Don’t Be “Flipped” to a Lease

One of the most popular weapons in car dealers’ arsenals is the infamous “lease flip”. This is car dealer jargon for switching a customer who originally intended to buy a car to leasing the car.

Of course the motivation to do this is more profit for the dealer and a bigger commission to the salesman.  That’s not to say that leasing a car is always more costly than buying one, but it can be if you’re not careful. And not being careful is exactly what happens when a purchase intender becomes a lessee.

Here’s how it happens. You come into the dealership to buy a car. You may have seen the dealer’s advertisement in the newspaper or TV for a particular model. More than likely you are prepared to make a down payment and/or trade in your old vehicle. You have a monthly payment in mind because almost everybody has a budget and we usually translate most purchases into whether or not we can fit them into our monthly budgets. You negotiate the best price you can to buy the car, or maybe the sale price is good enough.

Now the salesman or more often the F&I manager/business manager tells you what your monthly payment will be. Let’s say that you have a trade-in worth $15,000 and aren’t going to put any cash down. The F&I [Finance and Insurance] manager tells you your monthly payment will be $427 per month. But that’s way more than you can afford and you tell him you can’t buy the car because you can’t afford that big a payment. He asks you how much you can afford and you tell him it must be under $350 per month. Now he has you set up perfectly for the “lease flip”.

“Mrs. Smith, I think I have just the right thing for you. What would you say if I told you that you can drive that new car home today for just $349 per month?” You say, “With glee, you say we have a deal!” Guess what? You’ve just been flipped. If you had bought the car at the advertised price or negotiated a very good price, the dealer probably would have made about $1,000 profit. and the salesman would have made about a $200 commission. Not that you’ve let yourself be flipped to lease, the dealer could be making $15,000 and the salesman could be making a $3,000 commission!

I’m not exaggerating. I get calls weekly from victims of lease flips. Many of the callers are elderly and many of them are widows who never bought a car before, but had relied on their husbands. There’s no law that limits the profit that a dealer can make when he sells or leases a car. $10,000, $15,000, and even $20,000 profits are made and usually on leases. The dealers can do this by using the trade-in as a capital cost reduction on the lease but allowing less for the trade than it is actually worth. In the example above, your trade-in may be worth $15,000 but you were allowed only $5,000 to reduce the capitalized costs of the lease. Also, the dealer could have raised the price of the car you negotiated or the sale price to MSRP or even 110% of MSRP which is allowable by the leasing companies.

By manipulating the number of months of the lease and the down payment [capitalized cost reduction], a dealer can give you as low a payment as you ask for and still make an exorbitant profit. Most buyers are so focused on monthly payments that they don’t carefully analyze what they are agreeing to and signing. The shorter the number of months of a lease, the greater impact the down payment has on the monthly payment. A $5,000 down payment reduces the monthly payment on a 36 month lease by $139 per month, $208 on a 24 month lease, and $417 on 12 month lease.

Incredibly many victims of the lease flip, never thought about the fact that after the 12, 24, or 36 month term of the lease, they own nothing. After 36 months, a car with a good resale value should be worth about half of what you paid for it. Many people who have never leased before think they can bring their lease car back early if they want. Leasing is not renting and you can bring your car back early only if you make all of the remaining lease payments. If you had bought the car for $30,000 and financed it for 36 months, you would have about $15,000 in equity at the end of 36 months and no monthly payments. You were building equity with every monthly payment in the purchase but you were building zero equity with your 36 lease payments.

As I said before, don’t let this frighten you from ever leasing a car. Leasing can be a good choice and sometimes the best choice. You can find six articles I’ve written for Hometown News and for my blog at www.EarlStewartOnCars.com. “Lease a New Car before You Buy It”, “Car Leasing Booby Traps”, “Be Very Careful When Leasing a Car”, “The Lease Acquisition Fee…the Bank’s Gotcha”, “Buy or Lease Your Car at the Right Time of Year”, and “Should I Buy or Lease My Next Car?”

Auto Buying Services Can Be a Safer Way to Buy

Auto buying services are flourishing because buying a car is something that the average person dreads more than a root canal or a colonoscopy! You may be familiar with AutoTrader.com, AutoByTel.com, Cars.com, Costco, Sam’s Warehouse, and TrueCar.com. There are thousands of local, private brokers who will buy a car for you for a fee. There are also a lot of other organizations that provide auto buying services for their members. AAA, American Express, Consumer Reports, PenFed, Nationwide, GEICO, USAA  are just a few.  

The first thing to remember is that all auto buying services are in the business to make a profit. They are all “middle men” that you and/or the dealers pay fees to. Paying a fee raises the cost of the car to the dealer.  That means that if you are a shrewd negotiator who really does their homework you should be able to buy a car for as low a price as any auto buying service and save the cost of the fee.

Realistically, very few people are that good at negotiating. Remember that car salesmen and managers are professional negotiators. This brings to mind the old joke…”When you sit down at a poker game and look all around the table but don’t see a sucker. You’re the sucker!” Besides lacking professional negotiation skills, few people have the “thick skin” to be able to deal with the game-playing and insulting shenanigans of car salesmen and their managers. In addition to the “pain” of buying a car is the inordinate amount of time it can take.

