I've never bought a used car before, so to say that I approached this experience with trepidation…read morewould be an understatement. I was referred to Family Motors by my trusted mechanics at Embarcadero Automotive in SF, because they didn't have what I was looking for, and couldn't get one at that point.
I'd recently been in a bad accident with my trusty 10 year old Saab 9-5 wagon, was in a lot of pain, and wasn't interested in dickering around, exploring other options, or even thinking about trying to get used to a completely new make of car - I just wanted another one of the same thing with no hassle. I didn't see any reason to argue with the engineering excellence that had just saved my life. You don't always get to just pick the used car you want off a tree, though, which is part of why I've never bought one.
As others have said, the whole experience was a complete pleasure. I called Bob when I saw a car that interested me on his website, and a few short hours later, after going up for a test drive, it was mine.
I absolutely could not believe I'd found a 4 year old car with only 21,500 miles that was still in factory warranty, and obviously in absolutely cherry condition, with a clean Carfax, etc. - or a used car dealer who was actually a really nice guy who genuinely wanted to be sure I got the right car and wasn't the slightest bit pushy, especially on my very first experience with this sort of purchase.
It actually turned out that Bob and I have some mutual friends, too, so that was fun. But I felt totally taken care of, and he even knocked an extra $600 off the price without my even asking.
I still can't believe that I scored such a good car, and practically brand new, for such a low price, and that the whole experience was so easy.
It's also obvious that he takes great care of clients, because the place is tucked away in a field, invisible from the street, so you'd have to know it's there and be looking hard to even find it. There's no way he can be getting the walk-in business that your average car dealer gets, so you know it *has* to be all word of mouth. Which indeed it is.
Driving in is a bit of a surreal experience, because it's like you're going to someone's private farm, turning down a dirt road, going along the fence of a field - and then suddenly the vista opens up, not to fields full of growing things, but to a field of shiny, spotlessly clean, mint condition Saabs and Subarus.
This is, indeed, what buying a new car ought to be like. If Bob's still carrying Saabs when I'm ready for my next one (and indeed if they're still even being built), I'll go right back up to him and get the next one there, too.
BTW, if Bob doesn't have what you're looking for in stock, he'll go out and search one down for you, still with the same requirements of being low mileage, cherry lease returns.
