Thanks for that story, Happy

Actually, as a consumer journalist specializing in auto stuff, I can assure
you, "Buyer beware" is the rule. (I recently finished a piece in which I
interviewed about a dozen used car salespeople who are now whistleblowers.
What you say is true for sure.) But that's why the buyers have to educate
themselves and take control. If a dealer tells you he doesn't know where the
vehicle came from, that means it's an auction car - former lease, rental or
worse. You need to say: "Oh, I don't want a car that you know nothing about.
Do you have one a customer traded in?" If not, or if he is unwilling to
accommodate you, simple, walk away. But the moment you start to go out the
door, he'll likely have one. :O) By the way, a dealer will have the
paperwork on the car or he won't be able to pass title. If it's a former
lease, then he may not know the name of the previous lessee, unless of
course he was the one who sold the lease to start with.

You have to let a dealer know what you expect: The kind of car and the kind
of info. I help lots of people buy cars new and used. I assure you that you
can get a dealer to give you what you want if you are up front about your
expectations. In fact, I find that dealers respect that and will drop the
tricks as soon as they see it.

The quickest way to get what you want is to walk into a dealership with a
printout from an online pricing service such as Edmunds, a clipboard with
price worksheets and a calculator or laptop. And it doesn't mean you have to
be nasty or that car-buying can't even be fun. You just have to let dealers
know that YOU know what you are doing and that you have definite
expectations.

As far as buying used, buying from a new car dealer is the best way to
protect yourself. The new car dealers keep the best and get rid of the
worst. Buying from a private person leaves you pretty much with no
protection, unless of course the vehicle still is under manufacturer's
warranty.

Thanks again for your interesting response.

--
Regards,
Anthony Giorgianni

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"Happy Traveler" > wrote in message
...
> Anthony,
>
> Unfortunately, I have a lot less faith in used car salesmen than you do.
> There is no doubt in my mind that one can develop the kind of trusting
> relationship with a dealer that you and your dad are enjoying. Perhaps
> living in a small community and buying all your vehicles from people you
> meet regularly in church and the PTA is the key. When I visit the three or
> four Ford dealerships around me, all I see is smooth talking, desperate
> salesmen, who may be selling cars today and cell phones tomorrow. They
know
> that the only way to feed their children is to sell; no matter what and no
> matter to whom. I was never able to obtain any useful information from
them
> and learned not to ask. If any of them happen to know something about what
> they are selling, it does not show, because they prefer to play it dumb.
>
> I still had some trust in salesmen when I was shopping for a used Crown
> Vic/Grand Marquis several years ago. My first question when I saw one was:
> "Where did it come from?" "I don't know", was the standard reply. "Can you
> find out for me?" "We don't have this information", they all contiuned.
> Newer models of those probably have standard ABS, but for the 96-98
vintage
> at which I was looking at the time, it was optional. "Does it have ABS?"
> Without exception, the answer was yes, for every single one of them, on
> every lot that I visited. I popped the hood on a vehicle that looked in
> better shape than others, and there was no ABS. "You are wrong", the young
> gentleman chastised me with great confidence. Feeling generous, I asked
him
> to accompany me to the car that I was driving, and showed him what an ABS
> control unit looks like.
> After several weekends of frustration I stopped asking questions and just
> jotted the VINs off the windshields, without even opening a door (no, you
> can't tell anything about ABS from the VIN without access to a dealer's
> computer, but by typing it into Carfax or a similar service you can learn
> enough to not want to open that door at all).
>
>