I consider local, individual brokers as being the least efficient and trustworthy of all auto buying services. Most auto brokers are ex car salesmen. They charge you a fee and they often charge the dealer a fee too. A private broker’s fee is usually much higher than a national auto buying services. At my dealership I’ve paid brokers several thousand dollars to his customer and had to charge a lot more for the car than if the customer had come to me directly. The broker probably charged the customer a fee too. There are a few brokers who are trustworthy and won’t gouge their customers, but they are few and far between.

As far as all of the national buying services, it’s still “buyer beware”. My two favorites are TrueCar.com and Costco, but even with these two you should never let your guard down. The Costco program is administered by a separate company from Costco that is licensed by Costco to use their name. TrueCar is owned by a group of private investors and is new on the scene but are growing very rapidly. I’m signed up with TrueCar and Costco and I’m also a member of the TrueCar national dealer council. I do business with Cars.com, AutoTrader, and Autobytel.

The auto buying services advise you or the dealer of the price you should pay for the car. But, you have to remember that they don’t come into the dealership with you when you actually purchase the car. Even though I don’t recommend local car brokers, this is one advantage they have over national auto buying services. A broker will go into the dealership with you to assist you in the buying process or actually to the buying himself. If he is honest and his loyalty is to you, not the dealer, he can protect you from being tricked into paying more than you were told the price was.

This is the biggest problem with national auto buying services. Every service will, or should, give you the name of the salesman in the dealership that administers their program. They usually have more than one person, and you should be sure that you deal only with their designated representative. All too often, members of auto buying services and companies just walk into the dealership and say “I’m a Costco member and I want to buy a car at the special Costco price.” The person you are talking to is likely a commissioned sales person and he’s also likely to say, “Sure, I’ll be happy to sell you a car at the Costco price.” Of course, what happens is he sells you the car at the highest price he can because he’s paid 25% of the total profit he makes on that car. Never deal with anyone else at a car dealership except the designated member of that car buying service.

You should also know the auto-service quoted out-the-door price of the car you’re buying before signing the papers or taking delivery. One of the reasons I like TrueCar.com is that they give you that price before you ever go into the dealership. Costco does not give you the price but they require the car dealer to give you an official Costco price sheet for the specific car you’re buying. Unfortunately this doesn’t always happen. I recently mystery shopped a Costco dealer and they did not show my mystery shopper the Costco price sheet, but they said it was.

My definition of an “out-the-door price” is one that excludes only government taxes and fees.  All too often, the car dealers add their own fees which they variously refer to as doc fees, dealer fee, prep fee, administrative fee, dealer handling fee, electronic filing fee, etc. One of my gripes with TrueCar.com is that they give you a “TrueCar Price” but below that in the fine print they say “Dealer’s Name charges a $XXXX.00 Documentary Fee.” Be sure that you read your auto buying services quoted price very carefully including the fine print.

Another common trick by dealers is to add “dealer installed accessories” to the price quoted by the auto buying service. My advice is to never buy a dealer installed accessory, only factory installed. There are always exceptions to this but be very careful when making one. Dealer accessories are typically low cost items, virtually worthless with hugely inflated prices. Examples are nitrogen in tires, paint sealant, fabric coat, pin stripes, VIN’s etched in glass, and roadside assistance.

If you cannot get the dealer to agree to the price that was given you by the auto-buying service, leave the dealership, call your auto buying service, and report that dealer. Usually there are other dealers in your area who are also affiliated with the same buying service and they may recommend one of them. The auto buying service is paid by the dealer and that can be a problem. They have to keep the dealers happy so that they can make money. They like to keep the car buyers happy so that they will come back and tell their friends. The wise auto-buying service will realize that the best long term strategy is to put the car buyer over the dealer. The auto buying service’s first loyalty should be to the car buyer, not the dealer. This means that services should police their dealers and cull out those dealers who try to take advantage of car buyers by raising the agreed upon prices.

What is the “true” cost of that new car?

It is almost impossible for you to determine the true cost of a new car. This might sound crazy, but many dealers don’t know the true cost of their cars. The manufacturers and distributors invoice their dealers for an amount when they ship them a car that is almost always several hundreds of dollars more than the true cost. It’s fair to say that in virtually every case the “invoice” for a new car is much higher than the true cost. By true cost, I am referring to cost as defined by GAAP, generally accepted accounting principals.

You probably have heard about “holdback”. That is an amount of money added into the invoice of a car ranging from 1% to 3% of the MSRP which is returned to the dealer after he has paid the invoice. Some manufacturers include the cost of regional advertising in the invoice which offsets the dealer’s advertising costs. Another fairly common charge included in invoices is “floor plan assistance”. This goes to offset the dealer’s cost of financing the new cars in his inventory. Another is “PDI” or pre-delivery expense which reimbursed the dealer for preparing the car for delivery to you. I could name several more, depending on the manufacturer or distributor. Some of these monies that are returned to the dealer are not shown as profit on his financial statement and some are. Technically a dealer could say that the cost he showed you reflected all of the profit (by definition of his financial statement), but the fact would remain that more money would come to back to him after he sold you the car. To me, that’s called profit.

