Yahoo Autos What is the Build & Buy Car Buying Service?
Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports, in conjunction with Zag.com, Inc., is offering the Build & Buy Report as an extra benefit to online subscribers and to purchasers of CR's New Car Price Reports. Intended to complement CR's suite of auto ratings, reviews, and buying advice, the program is designed to help consumers buy vehicles at a competitive price from dealers who have agreed to abide by certain guidelines.
While Consumer Reports has long provided in-depth car-buying advice, subscribers have been on their own in finding dealerships that they want to work with and doing their own price negotiations. The Consumer Reports Build & Buy Report is intended to help make car buying easier, with less hassle and anxiety. The program also helps Consumers Union further its ongoing work and mission, because Zag pays us fees for vehicles sold through the program. Consumers Union has no direct contact or any financial relationship with any dealerships. For more details, see "What is Zag and what is its relationship to Consumer Reports?"
What are the advantages of using the Build & Buy program?
Dealer price quote. Participating dealers have agreed to sell their vehicles at a competitive, no-haggle price that's typically well below the manufacturer's suggested retail price and sometimes below the dealer-invoice price. (The dealer-invoice price, sometimes also known as the manufacturer-invoice price, is the standard price that a manufacturer charges a dealer for a specific vehicle. Because of various manufacturer-to-dealer incentives, rebates, and discounts, the actual amount that a dealer pays for a vehicle could be less than the invoice price. But dealers participating in the Zag program agree to pass along any savings from manufacturer-to-dealer incentives to the customer.)
Pre-screened dealers. The program includes more than 3,100 participating dealers nationwide who have been recognized for providing high customer satisfaction and have agreed to follow strict guidelines of conduct.
Easy-to-use tools. The program allows you to quickly configure a vehicle with the trim, color, and options you want and then get a Build & Buy Report, including guaranteed price quotes from dealers in your area. (Please note that users searching in Texas ZIP codes will not receive an upfront price quote due to Texas state regulations preventing the publishing of dealer prices. Instead, a Target Price will be shown. The Target Price is a below-market-average price. In most cases, participating dealers will match or beat the Target Price.)
Free and anonymous. You can use this free service as much as you want without revealing your identity to any dealers until you choose to. Your identity will be concealed from dealers, and theirs from you, when the price quote is initially given. You may then choose to send your identity to none, any or all of the dealers, and in return their identities will be revealed to you.
No obligation. Even after you get your certificate with your guaranteed price quote (or Target Price, in Texas ZIP codes), there's no obligation to buy. You can always change your mind about the vehicle, price, or dealership, or whether you want to buy a car at all.
You receive all applicable incentives. Participating dealers are required to pass along to you any discounts provided by any applicable manufacturer incentives for the vehicle you're buying. This includes unadvertised manufacturer-to-dealer incentives, for which it's typically up to the dealer whether to keep the savings or pass them on to the customer.
How does the program work?
Step 1
Select the make, model, and trim level that you want to buy. Then specify the exterior and interior colors and choose the options you want.
Step 2
Based on your choices in Step 1, you will be presented with dealer price quotes from up to three participating dealerships in your area, although the identity of the dealerships remains confidential at this point and your identity is hidden from them. If you so choose, you will then have the option to send your contact and vehicle information to any of the dealers and, in doing so, you will go on to Step 3 in which the dealers' identities will be revealed to you.
Step 3
You get a Consumer Reports Build & Buy Report, which includes the identities of and price quotes from the dealer(s) you selected in Step 2. The Report also includes detailed step-by-step instructions on how to use the price quote to get the best deal on a car, so we hope you will print it out and follow its advice.
(Please note that users searching in Texas ZIP codes will not receive an upfront price quote due to Texas state regulations preventing the publishing of dealer prices. Instead, a Target Price will be shown. The Target Price is a below-market-average price. In most cases, participating dealers will match or beat the Target Price.)
You may opt out of this process at any point, and you are under no obligation to buy. In addition, no dealer gets your name or contact information unless and until you choose to contact that dealer.
What is Zag and what is its relationship to Consumer Reports?
The Consumer Reports Build & Buy program is provided as a service to our ConsumerReports.org subscribers and Consumer Reports New Car Price Report purchasers in cooperation with Zag.com, Inc. Zag contracts with large membership organizations, including Consumers Union, to provide their members and subscribers with competitive, dealer-guaranteed price quotes on new cars. Zag leverages the group buying power of these organizations with its nationwide dealer network to help provide a positive buying experience. To participate, dealers must meet certain customer-service standards and agree to a code of conduct.
