Category Archives: General

Why Go Up Against A Professional Car Seller Alone?

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With the confusion of financing, fees, add-ons, taxes, and the hurried, jargon-filled nature of the car dealership, it makes sense to leave the bargaining to a good unbiased independent – someone who won’t be fazed by the wheeling and dealing and works for you, not the dealer.

Countless stories have been told about the money people saved over a “best-priced” offer or add made one day from a dealership, only to have an auto broker secure a better price just days or even hours later.

This is possible because as an auto broker, I have over 25 years of experience with dealerships and know how much they can afford to charge based on how long the vehicle has been on the lot, how many more they have coming in, prices they pay at the wholesale auctions, and how much dozens of other dealerships are charging. In addition, I know which dealers to steer clear of.

But much of what a good honest auto broker provides is convenience and peace of mind. If you don’t care for the antagonistic negotiations with car salespeople anymore or no longer have the time, I can help.

I can find a new or used car, truck, SUV or van for anyone.

I provide you a purchase price and/or lease/loan payment up front with no dealer handling fees charged.

After the sale or lease, I provide all my best vendor referrals at my cost / your cost for anything needed, for the life of all your vehicles. And I never pay retail for anything involving vehicles.

In the end, most consumers can save hundreds if not thousands of dollars by hiring a pro to broker your next car. But beyond the dollars, you’re also saving hoursof hassle in avoiding the traditional walk-up or even internet-based dealership experience – no matter which online referral website sends you there. And that can be the most valuable benefit I provide.

The Best Auto Reviews

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I’ve been in the same auto-finding business working for customers rather than vehicle inventory providers now since 1990 and in that time I’ve read and evaluated thousands of vehicle reviews and compared them to my actual customer comments and comparisons.

I’ve only found one source to be truly unbiased although somewhat subjective at times due to its rating methods.

Consumer Reports consistently remains unbiased in its ratings. They do not get their income from any auto manufacturer, dealer chain, or bank source, but get 90% of their revenue from paper and online subscriptions and other sales. They are a non-profit organization. For details, their annual reports, financial statements, and tax returns are online at:

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/aboutus/annualreport/index.htm

Their opinions and evaluations come from their own actual vehicle testing and vehicle owners themselves.

Vehicle owner input however can look skewed at times. Take for example the Honda Passport and the Isuzu Rodeo – identical vehicles with different badging. In the same years the Honda version of this vehicle (made on Isuzu assembly lines) got a much better reliability rating than the Isuzu Rodeo – probably because Honda owners are more loyal to the Honda brand name and wouldn’t downgrade Honda easily.

Other vehicle rating services have Auto Manufacturer and Dealer Sponsors and Paid Advertisers that can easily influence the rating process. Many of these vehicle rating services score how fun a vehicle is to drive and emphasize acceleration, cornering, and other such statistical information while underplaying reliability, safety, and value – what you get for the money. Consumer Reports does the opposite.

So if you value these three things – reliability, safety, and value – as I do, stick to Consumer Reports. It’s the absolute best at this. Their annual report on new models comes out every year in the April issue available on newsstands in March. The back of this issue also rates the previous six year’s models for reliability, if a used car is under consideration. I buy 4 or 5 copies each year to loan to my customers when they are trying to narrow their focus to a specific model, prior to my finding them the perfect car, truck, minivan or SUV.

Good luck on your next car search. I hope this will help. Call me if you’d like the professional touch and someone on your side.

10 COMMANDMENTS OF CAR BUYING

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THE WORD
10 COMMANDMENTS OF CAR BUYING
By Kurt Schlaefer

1. THOU SHALT NOT HAVE OTHER BROKERS BESIDES ME :-). A good broker is on your side. Choose a broker you can trust and give them all the information you can about what you want and why. Don’t hold back. When I bring you a vehicle and a price for that vehicle, I always price it at the very lowest I can for that particular car. Reward your broker’s work with your business. Be available by phone or email to better facilitate the vehicle search and narrow the possible choices more quickly.

2. THOU SHALT NOT BE IN A BIG HURRY!! Patience really is a virtue. Speed and low cost are mutually exclusive. Needing a new car today will significantly increase your cost. Never fall for the “two more people waiting for this car” routine. If it was meant to be, you’ll get it.

3. THOU SHALT NOT WALK INTO A NEW CAR DEALERSHIP UNPROTECTED!! Call Kurt 1st. When you see an ad for any kind of incentive showing a payment, add $100 per month, to be realistic. Especially avoid dealerships on Saturdays in Colorado and beware the “spot delivery”. Only the high pressure folks work Saturdays and they know you can’t look on Sunday. What are they selling? – their cars. What am I selling? – your satisfaction. If you must enter a dealership, ask me first which ones to stay away from. There are very good reasons for this. Beware of “certified” used cars.

4. THOU SHALT NOT PUT MONEY DOWN ON A CAR LEASE!! Should you happen to total the car soon after you lease it, the down money will be gone forever.

5. THOU SHALT NOT FALL FOR PRESSURE TACTICS SURROUNDING THE END OF THE CURRENT FACTORY INCENTIVES! Most incentives stay the same or actually increase from month to month.

