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Comment by fludlight | Hacker News Reader

Your argument makes sense in theory and yet I can't think of a single retail shopping experience that's worse than going to a dealership. I've been putting off replacing two cars because the experience is so awful.

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What specifically are the problems you have? I'm interested in this because I've been working in the automotive retail industry for the better part of my career, and it's my job to provide technological solutions to improve the customer experience in dealerships.

The problem isn’t tech, it’s sales and marketing. The OEMs advertise a low starting price. Once you’re in the door a salesman who can’t tie his shoelaces tells you that heated seats are only available on the super-luxury XSEL++ model which costs 1.5-2x as much. Then you have to negotiate with some other guy over pricing. Then some guy who the dealership hired away from the mafia tries to sell you the most expensive financing imaginable. Then he tries to sell you underbody liner and some other junk. Three hours later you have a car.

It would be nice if almost everything was included and if I didn’t have to haggle like some I’m at a flea market.

Yep, this is a common complaint and it's starting to be addressed. An example is Lexus have introduced Lexus Plus which is a program that offers zero negotiation and a single point of contact. Problem is there's a non-significant portion of the customer base that wants to negotiate and enjoys the experience of going around between different people in a dealership. For a big purchase like a car they want to feel like they're being given options and a say in the price. Retaining the experience they enjoy, but providing the opposite for others is a challenge.

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