There was no doubt, ever, that the 3 $5,995 2011 Volkswagen Jettas up for sale on Gilt.com were going to sell out. What is someone shocking is the time in which it took them to sell out. The third sale, on December 17, took the longest. The Jetta was on sale for a full second before it was scooped up by a buyer from San Jose. After that, the second slowest sale-- via iPhone-- took 253 milliseconds which Gilt is happy to point out, is faster than an eye blink. The entire checkout for this purchase took 27 seconds.
Coming in first was a woman from Brooklyn, NY who bought the first Jetta on her iPad in 0 seconds though it took her four minutes and 48 seconds to complete the purchase. You know, typing in a CC # in your iPad is tough sometimes with those tiny "keys."
The promotion also set a traffic record for the site with some 50,000 buyers on the wait list. The $18,000 in proceeds from the cars sold will be donated to Dress for Success, a charity that provides women with clothing, support and guidance for professional career success.
Buying cars from a mobile device in less than 5 minutes. It's an intriguing idea. How much money could manufacturers save bypassing the dealer network altogether. If it was cheap enough, would you skip the test drive and simply click "buy it now"?
kyolml says:
10:56 AM, 12/20/10
it's not a sale.
it's just a lottery draw, see who is lucky enough, and the fastest internet connection will win.
Amex Wish List few years ago had BMW Z4, that was a better buy.
stress83 says:
10:57 AM, 12/20/10
I've been supporting the extintion of the car salesman for quite some time. Everything one could want to know about a vehicle can be found online, which, in many cases, is more acurate than the salesmen themselves.
A dealership profits on its fixed operations anyway (service & parts), so keep the sales guys over on the used lot. Deliveries could be handled by service advisors as those are the people the consumer will be meeting with time and time again, and honestly, its the service department that sets the tone for dealership experience.
This, of course, leads some things to be determined such as test drives and financing, but hey, it's a start.
greenpony says:
11:03 AM, 12/20/10
I recently asked myself, "Self, why do car dealerships exist?" A few minutes of internet research later, I was able to answer my question. "Because state laws force this business model upon the buying public."
throwback says:
11:10 AM, 12/20/10
I wouldn't buy a new car I did not drive. I certainly would love to bypass the dealer sales experience however. The last car I bought I paid cash, in and out within 30 minutes, no trips to see the F&I guy. It was almost enjoyable.
stress83 says:
11:11 AM, 12/20/10
@greenpony:
You make a good point. It's these archaic laws that need to be amended. Same with those of use in PA who have been force to buy beer from distributors.
csubowtie says:
11:49 AM, 12/20/10
While I don't rely on salespeople to actually tell me anything I didn't already know, I still would not buy a car without a test drive first. There a lot of things that raw data from the internet cannot show. For example the 2011 WRX sedan. I have an '07, which like most cars has a flat trunk floor, and holds some rather large suitcases (barely). When we looked at the 2011, even though the trunk seemed the same size, maybe even bigger, it has a lump in the trunk floor that I fear will make it impossible to fit our luggage. Based on internet info, I would not have known this, but it is a dealbreaker.
huyracing says:
12:04 PM, 12/20/10
i've paid cash before and i still have to do all the same paperwork, minus one page... its ridiculous. maybe its different from state to state. im in CA.
i've dealt with some cool salesmen, but mostly idiots. the one who sold me the GTI was always willing to take me on test drives and didn't seem to care if i was interested or not in buying. eventually i did buy, and i bought it from him, but this was like a year later. (and i had stopped by a few times) he was just a person to take me on a test drive... he didn't talk up the car or try to push me into the car. it was everything a salesman should be.