New GM to experiment with cars sales on eBay Motors

If you live in California, General Motors will have a new experimental program to allow buyers to purchase cars through an eBay auction. The company has signed an agreement with eBay, but few details are available.

The program will be run through California dealerships and include an option to buy the car at a fixed price.

This marks the latest manufacturer attempt to provide a way for consumers to buy cars directly off the Internet and avoid price haggling in the sales office. However, bidders may find dealers still try to sell extended warranties, fabric and paint protection, and VIN etching once at they arrive at the sales office to complete the paperwork. 

Previous efforts to allow consumers to buy cars directly through manufacturer or third-party Web sites were not successful. But dealers now have many years of experience selling used cars on eBay, so they may be more comfortable with this program. If the experiment is successful, GM hopes to make it available more widely, said GM CEO Fritz Henderson in a speech this morning.

Read: “What the post-bankruptcy GM means to you” and also: “Winning at eBay.”

—Eric Evarts

Comments

[Mike Kelley]

I'll buy a car from Government Motors when pigs fly.