Besides holdbacks and reimbursements for expenses, you must contend with customer and dealer incentives when trying to figure out the cost of that new car. You will probably be aware of the customer incentives, but not the dealer incentives. Most dealers prefer and lobby the manufacturers for dealer rather than customer incentives just for that reason. Also, performance incentives are paid to dealers for selling a certain number of cars during a given time frame. These usually expire at the end of a month and are one reason why it really is smart to buy a new car on the last day of the month.

Last but not least, remember the “dealer fee”, “dealer prep fee”, “doc fee”, “dealer inspection fee”, etc. which is added to the price you were quoted by the salesman.. It is printed on the buyer’s order and is lumped into the real fees such as Florida sales tax and tag and registration fees. Most dealers in Florida (it is illegal in many states) charge this fee which ranges from $500 to $1,000. If you are making your buying decision on your perceived cost of the car, even if you were right, here is up to $1,000 more in profit to the dealer.

Hopefully you can now understand why it is virtually impossible to precisely know the cost of the new car you are contemplating buying. Most often the salesman and sales manager is not completely versed on the cost either. Checking the cost on a good Internet site like www.kbb.com or www.edmunds.com is about the best you can do. Consumer Reports is another good source. One reason that Internet sites don’t always have the right invoice price is that different distributors for cars invoice their dealers at different prices.

Do not make a decision to buy a car because the dealer has agreed to sell it to you for “X dollars above his cost/invoice”. This statement is virtually meaningless. As I have advised you in an earlier column, you can only be assured of getting the best price by shopping several dealers for the exact same car and getting an “out the door” price plus tax and tag only.

Pitfalls to Avoid When Having Your Car Serviced

Before I get into the pitfalls, it is important for you to understand how important it is to have your car serviced according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. The pitfalls and consequences of not doing so can be equal to or greater than those you might experience at the hands of an incompetent or unethical service department.

I strongly recommend that you have your car serviced and repaired by a franchised dealer of the make of your vehicle. I know that this statement, coming from a franchised car dealer, may be met with some skepticism. Listen to my reasons before passing judgment. Modern vehicles are highly complex computerized machines requiring very sophisticated diagnostic equipment and highly trained technicians. The evolution of new, expensive diagnostic equipment requires constant updating. The evolution of car technology requires continuing education of dealers’ factory trained technicians who attend many weeks of schools every year. Forty years ago, it was possible for a really good mechanic to fix anybody’s car. Those days are gone and your car needs a highly trained specialist with the very latest diagnostic equipment. It is impossible for an independent service company to be competent in servicing and repairing all makes of automobiles.

Carefully choose the dealership that will service your car. You do not have to take your car to the dealership that sold you the car for warranty repairs, as many believe. Every dealership of your make car will welcome your warranty and non warranty work.  Do your homework on which dealer has the best service department. Every dealer is graded in customer satisfaction by the manufacturer. Ask to see a copy of his CSI (customer satisfaction index) scores. Check with the BBB and the County Office of Consumer Affairs.

When you take your car in for maintenance or repairs, always ask for an estimate. State law requires that a service department not exceed a written estimate by more than 10%. When paying your bill, scrutinize the detail to be sure that you know exactly what each charge means. Most service departments add a fee on top of everything else with various labels like “miscellaneous supplies”, “sundry supplies”, “environmental handling”, etc. This fee is simply a 5% or 10% charge tacked onto the total bill. If you object to this fee, which you certainly should, dealers will often waive it.

You will find that prices for maintenance like oil changes, alignments, tire rotation and balancing, etc. are usually priced competitively. Where you have to be careful is in the pricing of major repair items like transmission, engines, and air-conditioners. When quoted a price on a big repair, don’t be afraid to negotiate. If you let it be known that you are willing to take your car elsewhere (even if you’re bluffing), you can often negotiate the price down significantly.

You should always make an appointment before bringing your car in. Appointments should be scheduled at relative slow times and days. Avoid bringing your car in early on a Monday morning and other very busy times. You want the service advisor to spend as much time with you as is necessary. This will allow you to drive the car with the service advisor if necessary to identify a specific problem like a squeak, rattle or vibration. Pick your car up at a time when the service advisor or technician has time to road test the car with you again to be sure that the problem was fixed.

Don’t be shy about asking for a loaner car when you have to take your car back a 2^nd or 3^rd time for a repair that was not done properly. It’s the dealership’s fault and you should not be inconvenienced. On a comeback, always talk with the service manager directly. Also ask that they assign their best technician to the job.

As I have said in earlier columns, there is nothing more important than choosing the right dealership to do business with. No service department is perfect and never makes a mistake. What you want to find is that service department that, in addition to being competent, will fess up to their occasional mistakes, sincerely apologize and make them right. 

BUY OR LEASE YOUR NEW CAR AT THE RIGHT TIME OF THE YEAR

The total cost of a new car consists of many factors including initial purchase price, maintenance and repairs, and insurance. One of the most often overlooked and biggest costs of owing a car is depreciation.  Some makes and models of cars depreciate more than others. By choosing the right make and model you can minimize depreciation. You can also minimize depreciation by properly maintaining your car, protecting it from the elements, and selecting the best color. One important factor in depreciation that is most often overlooked is the time of year that you buy or lease your car.