For consumers, the service is completely free. You are not charged a fee by Consumers Union, Zag, or the dealership. In addition to helping our subscribers, the Build & Buy program also helps Consumers Union, a nonprofit organization, do its work. Zag pays Consumers Union fees for cars sold through the program, without regard to what makes or models were bought, where they were bought, or who bought them. Whatever amounts Consumers Union receives are used to help defray the costs of its ongoing work and mission.
If you decide to use the Consumer Reports Build & Buy program we'd like to learn from your experience as we continue to develop and refine the service. So, if you submit your contact information to a participating dealer(s), we'll send you an e-mail asking for your feedback.
Consumers Union does not have any financial relationship with dealers, and the fee that Consumers Union receives is not related to the model or to Consumer Reports' rating of a specific model.
What guidelines must participating dealers follow?
To qualify for participation in the Consumer Reports Build & Buy program, dealers must follow strict guidelines intended to provide you, the customer, with a guaranteed price and easier, more transparent car-buying experience. Dealers are continuously re-evaluated for compliance with these guidelines.
Here are some of the guidelines that dealers must follow:
The dealer ensures the confidentiality of all non-public personal information you provide to complete a vehicle sales transaction.
The dealer will confirm your price prior to your arrival at the dealership.
The dealer will assist you with a test drive or test drives once you arrive at the dealership.
All factory-installed vehicle options are priced at the dealer's invoice price.
Upon your request, the dealer will show you its current pricing on each model and trim of vehicle offered through the program (the "Dealer Price") and the dealer's invoice price (the maximum amount the dealer pays the manufacturer for the vehicle) applicable to any dealer vehicle.
The dealer will pass any and all manufacturer-to-dealer and manufacturer-to-customer incentives to you. Incentives are discounts that the manufacturer gives to the dealer or consumer to increase the sales of a particular model.
If you have already arranged financing of your vehicle purchase, the dealer will not present you with a competing financing offer unless you request information on alternative financing offers.
The dealer will complete all necessary titling documents and, in cases where you provide financing, pay all titling fees and perfect liens in exchange for accepting payment from the financing institution.
A trained dealer representative will respond to your inquiry within twenty-four (24) hours by both phone and e-mail to confirm the Dealer Price and inform you of the availability of the vehicle, equipped as you specified in your inquiry to the dealer. If the specifically equipped vehicle is not on the dealer's lot, the dealer representative will explain how he or she can assist you in acquiring that specifically equipped vehicle or how your program price can be applied to a differently equipped vehicle that may be available for quicker delivery. For a given trim line (a model with a standard set of equipment, packages and available options), you are guaranteed the same amount relative to the dealer-invoice price, regardless of the factory-installed options on a vehicle. Dealer-installed accessories, however, may affect the total amount off invoice. (Factory-installed options are added to the vehicle by the manufacturer at the manufacturing facility, whereas dealer-installed accessories are installed after the dealer receives the vehicle from the manufacturer.) The dealer sells all aftermarket products below market value under the program.
In accordance with the law, any price charged to you in excess of the Dealer Price will be refunded to you by the dealer within three (3) days of any request for such refund by Zag or you.
The dealer must contact Zag to resolve all customer complaints or program issues immediately.
What if I have a question or complaint about this service?
The Build & Buy program is administered by Zag, Inc. Consumers Union has no direct contact with participating dealers.
If you have complaints about a dealership or the service, please call Zag's customer service at 877-924-2585.
If you decide to not buy a car through the program and want to stop receiving e-mails from the Build & Buy Program or e-mails from dealers, use the unsubscribe link near the bottom of the e-mail you received.
To halt telephone calls from a dealer, just tell the dealer representative that you do not wish to receive further calls.
If you continue to have problems, contact the customer service department at Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports, at buildandbuy@customerrelations.consumer.org.
We want the service to be a positive experience for our subscribers. So, a Zag customer service specialist will make a follow-up courtesy phone call to every consumer who uses the Program to help ensure that your expectations are being met and to address your outstanding questions. In addition, Zag and Consumers Union will work together to review every complaint and issue reported.
How do I know what the price is?
The Build & Buy Report includes the dealer price quotes for the specific vehicle you configured, along with the dealer's invoice price for that vehicle, plus information on available incentives. Once you select the price and dealer of your choice, our system automatically sends a copy of the Build & Buy Report to the e-mail address you provided; the Report includes the dealer contact information and the Zag price quote for the exact vehicle you configured.
Is the price I receive the lowest available?
The price that you receive is the lowest offered through the program by a participating dealer in your area. It is formulated to be competitive and will include all available incentives. But it may not be the absolute lowest price for which a specific vehicle can be purchased. That figure depends on a variety of factors, including when you buy, the availability of the model, and how much time and effort you want to invest in negotiating. Even after you receive your Price Certificate, you are free to try and negotiate a lower price with any dealer. The Build & Buy Report includes a great deal of specific advice on how to negotiate the best deal.
