LOS ANGELES -

Car Harmony, founded this year as part of the Hankey Group, announced the launch of its new online car-shopping service on Tuesday.

The company is backed by fellow Hankey Group members, which includes well-known auto industry companies such as Westlake Financial Services, Nowcom Corp. and Midway Car Rental.

The company, co-founded by the 2014 SubPrime Auto Finance Executive of the Year Ian Anderson, as well as Craig Nehamen and Casey Harmon, seeks to differentiate itself from other similar services by offering a three-day, limited-mile, no-obligation trial of the vehicle prior to sale.

Nehamen, who earned his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, hopes Car Harmony will “shake up” the car-sales industry with this limited trial offering, which is made possible via a rental contract.  

“While there have been some improvements, competitors in the online car-buying market don’t go far enough — they often force clients to commit to a purchase online before ever trialing the vehicle,” Nehamen said. “We want to make buying a car an exciting, pleasant experience and remove the upfront anxiety.”

Another feature the company touts is its ease of finance, which Car Harmony says is made possible via its direct partnership with its financing partner, providing qualification offers online prior to sale and having those pre-filled forms provided in the glove box during the testing trial. If they decide to purchase the vehicle, they can fill out the forms, put them in the provided pre-paid envelope, and mail to Car Harmony.

“With the aid of Westlake Financial Services, Nowcom and Midway Car Rental, Car Harmony has a huge opportunity to change the way a customer purchases a vehicle,” Anderson said. “We see this as a perfect marriage of technology, vehicles and financing to give customers a very unique way of buying a car.”

For more information on Car Harmony, click here.

Roadster offers new trade-in experience

In other direct-to-consumer car-buying news, Roadster today announced it has released an enhancement to its car-buying service:  a smartphone-enabled trade-in service.

According to the company, the solution allows the seller to solicit bids on trade-ins from a network of professional buyers, providing the customer a firm cash offer within 48 hours. If accepted, Roadster arranges a home or office pickup, confirms the vehicle’s condition, drops off a check and handles the situation from there.

"By getting multiple bids, Roadster's new solution generates top-dollar offers, but equally important, it provides customers with the most efficient and stress-free way to dispose of their old car," said Andy Moss, Roadster’s chief executive officer. "Over 45 percent of new car buyers trade in their used cars during the purchase process, knowingly accepting a below-market price in exchange for convenience. With Roadster, our customers do not need to compromise between convenience and price. They get the best of both worlds."

This trade-in solution is currently available in California and can be used by customers regardless of whether or not they’re purchasing a vehicle from Roadster.

To learn more, click here.