Don't Buy That Used Car! (Until You Read This First)

I want to take you on a journey. And, I won’t lie to you. It will be a trip through a minefield of misinformation, misdirection, and lies. You will be asked to trust a salesperson to do what is best for you. Be aware, be wary, and be prepared.

My intent is to provide you, the used vehicle buyer, with the power to make the correct choice. You will have the tools to find that quality vehicle that is worthy of your money, time and commitment.

My intent is not to paint every car salesman with the same tainted brush. I am sure there are honest, hardworking salespeople who are devoted to their customers. But, unless your uncle, sister, brother, or father is selling you the car, how are you going to know just who you can trust? It’s just like buying stocks. You, the customer, must do your own Due Diligence. That means you must do your own homework, your own information gathering prior to the purchase.

Remember, information is power. If you go into the deal blindly, you will have to trust the salesperson. I, for one, do not have that kind of blind faith. Not with my hard earned money. Do you?

I have worked in automotive service departments for ten years. I have never worked as a salesperson or anywhere in the “front end” of the business; that is as a salesman, sales manager, Finance & Insurance manager (called F&I), cashier or greeter. I have always worked in the “back end” of the business; as a mechanic, service advisor, and service manager. The majority of my career (eight years) was spent as a service advisor, with a brief stint as a service manager. I am no longer in the business and you will see why as you read this.

I took the time to write this because I saw too many people being taken advantage of. Many times I had risked my job to pull aside a customer and try to talk them out of buying a particular car. And then, I would be resigned to helping that same person because the car broke down and he was in a panic.