SAN JOSE, Calif. — Hundreds of General Motors’ California dealers will let consumers haggle over the prices of new cars and trucks through the eBay online marketplace under a trial that begins today.
About 225 of California’s 250 GM dealers are set to take part in the program. They will be selling Buick, Chevrolet, GMC and Pontiac vehicles on cobranded websites through eBay Motors until Sept. 8. The cars also will be searchable through eBay Motors and eBay’s main site.
The trial makes official a practice some GM dealers participated in on their own. It expands an existing partnership covering GM certified used vehicles sold through eBay.
It also marks a shift for eBay, because most vehicles sold on eBay Motors usually have been used.
Starting today, eBay visitors will be able to visit and , websites where they can browse new 2008 and 2009 vehicles, ask dealers questions and figure out financing. Select 2010 models also will be available.
The cobranded sites will also include a Web tool currently on eBay Motors that helps shoppers determine if they’re qualified to trade in their old car for money toward a new one under the government’s just-refilled “cash for clunkers” stimulus program.
