You’ve heard it before. Traditional notions of buying, selling, and even owning cars are being challenged by eager startups as well as established automakers. There is Ford’s focus on mobility. GM has its Maven and Book by Cadillac ride-sharing programs. And new online and app-based companies are intent on either grabbing some of established dealerships’ foot traffic or putting an end to the traditional brick-and-mortar model altogether. Not Fair, though.
Fair, a Southern California startup that promises “endless cars” at “extraordinary prices” with “no commitment,” sees itself as a partner for dealers rather than a replacement. “We’re not looking to disrupt car dealers. We’re looking to collaborate,” according to Fair founder and CEO Scott Painter. Perhaps even more ambitious, the company also sees itself as a solution to the much-talked-about industry headache of a crush of late-model vehicles coming off lease. The entire process is based on a mobile app?of course?and Fair focuses on giving users a single monthly payment for a car or truck. Painter said it’s designed so that financially strapped young Americans can budget their transportation dollars in a simple way, rather than worry about managing several costs such as maintenance and loan or lease payments. Insurance offered through Fair can also be rolled into that monthly payment.
Fair works like this: Users put down a “start ...