

Ask HN: Why do most car dealership websites look like 1990s - codegeek

I am in the process of buying a new car right now and been going through a lot of dealer websites. Most of them are poorly designed, really bad UI/UX, ability to search car models suck etc. For example, there is no way to search only for a specific model with Navigation. Yes, I can try the keyword search by putting "nav" or "navigation" but that sucks too because there is no structure.<p>Is this a problem that is not worth solving ? Do dealers not really care about their online presence even in 2012 ?
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rct
It's because there are only a few DMS (dealer management system) providers
that most dealers sign up and stick with. They manage not only their web site,
but a lot of back-end systems as well. These systems, like you pointed out,
don't do a very good job with the web site, but that's only a small part of
what they offer as a package.

Since most dealers aren't very technical, they just stick with what they get
and leave it to the so-called "professionals" to handle the web site.

There's always room for disruption, but it's going to be more difficult than
simply calling up dealers and telling them you can create a better web site.

BTW, since you're looking at buying a new car, check out my site:
<http://www.realcartips.com>

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codegeek
Thanks. Your blog looks pretty good.

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rct
Thanks!

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johnrgrace
I think new car dealers overall are not highly focused on selling cars online.
The car they have for sale can be bought from another dealer that in most
metro areas is no more than an hour away. The industry, not without cause,
thinks people shopping online are highly focused on getting the best price and
have more information. The dealer WANTS you to come into their store instead
of shopping online.

Also, a new car? Consider buying something that's a few years old the cost
savings are huge.

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27182818284
It is probably very similar to how a lot of local restaurants don't have a
great website. They simply don't need to put down the money for a great
website because that's not how their business primarily operates.

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brudgers
In the U.S., Autotrader is a better option than hitting dealer websites one by
one. It has good search features, many dealers post their inventory, and you
can cross shop.

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rct
Autotrader.com and Cars.com are the two biggest players, and yes, most
dealerships use at least one to list their inventory. However, many car
shoppers do search individual dealer's web sites for inventory and find that
it sucks.

In addition, I've found many cases where the latest inventory is not listed on
Autotrader or Cars.com (and even on the dealer's own site). The only way to
know for sure what the dealer has on the lot is to actually visit them in
person or contact them via phone or email so they can check their internal
system.

