When Lindsay Frandsen thought about registering for gifts for her wedding, she realized that what she and her husband really needed was a car.
Ms. Frandsen and her husband, Christian Burris, opened an account with a start-up company that lets potential car buyers reach out to their social networks for gifts.
One year later, the couple had scraped together a down payment from their savings and the gifts from the registry. Hyundai also gave them a $500 credit for taking part in the program.
"We got a good chunk toward our down payment," Ms. Frandsen, a 26-year-old driving instructor from Atlanta, said without being specific. "It's like 500 free dollars, basically."
While automakers and dealers lament that younger buyers have neither money nor brand loyalty when it comes to buying a car, a host of services are looking to the crowd to help them save for what could be the biggest purchase they will make for several years.
Geared toward first-time buyers, these services, like BoostUp, a Detroit-based company that Ms. Frandsen and Mr. Burris used, are trying to turn car-buying into a social experience.
Toyota and Google, for example, are announcing on Wednesday the Toyota Collaborator, a social car shopping tool where potential Corolla buyers can discuss decisions with friends and family in real time using Google Hangouts.
The C ollaborator website allows those in the conversation to customize the vehicle's exterior color, interior fabric and textures, wheels, transmission and features, including moonroofs and fog lights. After choosing the car's features, users can take a virtual drive down their own block using Google Street View.
Users can also ask questions of Toyota dealers, schedule a test drive and check whether the car they have customized is in stock. The program is starting with a handful of dealers in San Francisco.
For Toyota, the aim is to be where younger shoppers hang out: online, in Google's virtual hangout service.
The Corolla "skews very much to a younger audience that relies much more on input from friends and family than experts and brands," said Kimberley Gardiner, Toyota's director of digital marketing strategy.
"The goal is certainly to get folks in their 20s and 30s," she said.
If the Collaborator is successful, Toyota plans to introduce a similar program for another vehicle next spring.
Analysts say that younger buyers are losing interest in buying cars, preferring to live in cities where public transportation is available or to use vehicle-sharing services like Zipcar and Uber.
"Automakers and dealers are going to have to identify new ways to engage these customers and deliver a showroom experience that enhances the process for shopping for a vehicle," said Joe Vitale, global automotive leader at Deloitte & Touche.
Deloitte's most recent study showed that shopping for the vehicle was three times as important as its design.
"They expect their automotive shopping experience to be on par with their retail and technology experiences," Mr. Vitale said.
Chrysler's Dodge brand introduced the industry's first crowdfunding program, Dodgedartregistry.com, in January. Friends and family can contribute to a potential buyer's Dart fund by sponsoring different parts of the vehicle, like the engine, the heated seats or even the antenna. Users are encouraged to customize their vehicles and then use Facebook and Twitter to announce their goal and solicit donations and gifts.
"You're trying to break through the clutter and get noticed," Melissa Garlick, head of Dodge brand advertising, said, adding that it was also less expensive than buying television ads.
BoostUp, which is backed by the former Chrysler chief executive Tom LaSorda, helps consumers save money for a down payment and rewards them with matching funds - up to a certain amount - when they buy a car. Users can set a public goal and then collect donations and birthday, holiday and graduation gifts through their BoostUp account, which is similar to a Facebook page, according to its founder, John Morgan.
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