[Bowrider]

You can't get a car with options added piecemeal, upon your selection, regardless of how you purchase it. Manufacturers offer options in packages. And, I'm confident that manufacturers aren't going to start selling directly to the public.

What I don't understand is why Ford is trying constantly trying to market to younger people when the majority of Lincoln buyers are of the baby boomer generation. This generation makes up the largest part of the population with the most disposable income. So perhaps Ford should sell the brand through online prescription websites .

[bob jones]

I don't think it is that big of a deal. I bought my ody online. Had it delivered to my door, signed the paperwork in my driveway, handed them a check. It was really easy.

[Lil'Tom]

Manufacturers do make you purchase a lot of options in packages, but if you place a custom order from a dealer you may be able to delete the options you don't want.

I wasn't saying I think Lincoln is doing a smart thing, or that I expect everyone else to adopt a better way of selling cars. I just think it would be cool if someone did what Dave described.

Imagine a car dealer which carries nearly every make and has a couple of every model on the lot. You could test drive the cars you want then give them your financial info as you leave. They approve your finances as you make your decision. When you're ready you just go online (or back to the dealer) spec out your new car, and place an order. Does this make sense to anyone else?

Carmax already sells new vehicles at fixed prices and supposedly doesn't pressure their customers. Assuming they could figure out how to handle financing I don't see any reason not to try it.

[Chuck]

I don't see what the big deal is as back in 2001 I bought my Accord V6 through a dealers website without ever visiting the dealer. In fact my experience was one better than what is being offered by Amazon as I emailed three Honda dealers and told them that I was a serious prospect however they had to earn my business by also bringing along a competitors car (at that time it was the Camry and Legacy). One dealer told me I was crazy, but the other two played along. The only catch was that if I didn't buy I agreed to pay a $50 fee (that was to cover the Camry and/or Legacy). The dealer who earned my business presented an Accord and Camry for me to test drive, met my price, and got the exact car I wanted within four days. Since then I have sent at least a dozen other parties to the dealership. Now to me that has much more value than buying through Amazon although I do like the idea.