My very young (30 yr old) friend was suddenly carless when a driver ran a red light and clobbered his 2004 Chrysler 300. He turned to me because I know a lot about cars and he trusts my opinion.
A few months ago, used cars were in short supply. Now, there is plenty of inventory. My friend did not want to purchase from an individual owner because he worried that if something went wrong with the car right away, he would have no recourse. I thought that was smart of him.
My friend spent hours searching the internet for a car. He lives in Lockport and works in Tonawanda, and wanted a Subaru or other 4wd car to make things safe for his commute. Another smart choice on his part.
We went to two Lockport car dealers and test drove 4 cars there. Then I drove him to TwinTon. My friend had found a Subaru and a Toyota, both 5-speed cars, which he wanted. We were greeted by one of the two brothers who have taken over this very long-standing dealership. Chris was our sales person. He let my friend test drive both cars he was interested in. Both were excellent, but the Subaru was the winner. It had brand new struts, rode like a dream, and had lots of power.
The asking price was very close to the Kelly Blue Book value, which seemed reasonable. There was some heavy wear and tear on the driver's seat, for which we asked for a little better deal. Chris agreed. Chris made sure the car was clean and had a missing fender liner installed as we waited. They took care of registering and inspection right there on the spot. No financing was involved.
The entire transaction went smoothly. There's a 30-day 1,000 mile warranty. It's been almost a month, and so far no major glitches. My friend absolutely loves his new car. I don't think we could have asked for a smoother, nicer transaction.
BTW, the dealership is now run by two very nice brothers and their mom. Their grandfather was there, too. This is the opposite of a fly-by-night operation. This family has been in business now for generations! read more