Hate shopping for a new car at a dealership? Dealing with haggling, upsells and test drives is hard work. Fortunately, you might not have to buy your next car from a dealership in person.
Ford has partnered with Amazon to offer certified preowned vehicles on Amazon Autos, letting customers browse, finance and schedule pickup of secondhand Fords from their local dealer — all without leaving home.
Through Amazon Autos, shoppers within a 75-mile radius of a participating dealer can now browse thousands of certified preowned Fords, each featuring detailed vehicle histories, pricing breakdowns and inspection reports. Once you’ve chosen a vehicle, you can sort out financing, start the paperwork and schedule a pickup, no sales pitch required.
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You buy the car through Amazon, but dealers still have control
You can view and buy the car through Amazon, but dealers still control the prices.
Don’t confuse this sleek interface with a revolution, warns Zach Shefska, CEO of CarEdge, a car-buying concierge service.
“This announcement sounds innovative, but it doesn’t meaningfully change the car-buying experience for consumers,” Shefska said. “Amazon Autos is built on the same dealer-paid marketplace model that’s been around for decades.”
Despite the Amazon branding and streamlined process, the power still sits squarely with the dealers, who control the pricing, fees and terms.
“There’s no real price transparency,” Shefska said. “What you see depends on which dealers are paying Amazon, not who actually has the best deals.”
So while the Amazon experience might feel familiar, it’s more like using AutoTrader than purchasing anything else through Amazon.
“Amazon Autos is essentially an advertising and subscription business aimed at car dealers,” Shefska said. “That makes the dealer the customer, not the consumer.”
Still, for buyers who trust the Ford badge and want a little more digital convenience, there’s structure here. Ford’s Blue Advantage program categorizes its used cars into three levels:
- Gold Certified vehicles get a 172-point inspection and a 12-month/12,000-mile limited warranty
- EV Certified vehicles get a specialized 127-point inspection and a similar warranty
- Blue Certified vehicles (which can include non-Ford models) receive a more modest 90-day/4,000-mile warranty.
All three types come with roadside assistance and a 14-day/1,000-mile money-back guarantee.
Ford certified preowned vehicles are now available on Amazon Autos in Los Angeles, Seattle and Dallas. The service is expected to expand to more cities soon, but for now, it’s a limited rollout.