I've long wondered why you can't by new cars online, why you never see dealerships that sell all makes and models of cars, and why you can't buy a car directly from the manufacturer.
I mean, wouldn't it make sense to go to Honda.com (for example), pick your model and all your add-ons and accessories, and then have it shipped, cutting out the middle man and saving hundreds if not thousands of dollars?
On last night's "Adam Ruins Everything" (my new favorite show) I found out why.
The reason is simple: It's the law. There are laws on the books in all 50 states that restrict new car sales to franchise dealerships that own the exclusive rights to sell a given brand (or series of brands) in a given territory. The rights grant the given dealership an exclusive monopoly over a given territory, and no other dealerships for that brand or brands is allowed within the territory. Thus guaranteeing -- by law -- that consumers must purchase new cars through these exclusive dealerships, and adding hundreds if not thousands of dollars to the price consumers have to pay.
All of which begs the question: Why? Why would states pass these anti-competitive, monopolistic laws? Why do they legally bar consumers from purchasing new cars at places other than dealerships? And why aren't new cars available for purchase online?
The reason -- as you've likely guessed -- is money. New car purchases contribute as much as 20% of all the sales tax revenues in every state, and states will never, ever do anything that might jeopardize that.