Building a car dealership website: Agency is asking for €20,000 — what should a site like this include?

We went through this exact same thing two years ago for our 70-car inventory. If the agency's proposal doesn't include automatic inventory feeds from the listing portals, even half that quote is money down the drain. Entering cars on portals every day means your own site gets neglected, and sold cars sit there for weeks. Make sure the automatic data feed protocol is explicitly written into the contract.

There's zero need for custom-built software here. A solid WordPress setup running a ready-made auto dealership theme and plugins will easily get the job done. For a 45-car portfolio, a skilled freelancer can build you a super clean system for €3,000 - €5,000. Put the rest of the budget into local ads.

We paid €6,500 last year in Stuttgart for our 30-car lot. That included auto-sync integrations with two major listing portals, a financing simulator, and a vehicle reservation form. €20,000 is only justifiable if it includes a full custom-coded enterprise ERP integration.

Accept upfront that your own website won't replace the major listing portals. Most buyers will still come through the big platforms. Your site is mainly there for brand credibility. Dropping €20,000 might not shave a single cent off your €3,500 monthly portal bills. Keep your expectations realistic.

Correction: I misremembered the figure, it was a bit lower.

Before you sit down with the agency, get these 4 items in writing: 1) Inventory feed/export standard compliance. 2) A dynamic interest/financing module where users can initiate loan applications directly on the vehicle page. 3) Fast-loading, multi-image high-res gallery display. 4) Annual maintenance and tech support fees.

20k euros is way too exaggerated for that vehicle count. I mean we sorted it out with an open-source setup and it cost close to 2k euros. the important thing is that it loads fast on mobile and the "call now" button is right there.

Does the agency's quote include photo optimization and video upload infrastructure? When you upload 20-30 photos per vehicle, the server can get bloated. Also who's going to handle maintenance—is a monthly maintenance fee included in the proposal?

When I first opened, I got hyped and had custom software built, paid 15.000 €. Six months later the agency went out of business, and no one could update the codebase. Then we ended up switching to an off-the-shelf platform. My advice is to stay away from proprietary custom-coded setups.

I went through the same thing. Every "we'll look at it later" in a meeting means unbilled work.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

Let me summarize what's been said so far. Processes without records never improve because you don't know what to fix.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

Timely topic. Code without setup documentation isn't yours, even if you have it.

Let me summarize what's been said so far. The cheapest quote is usually the least thought-out one.

I'm also curious if anyone does it differently.

I've been down this road, let me tell you. Hasty decisions become decisions you have to fix six months later.

Just leaving this note, it might be useful.

We got stuck at the same point for a while. Taking notes for two weeks yields better results than a six-month estimate.

If you have questions, write them; I'll answer as best I can.

You're right.

I think it's hard to be that definitive about car dealership website. Access credentials should be opened in the company's name, not personal accounts.

Of course, it varies if your situation is different.

I went through the same thing two years ago. Everyone rushing into car dealership website gets stuck at the same point.

If you post the result here, it will help others too.

Sorry but this doesn't apply in every case. When we decide without measuring, we always end up in the same place.

Correct me if I'm wrong.