Now, however, it is pretty clear that there are games being played with car prices on the Web. And it's a dangerous game that could take Web car sales down a dead-end road. And that is precisely the type of person most likely to try to buy a car online. That's definitely driving in the wrong direction. It's probably not too late to reverse, but damage done this early in the game is not easy to erase.
Shoppers have long memories.
Everyone should know up front what the offer is, how the options and custom choices add up, and all of those extra, hidden details. The idea of using the Web to sell products on price alone died with a couple hundred dot-coms in the past year or so. And the automakers and dealers aren't about to undersell themselves online, effectively taking money out of their own pockets. But consumers need some reason to use the Internet to actually buy cars instead of to simply look around at makes and models. If car shoppers click away from an automotive Web site more confused than when they click on, online car sales will remain stalled for a long time to come.