Cindy to the rescue, Car-wise
/I was so dreading the search for my next car. My cherished old PT Cruiser of 19 years was, despite consistent maintenance, becoming unreliable. I had been reviewing Consumer Reports and haunting the car web sites. So much information. So little of what I was seeking. I wasn’t even sure where to start.
Then I saw Cindy’s offer on the Silver Spring Timebank site. She said she loved looking for cars and was happy to help others in their search.
I asked for her help. It was the best decision I have made in a long time.
Cindy helped me to get focused. She had great recommendations and experience. The end result was that I got a great used car priced well below my budget target (even with taxes and fees).
Here is what I learned when I asked Cindy how she came to be the “car whisperer” (my term, not hers):
Question: Why do you like searching for cars?
Cindy: I hated buying cars until I discovered buying through the internet. Or, at least, narrowing the search through the internet.
Q: Why did you so dislike buying cars before you discovered the net approach?
C: The first car I bought was a Toyota Celica. I spent over 4 hours talking to salespeople and having to play the “car buying game”. Then the salesman left me waiting while he “talked to the Manager.” There was excessively loud music (which I later learned is a tactic to stress out potential buyers). The whole experience was unpleasant and annoying.
Q: What made you use the internet to qualify potential cars?
C: The next car I purchased was a Toyota Corolla. I had discovered several sites on the internet that let me narrow in on the features I wanted and the relative prices for the car. I found a range of choices easily without the assault of the showroom floor and the hours it takes to car shop in person.
Q: How did that first internet-assisted purchase go?
C: I narrowed my choice to the best combination of features and pricing. I called the dealership and negotiated on the phone. I asked them to fax me the Purchase Order (same as buying invoice) so I could review it without the face-to-face pressure. I signed it and faxed it back to the dealer. Then I test drove the car and bought it.
Q: Weren’t you concerned about signing the purchase order without first seeing the car?
C: Not at all. You have 3 days to change your mind on a car purchase (federal law). If I had test driven it and found problems, I would just have cancelled my order and walked away. Buying through the internet, phone and fax just let me avoid all the “buying games” so I could focus on the car I really wanted at the price I was willing to pay.
It is just like on-line shopping for consumer goods. You find the item and the information. You can experiment with seeking similar cars in different locations and kind of dealers. It made the car buying process less hassle and more fun. It’s like a treasure hunt.
Q: What internet sites do you find most useful?
C: KBB, Cars.com, Car Gurus, Auto Traders (especially for used cars 3 years old and older). Of course, starting with Consumer Reports gives you an unbiased assessment of a car’s capability and the owner’s satisfaction with it. I have also used these sites to sell 6 cars myself.
Q: I had many hours to use for my search. If a timebanker has a limited number of hours to use for an exchange, how would you recommend they work with you?
C: It depends on whether they wish to buy or sell. Here is a sample of what I would expect it would take in hours for various levels of assistance:
1. Refining your buying focus (narrowing your target to Make, Model, Year, Features) would take about 3 hours
2. Coaching session on how detailed use of the net for car purchases, about 2 hours
3. Researching for you and consulting on Financing, about 2 - 4 hours
4. Decision-making: new vs. used cars between 2 -3 hours
5. How to negotiate the purchase – detailed approach, about 2 hours
6. Test Drives: accompany you on the test drive, take notes, review reactions, 1 hour (plus time to and from car location)
7. Produce search spreadsheet that the buyer can use to evaluate and compare multiple potential cars and buying sources, about 3 hours per model of car for comparative evaluations or 5 hours if the potential buyer wants a sheet with links to the various listings
Q: This all is very helpful, but what if the potential buyer doesn’t know what they want?
C: I recommend a 1 hour exchange where we discuss the scope and timeframes of the car purchase. Then the timebanker will know enough to get started on their own. If they want more help, then we can determine just what help they want and work from there.
Thank you, Cindy, for your help with my car purchase. I can certainly echo that it is like a treasure hunt. I hope not to have to look for another car for a long time.
Thanks to SSTB member Connie Bevitt for sharing this member spotlight about her terrific exchange with Cindy Shay. Photos of her new car included.
