In less than seven months, tech start-up Joydrive is well on its way toward its growth objectives for helping dealerships connect with vehicle buyers who want to complete delivery at home.

According to a recent news release, Joydrive has expanded from one store and 500 used vehicles available for an online transaction to approximately 50 dealerships and 12,000 new and used vehicles that can be obtained through the site.

Furthermore, Joydrive insisted that it is showing no signs of slowing down and is forecasting to be the largest network of connected dealerships in the country by the end of the year.

“We’ve built a marketplace that accomplishes two goals. One, we have brought dealerships into the 21st century by offering them an easy-to-implement e-commerce solution. And two, we offer consumers exactly what they want: the opportunity to buy a new or used car without ever stepping into a dealership,”, Joydrive chief executive officer Hunter Gorham said.

“The result is a national marketplace where customers are offered competitive and haggle-free prices, nearly every brand with one consistent buying experience, fast home delivery, a 5-day return period and follow-on service accessible after the purchase,” Gorham continued.

Joydrive is built on a proprietary tech platform honed through Gorham’s experience as a 14-year auto finance industry veteran at Ally Financial. The result is an end-to-end solution that can allow vehicle buyers to price new and used cars from a variety of dealerships and purchase within Joydrive without ever visiting a dealership.

“The data shows 99 percent of buyers want to buy both new and used cars online, on their time,” Gorham said. “The smartest and most farsighted dealers are joining us to give consumers what they want — a buying experience on par with every other purchase of their modern life. No pushy salesmen or ‘checking with my manager.’

“Joydrive offers car buying transparency and ease from the comfort of home,” he added.

When the start-up first rolled out its platform at the beginning of the year, Gorham explained that Joydrive works in three steps:

1. Buy online: The entire process can be completed online, from vehicle selection to delivery. After securing a vehicle with a $500 fully refundable deposit, a user-friendly dashboard shows all details of the transaction including trade-in, vehicle service contracts, financing options and delivery scheduling.

Of Joydrive’s first 250 transactions in beta mode, 40 percent included a trade-in, and 60 percent included financing.

2. Home delivery: Communicating through the dashboard, customers coordinate the vehicle delivery date and time with their licensed dealer representatives. Joydrive first delivered vehicles from California to Montana with an average distance of 135 miles.

Because vehicles are located on dealer lots, delivery can occur as fast as one day.

3. Five-day return period: Buying a vehicle can be the largest transaction customers make, so Joydrive and their dealer members offer a five-day return period or up to 250 miles to ensure customers love their purchase. Customers can drive the car how they will actually use it.

Joydrive has since incorporated plenty of dealer input into its operation. Back in June, Classic Chevrolet dealer principal and Texas Automobile Dealers Association chairman Tom Durant joined Don Fleming of independent dealership Northwest Motorsport as an adviser for Joydrive.

“We are selling cars today the same way we sold them 40 years ago, even though many consumers clearly want an alternative,” Durant said in this previous report from Auto Remarketing. “I don’t want to be the group that’s left behind, and this is an important step toward embracing a different future.”