You should always buy your new car as soon as possible after that year model is introduced. Some would disagree, arguing that you can buy a car for less at the end of the model year. Even if this were so (and I don’t agree with this), the savings would not offset the increased cost of depreciation that you inherit by buying a new car that is a year old. If you follow the advice I have given in my previous columns on the smartest way to buy a new car, you can usually buy a new car for close to the same price at the beginning of the model year as at the end.

There was a time when virtually all makes of cars were introduced in the last quarter of the calendar year preceding the model year. If you bought a new model in September, you could be assured that you got it at the right time to minimize your depreciation. Nowadays, new models are introduced at almost any time and the introductions are nearly unpredictable. It’s not unheard of for a manufacturer to actually skip a model year entirely, selling last year’s model for another year. Or, sometimes a manufacturer will introduce a new model as much as two years before the calendar date of that model year. You should be sure you know exactly when that model year you are contemplating buying was introduced. You don’t want to buy a model year that was introduced 6 or 8 months ago

If you are leasing your car, you should also try to lease it as soon as possible after that year model is introduced. Also, when deciding on the length of the lease, your lease should end when the new model that you will lease or buy next is introduced. You don’t have to lease a car for a full one, two, three, or four years. You can lease a car for 39 months, for example, which may assist you in having your lease terminate at just the right time to buy or lease your next car.

Be sure you know how many more years the make and model you select will remain before it is replaced by a major model change. The life cycle of a particular model varies between manufacturers from as short as 3 years to as long as 6 or 7 years. Your car will retain its value considerably more if it is still within its current product cycle when you trade it in. You need to be especially wary when a specific model is discontinued entirely. Research this carefully and time your purchase or lease as early in the product cycle as possible.

 If you are buying a brand new model at the beginning of its product cycle, be sure that you are buying from a manufacturer that has a very good reputation for quality. You can get a pretty good idea of the quality of the new model by researching the reliability of the previous year model. It is true that a brand new model can experience some bugs during the early months of its first year. If you are nervous about this, it might pay to wait for 3 or 4 months after a brand new model is introduced to see if problems in the form of recall campaigns or otherwise do occur.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR NEW CAR WARRANTY

When you buy your new car your salesman will tell you that it has a “bumper to bumper” warranty. The most common coverage is for 3 years or 36,000 miles whichever should first occur. “Bumper to bumper” warranty sounds like it means that everything is covered. Unfortunately this is not the case. For example, your tires are not covered at all by the car manufacturer but under a separate warranty by the tire manufacturer.

It can be tedious, but the only way to completely understand your warranty is to actually read it. All warranties now are required to use the word “limited” unless there are absolutely zero exclusions and this, to the best of my knowledge, is never the case.

Some of the most common items that are mistakenly believed to be included in warranties are tires, rental car coverage, maintenance, and faded or damaged paint from various kinds of air contaminants.

I don’t know why all car manufacturers choose to exclude tires from their “bumper to bumper” warranties. After all, they choose the tire manufacturer just like they choose the manufacturer of other components on your car which they don’t manufacture themselves like the sound systems. The owner of a car has an established relationship with the service department of the dealership because she is bringing her car back every 5,000 miles or so for factory recommended maintenance. In most cases, she doesn’t even know who the tire dealer is. It would be far more customer friendly for the manufacturer to allow her dealer to handle warranty claims on tires. My suggestion is to ask your dealer’s service advisor or service manager to “broker” the warranty claim on your tires on your behalf. The dealership is more likely to have an established relation ship with a tire store and they can be your advocate.

New car warranties virtually never provide for a free rental car unless the vehicle must be tied up overnight for repairs. All too often, car salesman will promise you a “free loaner” anytime your car is in for service. Verify this with the service department before you rely upon it. There are extended service contracts which you can buy in addition to your new car warranty which will provide rental car coverage.

A new car warranty covers only “repairs” not maintenance items. A very common request is that a front end alignment be performed under warranty. Your alignment should have been checked before your car was delivered. If your car goes out of alignment after delivery, it is usually considered owner’s maintenance. Brakes are another item often misunderstood as being covered under warranty. Brake wear is almost always a maintenance item. Only a mechanical defect in your brakes is covered under warranty.

Faded or pitted paint can be from defective or improperly applied paint or from external causes like industrial fallout or foreign substances sprayed in the air (crop dusters or insect control airplanes). Of course there can be a good argument made that paint should have resistance to a certain amount of air pollution. This type of claim may require the inspection by a factory representative to determine the cause. From my experience, certain colors of paint seem to have more problems than others. Red and white come to mind. Ask the factory service representative if they have experience problems with your particular color. Stand your ground if you feel that the factory should stand good for faded or pitted paint. Get a second opinion from your insurance adjustor. You may even have an insurance claim. If you have your car washed and waxed regularly and keep it garaged it is highly unlikely that you will ever have a paint problem.

The manufacturer’s representative can authorize repairs to your car when it is out of warranty. This is called goodwill. Oftentimes the service manager of the dealership can also authorize goodwill repairs. This is a subjective ruling and depends on how close to being under factory warranty you are, how regularly you maintained the vehicle according to factory recommendations, how many cars of this make you have bought, and how you present your request. A car that is out of warranty by just a few miles or weeks can usually be covered under goodwill. If you maintained your vehicle regularly with your dealer and have bought several cars from this dealer, the further out of warranty you can expect goodwill repairs. Presenting your case in a positive, courteous manner helps a lot. Service managers and factory representatives have high pressure jobs and are often confronted by loud, rude, demanding customers. Your claim may be absolutely legitimate, but your chances of success are enhanced by being nice.

