05-31-06: Hate shopping for cars? We do and we used to sell cars ourselves. It’s almost always the same experience. You have a specific car in mind and you call all the dealers in town to see if they have “the one“. Every one of them says, “Hey, come on down we’ll get you hooked up today”. You say, “But do you have one in Legend Lime with the Shaker stereo?”. They answer again, “Hey, come on down we’ll get you hooked up today”.

Of course you go down there and they don’t have the car, but high pressure you into considering another car they have. After about three of these experiences you either give up or give in.

There is an easier way. In our last purchase of a new Mustang we discovered the Ford DealerDirect website. We were able to search and price the exact car we wanted and then pin-point which dealers in town had the car. Then we requested an online price quote in which they each answered with their “best price”. Once a dealer with the car came up with the right price we emailed them back and agreed. We then gave them our financial information to apply for financing and they emailed us back shortly with an approval.

The next day we drove to the dealership for the first time, took a short test drive in the new Mustang we had chosen online. We then went straight to the finance office where our papers were waiting. Not once did we have to talk about the price, hear about how the boss is “crazy” or get tag-teamed by multiple salesman. Nope, we signed our papers and drove home inside of an hour!

Ford offers DealerDirect as a one-stop solution for finding your new Ford on the virtual highway - 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The system is a partnership between Ford Motor Company and your local Ford dealers. The website lets you build and price your new Ford vehicle - all using secure, fast, and easy-to-use site.

DealerDirect has combined forces with Ford Credit to make the site a complete solution. Using the FordCredit online application process, you will be able to submit your credit application using secure technology. In most cases you will receive credit approval and notification through the DealerDirect site within an hour!

It is very easy to use. You start by selecting the model Ford you want. It then allows you to select desired features, colors, options and then compare. Pricing for the car and the options appear to help you see what combination of features fits your budget.

Once you get your vehicle “built” you can search inventory based on your local zip code or any zip you enter. It queries the local dealerships and tells you where the car is, or where its closest match might be. Once your search is done, the exact cars appear on the screen with full information including the window sticker, MSRP, options, and any incentives that might apply. At that point you can request a dealer quote on that very vehicle.

We have purchased a number of vehicles this way in the past couple of years and must say that it is a very liberating process. In most cases when you are an internet customer you are treated with a bit more respect for your intelligence. This is one more arena in life where the internet rules!

Try it out: Build and price a Ford Vehicle or search for your local Ford Dealer