Some want ability to buy vehicles without having to go to the dealership

[April 19, 2023]  By Zeta Cross | The Center Square contributor

(The Center Square) – A new Senate bill would allow Illinoisans to purchase a car without ever having to visit a dealership.

In a digital world, a person can buy just about anything from the comfort of home. In the Illinois Senate, state Sen. Patrick Joyce, D-Essex, has Senate Bill 1896. If approved, car buyers in Illinois will be able to buy a car without ever having to visit a dealership.

SB1896 would change the Illinois Vehicle Code to clarify language pertaining to home delivery and electronic signatures.

Larry Doll, attorney with the Illinois Auto Dealers Association, said Joyce’s bill has the backing of most Illinois new car dealers and of the Illinois Auto Dealers Association.
 

The legislation, which sailed through the Senate in March with no opposition, would clarify how sales tax is calculated and allow electronic signatures on title applications, odometer statements and powers of attorney that currently require in-person signatures made with ink pens.

“A few documents still require a good old fashioned wet ink signature. We’re trying to bring those documents into the 21st Century by digitizing the whole process,” Doll told The Center Square.

Ever since COVID-19 made some people reluctant to go out, dealers have been selling cars online and on the phone, Doll said. The process has been complicated and confusing because sales tax can vary if a customer takes delivery of the car at their home address.

Joyce’s bill would designate the address of the dealership as the address that is used to calculate the sales tax, so that the process is standardized. No matter where a customer takes possession of a vehicle, the sales tax is calculated using the dealership location as the point of transfer, eliminating a lot of confusion, Doll said.

“Any kind of remote sale that is conducted properly is considered to take place at the dealership rather than at the customer’s address or wherever the vehicle is delivered,” he said.

Carvana, the national company that sells used cars online and delivers them directly to the customer’s driveway, is backing Joyce’s legislation because the company believes that it is not necessary to visit a dealer’s office in order to buy a car.

Doll said online sales and direct delivery are not for everybody, but some customers want the option, and the Illinois Auto Dealers Association wants to give all their customers the buying experience that they prefer.

“Most people want to see the vehicle, touch it, drive it before they make that kind of investment,” Doll said. “But we have some customers who are comfortable with the remote process, and we want to serve our customers the best we can.”