Some manufacturers offer longer warranties than others. The amount of time and number of miles that a vehicle is covered is important, but the quality of the vehicle is more important. Sometimes manufacturers will increase their warranty coverage to sell more cars because the quality of their cars is in question. Quality trumps length of warranty and I would always advise buying the higher quality rather than the one with the longest warranty.

Earl Stewart, the Consumer Advocate. Earl Stewart, the Car Dealer

For many years, I’ve worn two hats, one as a Toyota dealer and the other as an advocate for car buyers and owners of all brands. 

I take stringent measures to separate the two. As a consumer advocate for all car owners, I know that about 8 ½ out of 10 of all cars on the road are not Toyotas. Coming across as a Toyota dealer would appear to be self-serving and would cause me to lose all credibility and objectivity to the vast majority of car owners. Likewise, it would be unseemly for me, wearing my Toyota dealer hat, to remind my prospective customers that the Chevrolet Impala was rated higher than the Toyota Camry by Consumer Reports.

In my role as consumer advocate, I’ve written a book, Confessions of a Recovering Car Dealer, write a blog,  www.EarlStewartOnCars.com, tweet on @earloncars, post videos at www.YouTube.com/EarlOnCars, and write a column for the Hometown News. I also host “Earl Stewart on Cars”, a weekly radio show on WSVU, with my wife, Nancy. It’s a live call-in talk show that attracts one of the largest audiences in that time slot and car owners of all makes call me for advice and with their comments. I speak publicly all over South Florida at Chambers of Commerce, Rotary and Kiwanis Clubs, churches and synagogues, condo associations, public libraries and any other organization that asks me to speak. I’m proud to say that I’ve been invited to speak at the annual installation banquet meeting of the famous 82^nd Airborne Division this December 8. I’ve been interviewed and quoted often by the national media including CNN, Fox, ABC, NBC, CBS, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, NY Times, Automotive News, US News and World Report, Fortune Forbes, and the Associated Press. I’ve lobbied for better laws and enforcement of existing laws with Florida politicians and I testified before the Florida Senate Commerce Committee in an effort to outlaw the dealer fee. I also work with the Florida Automobile Dealers Association, FADA, in efforts to create an enforceable code of ethics that can improve the sales practices, advertising and the image of Florida car dealers. 

As a consumer advocate, to be totally objective, I cannot exclude Toyota dealers, the Toyota distributor (Southeast Toyota), or Toyota Motor Sales/Toyota Motor Corp. from criticism. How would it look for me to point out problems with only Honda, GM, Ford, Chrysler, and other non-Toyota dealers and manufacturers? When a Toyota dealer runs an illegal or unethical ad, it’s my duty to point this out to him and the public, just like I would a Honda or Ford dealer.

As you might surmise, I get a lot of heat from many car dealers. Incredibly, many accuse of me of being the reason they have such a bad image. The latest Gallup Annual poll again ranked car dealers last in ethics and integrity among all professions. Car dealerships also receive the greatest number of complaints among all retail businesses. Car dealers want to shoot me, the messenger, rather than look in the mirror.

Whereas you shouldn’t be surprised that other car dealers don’t like my role as consumer advocate, you might be surprised to know that Toyota doesn’t like it either. Toyota created a contractual document several years ago entitled the Toyota Dealer Ad Covenant, TDAC. The primary motivation for this document which all Toyota dealers must sign and agree to was to keep dealer advertising on the “up and up”. But there’s also language in the TDAC which prevents one Toyota dealer from being critical of another. It makes no difference whether the criticism is true and factual or not. The rationale behind this rule is that Toyota does not want its dealers to “damage Toyota’s brand”.

This is what I have a problem understanding. The Toyota brand is based on the quality of the cars they build and the positive perception of the Toyota manufacturer as a company that shows care, concern, empathy and integrity toward their own employees and their car owners. The Toyota brand ranking has always been very high. It slumped slightly after the sudden acceleration recall, but has currently risen back to #1 among all auto manufacturers.

The public sees the Toyota brand as separate and apart from the dealer brand. The brand of “John Smith Toyota”, the dealer, is based on how he treats his customers, how he advertises, and how ethically and honestly he sells and services Toyotas. Unfortunately, Toyota dealers’ brand image has been ranked consistently below average by JD Powers’ surveys of all other makes for many years, while Toyota, the manufacturer’s brand has always been very high. When a Toyota dealer damages his dealership brand, Toyota buyers give their business to the dealers with the better reputation. This is the way the free market place is supposed to operate and is what competition is all about. By “keeping quiet” about problems that Toyota dealers have, one prolongs the process of correction. In their advertising, all competing retailers compare their strong points to their completion. It’s survival of the fittest in the marketplace. There is very little, if any, correlation between Toyota’s brand and Toyota dealers’ brand; If there were, how could Toyota’s brand remain the highest and Toyota dealers’ brand remain near the lowest for so many years?

