Well that was easier than I expected!
Last week, I called my friend and frequent Budget Savvy freelancer, Susan Lopez-Guerra, for her advice. Susan owns a car leasing company. I gave her an idea of what I was looking for and informed her of my $10,000 budget. She referred me to Bob Kay of BK Motors in Half Moon Bay, Ca (www.bkmotors.com). She said that Bob is the only person she trusts for used cars.
BK Motors is a family owned business that Bob opened 25 years ago. There are no salesmen, just Bob and his dad. On Saturday, Paul and I headed over to the lot. I liked Bob immediately. Susan gave him the run down of what we were looking for and he remembered every detail. Paul and I strolled around the lot on our own and looked at the cars he had available. We then walked the lot with Bob. We had an idea of what we were looking for – a wagon, but we also had an open mind.
One of the cars Bob showed us was a 1996 Nissan Maxima in beautiful condition. We sat in the car (the front and the back seat), but unfortunately, didn't have time to do a test drive – we got to the lot just 20 minutes before Bob closed. This actually worked to our advantage. We went home and did a ton of research on the price and customer reviews. Everything came back positive – including the asking price of $6,999.
I went back to the lot on Monday and test drove the car. I was amazed at how well it drove - as well as my beloved Cadillac. After the test drive I happily wrote a check for the car.
What made this an easy decision?
• I had a referral to the dealer from someone I trust.
• Bob did not try to "sell" us anything.
• Although he knew our budget was $10,000, he showed us cars at well below that price.
• I was able to spend a day researching the make and model of the car.
• This is the second time Bob sold the car. He bought it from the original owner then sold it to a girl who was heading off to college. She sold the car back to Bob when she bought another used car from him a few years later.
• I have the service records for the entire life of the car. Its previous owners took wonderful care of it.
The final price of the car was $7,784.51 which includes a 1 year, 12,000 mile warranty. I believe I will be able to get at least five years out of the car. If that is the case, then ultimately, I will have spent just $129.74 a month for the purchase of it. Not bad!!
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