6. AT MODEL YEAR END (anytime between July and September) IT IS ALMOST ALWAYS BEST TO LEASE THE NEW MODEL BUT BUY THE OLD MODEL!

7. THOU SHALT NOT PURCHASE OR LEASE BEFORE CHECKING THE INSURANCE through a good insurance agent (an independent agent is best) rather than via an 800 number. A good agent will keep you out of trouble by recommending if and when to file claims to minimize your rates. Does your insurance company offer “gap insurance” and “diminished value coverage”?

8. THOU SHALT NOT BUY USED WITHOUT A CARFAX AND AN INDEPENDENT INSPECTION, EVEN IF THERE’S WARRANTY REMAINING!

9. THOU SHALT NOT BUY A USED EUROPEAN VEHICLE WITHOUT A GOOD EXTENDED WARRANTY unless you’re independently wealthy! Call me to check reasonable cost. Only buy extended warranties that itemize what’s not covered, rather than the other way around.

10. VERY LOW COST “DEALER-ADVERTISED” USED CARS UNDER $7000 are almost never what they seem! If they were, most would be sold before ever reaching an ad. Expect to pay over retail book value for a really nice one in this price range. The best ones are found by word of mouth thru relatives or acquaintances – remember commandment #8.

Loyalty to Buyers – Not to Inventory!

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My PROCESS as your Vehicle Consultant

Vehicle Purchase Time Table:

  • Customer Interview 30-45 min- Inspect Vehicle Trade (if any)
    • Initial Information – Credit Application & Drivers License(s)
    • Credit only gets pulled once.
    • Best to Contact Who – How – When?
    • Vehicle Use?
    • Leasing vs. Buying?
    • Narrow Focus – New/Used, Models, Options, Colors
  • Shop Vehicle Trade 1 Day? – if needed 
  • Initial Vehicle Search 1-3 Days 
  • Vehicle Test Drives 1 Day? -if needed 
  • Selection/Pricing 1-2 Days Independent Inspection (if used vehicle)
  • Up-fit & Preparation 1-2 Days? if needed 
  • Funding & Vehicle Delivery 1-2 Days
  • License Plates Delivered 30-40 days later
  • Continued Service After the Sale:
     Whenever you need it for all your vehicles!

 TOTAL TIME START TO FINISH:

As little as 2-3 days up to several weeks for some Used Vehicles

Must say, I’m “sold” on the whole car broker process. Here’s my story.

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My wife Michelle decided to buy an SUV in December.  She knew what she wanted, and we had a little time. I’d known Kurt for several years, and decided to use his services for the purchase.  I was skeptical that I couldn’t do it better myself, but was willing to give it a try.

 

  1. Kurt brought 3 SUVs in from different dealers – an FJ Cruiser, a Nissan Murano, and a Volvo XC-90.   We drove to his office, and drove all 3.  No driving all over town.  Very Cool.   Michelle decided on the XC-90.  Michelle had NO flexibility on some issues like 3rd row seating, black leather, and a moonroof.  On color, she was a little more flexible.   

 

  1. Kurt had a buyer go to a Volvo “lease-return” auction, where Volvo auctions cars off to dealers.   We went through this process three times, with different buyers in Kurt’s network, in three different cities.  Once, we couldn’t get the car at the right price.  Second time, the car we wanted smelled of smoke, and another had been wrecked.  Kurt’s buyers protected us.  No travel for me: I never did anything but talk on the phone w/ Kurt.   Way Cool.

 

  1. Kurt handled the financing for us.  To make sure we were doing ok, we checked w/ our credit union where our Volvo S-40 was financed.   Kurt was quite competitive, and we went with him.  We also leased, because the rate was better.  We’re now very thankful that we leased, because the car has lost value due to gas mileage.  If that continues to be the case, it’s the bank’s problem, not ours.  Also Very Cool.

 

  1. The Volvo XC-90 got to town.  Kurt had it inspected by an outside company, and it passed w/ flying colors.  I got the report.

 

  1. Kurt took it to the dealership.  He had all the available “Warranty Work” done on it.   It was all little stuff, like plastic rings around the door lock knobs, but still.  Outstanding.    Then, he had it detailed.

 

  1. Kurt BROUGHT IT TO OUR HOME.  Delivered the car right to my door.  A ½ hour drive from his house.

 

  1. About 3 weeks later, he brought me my license plates.  I didn’t even have to go to the DMV.

 

However, the best part:

>>>>>>>>>>  All this, and he brought us the car for several hundred less than predicted at the beginning of the process, and $3,000 less than we expected to spend if I’d done it at the dealership!   Kurt buys at dealer prices, but doesn’t have the overhead. 

 

When I compare this to my experience in February (after the Volvo S-40, our other car, was totaled) it was night and day.  Kurt was out of town on vacation, and I had to have a car.  In hindsight, I should have rented a car for two weeks and used him again.

 

In short – A wholehearted, unmitigated thumbs-up to the process, and to how Kurt took care of us.  I’ll never do it any other way again.  You couldn’t be in better hands.

 

Matt

Sr. Mortgage Planner

www.coloradofirstmortgage.com