Toyota dealers compete against each other to a greater extent than they compete against other makes. Car buyers usually make up their mind which make they want to buy before they select their dealer. Their next step is to choose the dealer that they can most trust to give them a good price and treat them with courtesy, respect and integrity. For all Toyota dealers to be contractually forbidden to speak even the truth in criticism of another Toyota dealer seems almost like a restraint of trade. The car consumer should be entitled to all of the facts about the advertising and sales practices of those retailers that they buy from. Toyota dealers know more about this subject than anybody else. A Toyota dealer can tell you that the Honda dealer is using bait and switch advertising but he can’t say that about his Toyota competitor. But, with that said, I signed the TDAC and I will honor my commitment.

Unfortunately, there’s been some conversation recently about gagging the “other Earl Stewart”, Earl Stewart, the consumer advocate. It’s been suggested to me that I may be in violation of the Toyota Dealer Ad Covenant if I post a YouTube video of another Toyota dealer’s unethical TV ad on www.YouTube.com/EarlOnCars, a website that Earl Stewart the consumer advocate uses to expose illegal and unethical advertising by car dealers of all makes, including Toyota. Toyota is the largest seller of new cars in this market and for me to exclude them from criticism would come across as wrong and self-serving.

I didn’t forfeit my first amendment rights when I became a Toyota dealer. I remain a U.S. citizen and retain my rights of freedom speech as an individual and as a member of the press (my book, radio show, blog, and Hometown News column). I have to draw a line in the sand if anyone tries to take away my constitutional rights.

Dealers First in Most Consumer Complaints

Car Dealers Strike Again!

 It pained me, but did not surprise me, to read that automobile-related complaints once again topped the list of consumer concerns (Automobile-related complaints top the complaints list once again – Aug. 12, Susan Salisbury).  Sadly, automotive sales people are also ranked among the lowest as shown in this latest annual Gallup poll…

So, as a car dealer who has literally written the book about how to avoid getting ripped off when buying or servicing you car, I would like my readers of the top 10 things NOT to do:

 (1) Don’t believe automotive ads. Often the extremely low price or discounts apply to only one car or to a very select group that you won’t fit in.  It is best to just ignore these ads.

(2) Never buy a car on impulse on the first day you start shopping. There is something about a new car that excites people and appeals to them on an emotional level. Go home and think about it this major purchase.. Research the model of car you looked at and the price on the Internet. You should take at least a week or two in the decision making process before you buy a car.

(3) Don’t trade your old car in to the dealer you buy from without shopping its value.. The dealer can make it appear that he is giving you a lot of money for your trade by taking some of the high markup on the new car and showing it as part of the appraisal value. Check Kelly Blue Book (kbb.com) and Edumnds.com on the Internet. Get at least 3 bids from other dealers of the same make for your trade. Make the purchase of the new car and the sale of your trade two separate transactions.

(4) Don’t use the dealer’s financing without checking with your bank or credit union. Shop for the best price on your financing just like you shop for the best price on your trade-in and the best price on new your car.  Oftentimes credit unions, which you don’t have to be a member of, have the best rates.

(5) Don’t believe it when they say “This low price is good today only”. This is one of the favorite ruses used by car sales people and dealers. In 99% of the cases, you can buy that car for the same or an even lower price later. The only time that you can’t is when factory incentives expire on a certain date, typically at the end of the month. If that is the claim, demand to see the written factory incentive by the manufacturer.

(6) Don’t agree to “Make me a written offer with a deposit and I will submit it to my manager”. This is to get you psychologically engaged in the buying process. Once you have signed a buyer’s order and written out a check, you will remain in the dealership for a while and are more likely to buy. The salesman knows that. Insist on getting their best price on the car you have selected. You should never make the first offer. Once you have their price, compare it with at least 3 other prices from other dealers on the same make and model.

(7) Never agree to "take this new car home and see how you like it?". This is the famous “puppy dog” technique so named because once you take a puppy dog home overnight, who has the heart to return it the next day? You, your neighbors, and friends will see that shiny new car parked in your driveway. It sure looks good! How can you explain to anybody that you didn’t buy it?

(8) Don’t commit to “buy the car if you can get my monthly payments below $___.__” Most of us tend to think in terms of our monthly budgets. We might feel that we can afford a new car as long as it costs us less than $350 per month, but there is a big difference between $350 per month for 36 months and $350 per month for 72 months. I recommend that you finance a car for no more than 42 months, preferably 36.

(9) Don’t believe “You have my word on that.” Be absolutely sure that every promise or commitment made to you by your sales person is in writing and signed by a manager. No exceptions!

(10) Don’t accept that “All dealers charge a dealer fee and we can’t remove it from the invoice.” In fact, all dealers do not charge a dealer fee. I don’t. But unfortunately most do charge this “gotcha” ranging from $495 to $1,000. It is true that Florida law (which should prohibit dealer fees entirely) requires that the dealer fee appear on all invoices. If you charge just one customer a dealer fee, you must charge everybody. The state legislators, in their infinite wisdom, decided if a car dealer is going to take advantage of even one buyer, he must take advantage of all of the buyers….never discriminate. But the loophole in this stupid law is for you to demand that the dealer reduce the price of the car by the amount of the dealer fee, making it a wash.

All of this information and much more is contained in my book, “Confessions of a Recovering Car Dealer.”  I donate 100% of the sales of the book to charity as I make my living selling cars, not books.  Many local groups have used this as a fundraiser, by having me speak at their meeting and receiving all of the proceeds from the books purchased that day by their members and guests. You can purchase my book on www.Amazon.com.

