AI’s art of the deal: CarEdge’s negotiator saves buyers $1K+ by handling dealership talks

Zach Shefska, the 30-year-old CEO of CarEdge, claims his company’s AI negotiator can save car buyers thousands of dollars by handling dealership negotiations without human involvement. Since launching in July, the AI system has helped over 2,000 paying customers navigate the traditionally stressful car-buying process while keeping their personal information completely private.

How it works: CarEdge’s AI creates anonymous email addresses and phone numbers to contact dealerships directly on behalf of customers.

• The system is built on large language models enhanced with CarEdge’s proprietary market insights and negotiation training from six years of pricing data across hundreds of thousands of car transactions.
• Customers specify exactly what vehicle they want, and the AI handles all price negotiations while maintaining buyer anonymity until they’re ready to purchase.
• The service costs $40 for a month of access without auto-renewal to ensure only serious buyers use the platform.

The results: CarEdge reports significant savings across thousands of negotiations since its July launch.

• In one example, the AI negotiated a Toyota RAV4 from an initial dealer quote of $37,356 down to $35,600—a savings of nearly $1,800.
• Customer testimonials show even larger wins, with one buyer reportedly getting a 2023 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid for “$4,000 under MSRP after fees” and another securing a 2023 Corvette C8 for $5,000 under sticker price.
• “On average the agent saves users over $1,000 and ~5 hours of back and forth with dealers via email and text,” Shefska told Fortune.

The AI advantage: Unlike human buyers who purchase cars every few years, the artificial intelligence negotiates deals constantly, learning from each interaction.

• The system eliminates emotional and psychological pressures that often derail human negotiations, methodically comparing offers and identifying hidden fees with persistent focus.
• CarEdge’s AI has been deployed over 10,000 times since launching, collecting pricing data from thousands of dealerships nationwide.
• In one case, the AI managed 13 back-and-forth messages with a dealer for a Honda Accord customer, ultimately saving $1,280 off the original price.

Privacy protection: The AI addresses a major car shopping pain point by shielding buyers from dealer spam and privacy invasion.

• Traditional car shopping websites often expose buyers to unwanted calls and emails from multiple dealerships, while CarEdge’s system keeps customers anonymous throughout negotiations.
• The AI uses “protected alias” contact information, ensuring dealers never access the buyer’s real phone number or email address during the negotiation process.

Why this matters: CarEdge’s approach represents part of a larger transformation in high-value transactions, with Shefska envisioning a future where AI agents routinely handle complex negotiations on behalf of consumers.

• “Consumers don’t want to get screwed,” Shefska told PYMNTS. “And it’s not even necessarily about getting the best price; it’s just not wanting to be taken advantage of.”
• As AI becomes more sophisticated and car buying remains one of consumers’ most stressful retail experiences, such tools may become standard practice in an industry built on information asymmetry.