Two quotes from the article:<p>1. "the dealer is still involved and legally can’t be dis-intermediated in many states"<p>2. "In many cases it is a criminal offense for an auto manufacturer to sell a new car to anyone but a state-licensed car dealer"<p>The simple answer is that buying an automobile means dealing with a price-fixing cartel. The Internet hasn't fixed this process because it's legally sanctioned.<p>As a corollary, it's no wonder that even the tiny bit of competition from foreign auto makers caused the US auto industry to collapse. They'd had an oligarchy for decades, and they were utterly unprepared for anything.
I disagree.<p>When I bought a new car, I used the dealer's website to study their inventory. Once I found the make, model and features I wanted, I used the "days on lot" number to negotiate a lower price. (Since, as I understand it, dealers make payments on their inventory; therefore, the longer the car is sitting on their lot, the more money the dealer has "lost".)<p>And when I bought used cars, using the internet helped save me thousands of dollars (close to $10K each time).
I totally disagree as well.<p>I've bought my last 2 cars off the internet and it was a really easy hassle free experience.
I used zag.com both times. Let the dealers battle it out, pick one you're happy with. No need to go into the dealership, that's what a phone/email is for.<p>I was there maybe an hour to pick up the car. Of course they try to sell you the extended warranty and other stuff but they didn't push. A simple no and on to the next item.