I know I will never win a popularity contest among other car dealers, but I am ashamed of the ethics of our industry and am dedicated to doing everything I can to change it.

Caveat Emptor and Car Dealers: You Can Fool Some People All the Time

Almost everyone has read Abraham Lincoln’s popular saying, “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time.” I think Abe meant this to be a positive assertion that government may get away with deceiving us for a while, but in the long run, truth justice and the American way will prevail…and I think he was right.

 However, it doesn’t work that way with unethical car dealers and car buyers. It always has been “caveat emptor”, or “buyer beware when it comes to buying or servicing a car. Unfortunately for a buyer to “beware” he must be “aware”…that is to say educated, mature, sophisticated and experienced. This excludes a very large segment of our population including the very young, the very old, the uneducated, those with low I.Q.’s and those not proficient in the English language. Is this one reason why our regulators and elected politicians don’t seem to care or take action with respect to the rampant unfair and deceptive sales practices of a large number of Florida car dealers? Most elected officials and regulators are lawyers and are highly educated and sophisticated. They don’t have a problem buying or servicing a car. In fact, the car dealer that tries to take advantage of a lawyer, regulator, or politician is asking for trouble.

 I’ve been writing this column/blog and broadcasting my radio show, Earl Stewart on Cars, for about eight years. I sometimes feel that I’m “preaching to the choir” when it comes to advising people how to avoid getting ripped off by a car dealer. You, my readers and listeners, largely fall into the category of the educated and sophisticated, “aware” buyer. Most of you aren’t taken advantage of when you buy or service your car because you won’t allow it. Unfortunately, there are enough uneducated, naive, and otherwise vulnerable consumers to feed those unethical car dealers who prey on the defenseless among us. All you have to do is read some of the car ads in the Saturday (the biggest selling day for most car dealers) auto classifieds. To the educated, sophisticated buyer, these ads are actually funny if you can forget the fact that so many fall prey to them and are taken advantage of by the dealers. For example, it’s hard for you or me to believe that anybody would respond to an advertisement without reading the fine print. Many dealers today are advertising prices that, when you read the fine print, are understated by many thousands of dollars. When you or I see a dealer stating that the car price is plus “freight”, we are educated enough to understand that the law requires that the freight cost be already included in the price. A shrewd buyer knows that “dealer list” is not the same thing as MSRP and that a large discount from “dealer list” means absolutely nothing. We know that the “lowest price guarantee’ is worthless if the dealer reserves the right to buy the car from the other dealer that offers a lower price.

 There are those who argue that all buyers have the responsibility to guard against unethical sellers, to take care of themselves. In fact, that’s the literal translation of the Latin legal term “caveat emptor”…let the buyer beware. That’s sounds good, but what about the elderly widow whose husband recently died and who never had to make a the decision on a major purchase in her entire life? What about the young person just out of school with no experience in the real world? How about the immigrant who struggles with English? Should we be concerned about our underprivileged classes who often drop out of school because they have to go to work to support themselves or their family? You and I know lots of good people who, for one reason or another, simply can’t cope with a slick car or service salesman.

 My bottom line is this, since we can’t rely on our regulators and politicians to protect those who “can be fooled all the time”, maybe we owe it to society to protect these folks. If you know someone who is thinking about buying a car or has a service problem with her car and you feel she may not have the ability to fend for herself with the car dealer, offer your support. If you’re one of the people who needs support, ask someone who can go “toe to toe” with a car dealer to come with you when you are car shopping. By the way, nobody, sophisticated or not, should car shop alone. Two heads are always better than one and it’s always a good idea to have a witness to what was said during a negotiation. And, of course, if you don’t have the time to help a person or you’re that person, you can always call me…I’m always here for you.

TOP 10 WAYS TO GET SHAFTED BY A CAR DEALER

(1)   Believe the newspaper and TV ads. It never ceases to amaze me how outrageous and unbelievable the car dealers’ claims are. Just when I think that they can’t get any worse, I see one that tops them all. Last month, one dealer was advertising in the newspaper and TV that if you bought one vehicle from him you got a second for nothing. The “facts and fine print” would reveal that the first vehicle was a very expensive one with a huge markup of over $6,000 and the second vehicle was only the “use” of one for two years... a lease. My father always said, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn’t”. Astoundingly, the general manager of this dealership had the gall to say on TV, “This is not a gimmick”!

(2)   Buy a car on impulse on the first day you start shopping. Can you believe that this is the way most people buy cars? It truly is. There is something about a new car that excites people and appeals to them on an emotional level. People let their feelings short circuit their logical thought processes. Overcome that emotion that tells you that you must drive home that shiny new car right now. Go home and think about it. Talk it over with your spouse and friends. Research the model of car you looked at and the price on the Internet. Always drive the car you chose before you sign any papers. You should take at least a week or two in the decision making process before you buy a car.

(3)   Trade your old car in to the dealer you buy from without shopping its value. Most people have no idea what their trade-in is worth when they come in to buy a new car. They rely entirely on the appraisal by the selling dealer. The dealer can make it appear that he is giving you a lot of money for your trade by taking some of the high markup on the new car and showing it as part of the appraisal value. Check Kelly Blue Book (kbb.com) andEdumnds.com on the Internet. Get at least 3 bids from other dealers of the same make for your trade. Make the purchase of the new car and the sale of your trade two separate transactions. Remember that you do get a sales tax break by trading in your car to the dealer you buy from.

