The only fun part about buying a new car is driving it off the lot. Everything else, from the negotiation to the constant phone calls and emails, can range from annoying to overwhelming.
But a D.C. man has created an artificial intelligence agent he says will take the hassle away, and negotiate the best deal possible for you.
For decades, Zach Shefska’s father sold cars. Now, Shefska, who lives in D.C., has worked with his dad to come up with a program called CarEdge.
For $50, it will handle all the phone calls, text messages and emails, and do all the negotiating online.
“It’s an AI agent that we’ve given all the information it needs to go be an expert negotiator and contact dealerships on a customer’s behalf,” he told WTOP.
“It creates that email alias. It creates that phone number alias, then your AI agent’s handling it for you,” he said. “There’s a dashboard where, as a user, you can see all the things that are going on and ultimately take over when you want to finalize the deal.”
All you have to do is explain the car you’re interested in and the price you want.
“We’ve compiled all the data necessary to come up with an informed out-the-door price, total price, including the dealer fees, the taxes, the add-ons, etc.,” Shefska said. “We’re taking that market data that we have, and ultimately leveraging that in the negotiation with the dealership to drive down the price on behalf of the customer.”
Now, don’t go into it thinking you can name your price and get an enormous discount. If the target price you list is unrealistic, CarEdge will let you know, though it will still also try to make it work. But there’s no guarantee it will.
“A lot of what we do at CarEdge is setting realistic expectations on both sides, for the consumer and obviously for the dealership as well,” Shefska said. “This should be the easiest transaction the dealership’s ever had. It’s a smart customer. It’s an informed customer. And one that, you know, we charge money to use this AI agent, so they’re obviously highly intended — they’re not buying this product to kick tires.”
Shefska said the AI agent helps level the playing field of buying or leasing a vehicle.
“The agent’s representing you, your best interests, and it’s a master negotiator.”
The whole transaction could be done in a matter of hours, or as long as a week. But typically, Shefska said, it takes about three days for customers to see the price come down about $1,500 from the original quote.
“Typically, customers spend upward of 20 hours at the dealership, doing the final paperwork, all that stuff,” Shefska said. “This is meant to cut that down significantly.”
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