CarRush Brings Daily Deals to U.K. Auto Industry

Today’s Deal: Up to 40% off a Brand New Car!

From bungee-jumping to housewares, daily deal sites provide consumers with discounted rates on the activities they’ve dreamed of doing or on the name-brand items they wouldn’t purchase otherwise. CarRush was recently launched in the U.K. with the hopes of saving new car shoppers at least £1,500 ($2,394) and as much as £10,000 ($15,959) if they source their car through the daily deal site. Powered by FinanceAcar, a U.K. vehicle finance-comparison site, CarRush will act as the front-end to the business offering monthly financing discounts as much as 40% off. 

For customers who aren’t in the market for a new car, the site provides shoppers with deals on services, tires, or even GPS systems.

But could CarRush become the Groupon for the auto industry? The site promises weekly offerings of discounted vehicles from participating dealerships with a “soft” credit check involved in the process.

Here’s how it works:

– The consumer purchases a CarRush coupon to secure a vehicle offer. The coupon, which ranges from £99 to £199 ($158 to $318), won’t be debited to the shopper until it is confirmed that the purchase will be made.

– The chosen finance company, which is determined through the dealer selling the car, determines whether the shopper can afford the monthly payments based on a “soft” credit check, which does not affect the consumer’s credit score. If accepted, CarRush customer service connects the consumer to confirm that the shopper wants to proceed.

– If the finance company accepts the application, paperwork is arranged and the dealer delivers the car, equipped with manufacturer warranties, to the customer’s doorstep.

We’ve heard it at recent conferences and definitely when speaking to dealers and lenders — when will the car buying experience become entirely virtual? Could CarRush.co.uk be the answer? Or will there be too many kinks to sort out with a vehicle daily deal site?