SAINT AUGUSTINE, Fla. — E-Drive Autos (E-DRIVE) is making automotive history with a bold move into the vehicle re-marketing arena (but with a twist); E-DRIVE is the first online marketplace to give consumers access to vehicles at dealer (auction) prices. There’s no question that once you go to eDriveAutos.com, this is not your ordinary car-buying site. The company’s founder, Derek White, was also the original founder and visionary of real estate data giant, Realtytrac.com. White had the vision for E-DRIVE while owning and operating a successful Internet dealership. That vision was to provide consumers access to the best deals on used cars while providing dealers a retail channel to liquidate aged-inventory faster and cheaper than auctions – something that’s being done in Japan with great success.
Today, auto dealers spend on average $250 per vehicle to sell at auction with no guarantee of even making a profit. E-DRIVE provides a broader network of in-market car buyers that are attracted to “near wholesale” prices. This creates better value for the car buyer and increases the chances of a profitable sale for the dealer, and thus the chances of value-added sales of warranties, financing and insurance. “By partnering with E-DRIVE, dealers can lessen the overhead costs and logistical problems associated with the traditional auction process, and with greater success, they can market their frontline units separately from wholesale units without hurting their bottom line”, states Aaron Brinsko, E-DRIVE’S Director of Sales. “I’ve spoken with hundreds of dealers, including some of the largest franchises in the Country and they are overwhelmingly in support of our service” adds Brinsko.
Most automotive dealerships utilize dealer-only auctions and/or websites to buy and sell wholesale vehicles. With E-DRIVE, dealers can upload their wholesale units for up to 28 days prior to auction and get one last shot at a retail sale. Plus,E-DRIVE has nearly three times the wholesale inventory than some of the largest dealer-to-dealer re-marketing sites. But, what truly separates E-DRIVE from other car-buying sites is their third party pricing validation, which creates more trust between dealer and consumer. To make certain that dealers play by the rules, E-DRIVE employs a sophisticated vehicle qualification process. This qualification, which includes 16 filters, is done using a proprietary process that utilizes NADA Guide (the industry’s premier auto valuation tool).
“Our vehicle qualification process lessens the likelihood of price haggling between buyers and sellers because all of the supporting data is there”, states E-DRIVE CEO, Derek White. “We have the cleanest format in the business and pride ourselves on providing a customer experience that’s free of those cumbersome banner ads that pluck a potential buyer right from the dealer’s vehicle page. All of our listings are free of unwanted advertisements, so the focus is always on the vehicle itself. We help the consumer shop smarter and give dealers the best value proposition in the industry”, he adds.
E-DRIVE requires all users to register to view their 80,000+ pre-auction listings, which assures dealers that the people looking at their vehicles are serious buyers. E-DRIVE users can access just about any information on every vehicle listed, including vehicle history reports, pricing analytics and vehicle comparisons. For peace of mind, on-site vehicle inspections from a licensed independent inspector can be ordered as well.
E-DRIVE provides both Limited Access and Full Access accounts to consumers. For Limited Access, users simply login through their Facebook account. The cost for a Full Access account is $9.95 for 30 days, and $29.95 for an annual membership. Dealers can list their pre-auction inventory at no cost through 2012.