Does the price include all fees?
The dealer prices shown by Zag in the Build & Buy Report include all manufacturer fees, including destination charges. You are responsible for tax, title, registration, documentation, and dealer-installed accessories. The dealer pays all titling fees and perfects liens in exchange for accepting payment from the financing institution. The Build & Buy Report includes more specific advice on fees, and which ones you should question or negotiate before accepting.
Will the dealer honor the upfront program price?
Participating dealers are obligated to honor their upfront price if the exact vehicle you configured is in stock. If the participating dealer has the exact car in stock but refuses to honor the price quoted, please call Zag's customer service line at 877-924-2585. Consumers Union does not have a direct relationship with the dealers.
What if the dealer doesn't have the exact vehicle I want?
Given the many possible trim choices and configurations of modern cars, it is possible that some or all of the dealers who provided a price for the program will not have that exact car in stock. Zag research shows that nearly 25 percent of consumers who have contacted program dealers and who ultimately purchased from dealers outside the Zag dealer network did so because the Zag dealer could not provide the car they wanted. If the dealer does not have the exact car you wanted, you have several options:
Check with other dealers that you selected. Keep in mind that the program price may differ at another dealership.
Custom order a vehicle with your configuration. Some automakers allow you to place a special order for the vehicle. The only downside is that custom orders typically take several weeks to arrive, and sales incentives and/or dealer invoice prices may change during that time, affecting your price. (The dealer-invoice price is the standard price that a manufacturer charges a dealer for a specific vehicle. For more, see "What are the advantages of using the Build & Buy program?" above.)
Buy a similar model from the dealer's inventory. The dealer may have the same car with slightly different features. Obviously, that will affect your price. If the car has fewer features, your price will be less; if it has more features, the price will be more. But the final price should still differ from the dealer-invoice price by the same margin that is shown on the Price Certificate. For example, if the certificate says the price is "$500 below invoice," then the new price should still be $500 below the invoice price for any differently configured model. To verify this, the dealer is required to show you the invoice price for any vehicle offered through the program.
Shop around. You're under no obligation to purchase a vehicle through the Build & Buy program, so you always have the option to negotiate a price on your own with dealers outside the program.
Can I lease the vehicle instead?
Yes. Your dealer price quotes are valid for vehicle leases as well as purchases and will be used in calculating the capital cost (price of the vehicle, for the purposes of the lease). See the Build & Buy Report for specific advice on how to negotiate a better lease deal. Note: some manufacturer incentives may not be available with some lease programs. However, under program guidelines the dealer is required to include all eligible incentives in the price offered to you.
Can I use my dealer price quote on a used car?
No. The Zag price quote is only good for a new car that the dealer has in stock or custom orders on your behalf. That said, it's always good to compare the price for a new car with what's available among used cars. Late-model used cars, in particular, provide some of the best value when car buying. That's because they typically have relatively low mileage, are equipped with modern safety features, and, because they've already taken their biggest depreciation hit, are priced considerably lower than similar new cars. On average, a new car's value drops about 47 percent in the first three years.
How does Zag figure out which dealers to present to you?
After configuring your car, the program presents up to three dealers in your area, including the one with the lowest Dealer Price, the dealer nearest you (sometimes the nearest dealer also offers the lowest Dealer Price), and one or more dealers in your area with a high customer satisfaction rating.
What's the difference between Consumer Reports Build & Buy program and Consumer Reports.org Cars Best Deals Plus?
These programs offer you two different ways to get a low price on a new car.
The Consumer Reports Build & Buy program lets you configure and buy the car you want for a dealer guaranteed low price without the need to negotiate the price. It also directs you to pre-screened dealers who will honor that price. The service is free and you are under no obligation to buy.
If you prefer to negotiate the price for a new car, Consumer Reports Cars Best Deals Plus gives you the tools you need. This service provides unlimited new-car price reports, which include the Consumer Reports Bottom Line Price. The Consumer Reports Bottom Line Price is the dealer-invoice price, minus any customer rebate, dealer incentive, or holdback amount. This figure provides a good place to begin your new-car price negotiations. Cars Best Deals Plus also helps you research which car to buy, with more detailed road-test reports and owner-satisfaction and reliability information than is published anywhere else. The service costs $13 a year, in addition to your ConsumerReports.org annual subscription.
How does the Consumer Reports Build & Buy program differ from price-quote services on other car-shopping Web sites?
This program differs from dealer lead-referral systems—typically presented as price-quote services on popular car Web sites—in several ways.
