eBay Motors Starts Sale of GM Vehicles Tuesday

General Motors announced today that it will begin selling vehicles to California customers using eBay Motors starting on Tuesday, with more than 225 dealers participating in the initial trial program.

“Together with eBay Motors, GM and our dealers are reinventing the car-buying experience for our California customers,” said GM’s Vice President of U.S. Sales, Mark LaNeve.

According to GM’s press release, consumers will be able to “browse hundreds of California dealer showrooms, ask questions, negotiate prices, and arrange financing and payment to purchase a new 2008, 2009, or select 2010 car, crossover, or truck online.” GM says a selection of about 20,000 vehicles will be available for browsing, and consumers will have the option of using eBay Motors’ “Buy It Now” and “Best Offer” options.

The site will also provide consumers with the ability to compare pricing across models or participating dealerships, provide a “Buyer Checklist,” and determine the value of trade-in vehicles–including whether trade-ins qualify for the government’s CARS rebates.

GM has launched five sites with eBay: gm.ebay.com, chevrolet.ebay.com, buick.ebay.com, gmc.ebay.com, and pontiac.ebay.com. As of today, the websites simply lead to a “Coming Soon!” announcement, but that should change tomorrow. The program will run from Tuesday through September 8, 2009.