(4)   Use the dealer’s financing without checking with your bank or credit union. Shop for the best price on your financing just like you shop for the best price on your trade-in and the best price on new your car.

(5)   Believe this, “This low price is good today only”. This is one of the favorite ruses used by car sales people and dealers. In 99% of the cases, you can buy that car for the same or an even lower price later. The only time that you can’t is when factory incentives expire on a certain date, typically at the end of the month. If that is the claim, demand to see the written factory incentive by the manufacturer.

(6)   Fall for this, “Make me a written offer with a deposit and I will submit it to my manager”. This is S.O.P at most car dealerships. This is to get you psychologically engaged in the buying process. Once you have signed a buyer’s order and written out a check, you will remain in the dealership for a while and are more likely to buy. The salesman knows that. Insist on getting their best price on the car you have selected. You should never make the first offer. Once you have their price, compare it with at least 3 other prices from other dealers on the same make and model.

(7)   Follow this advice, “Take this new car home and see how you like it.” This is the famous “puppy dog” technique so named because once you take a puppy dog home overnight, who has the heart to return it the next day? You, your neighbors, and friends will see that shiny new car parked in your driveway. It sure looks good! How can you explain to anybody that you didn’t buy it?

(8)   Agree to this, “I’ll buy the car if you can get my monthly payments below $___.__”Most of us tend to think in terms of our monthly budgets. We might feel that we can afford a new car as long as it costs us less than $350 per month, but there is a big difference between $350 per month for 36 months and $350 per month for 72 months. I recommend that you finance a car for no more than 42 months, preferably 36.

(9)   Believe the salesman when he says, “You have my word on that.” Be absolutely sure that every promise or commitment made to you by your sales person is in writing and signed by a manager. That salesman may not work there when you have occasion to ask for that “free loaner car” that he promised you anytime you bring your car in for service.

(10)                       Fall for this, “All dealers charge a dealer fee and we can’t remove it from the invoice.” In fact, all dealers do not charge a dealer fee. I don’t. But unfortunately most do charge this “gotcha” ranging from $495 to $1,000. It is true that Florida law (which should prohibit dealer fees entirely) requires that the dealer fee appear on all invoices. If you charge just one customer a dealer fee, you must charge everybody. The state legislators, in their infinite wisdom, decided if a car dealer is going to take advantage of even one buyer, he must take advantage of all of the buyers….never discriminate. But the loophole in this stupid law is for you to demand that the dealer reduce the price of the car by the amount of the dealer fee, making it a wash.

Holdback or Holdup?

Back in 1968 when I first went into the retail car business with my father, I can remember asking him, “What is holdback?” I was learning the business and had been studying the invoices on new Pontiacs that General Motors sent us when they shipped a new car that we had ordered. We had to pay the invoice immediately when it was issued, sometimes even before the car arrived at our dealership. Actually, in most cases, it was our bank or GMAC who paid GM and we borrowed the money from them to pay for the car.  

My father’s answer to my question about holdback was that it was an increase in the amount of the invoice that we paid General Motors which was not really part of the price of the car. It was just an extra amount added to the real price of the car and included in the invoice. At that time it was 2% of the MSRP [suggested retail], so if a new Pontiac Bonneville had an MSRP of $10,000 and a true cost of $9,000, the factory invoice would be $9,200. I asked my father, “When do we get the $200 back?” He said, “At the end of the year”. I asked him if they paid us interest on our money and I can remember him laughing loudly and saying no.

Of course my next question was why they do that. He told me that the reason they gave him was to be help dealers sell their cars for more money so that they didn’t go broke. He said that because they didn’t get their holdback money for such a long period of time, they began to think of their invoice as being the actual cost of the car. General Motors felt that many dealers were such poor businessmen that they might sell their cars so cheaply that they would go out of business. Now, because GM was kind enough to hold back hundreds of thousands of dollars of the dealers’ money [and pay them no interest on it] but return the money to them once a year, they could help the dealers make a bigger profit and maintain adequate working capital.

At that time I thought this was the biggest bunch of boloney I had ever heard and I was sure that this was a scheme by the manufacturers to keep a free float of millions of dollars of their dealers’ money under the guise of helping the dealers. I asked my father why the dealers didn’t strongly object to this and he said that most dealers actually “liked” the idea of holdback. When I heard that, I thought that maybe GM and the manufacturers were right about the dealers not being smart enough to sell their cars for a reasonable profit.

It took me a few more years in the business before I understood what was really going on with holdback. It was a “no brainer” as to why the manufacturers liked it but at last I understood its attraction to us dealers. Because we had to pay an extra amount over the true price of the car and not see that money for up to a year, we began to think of the invoice as the true price, even though it was actually inflated by hundreds of dollars. Because all manufacturers added holdback to all dealers invoices, the net effect was to raise the price of all cars to all buyers by the amount of this holdback. I know this is a dirty word, but it is price fixing on the grandest of scales. This might have been something that Henry Ford, Alfred Sloan, and Walter Chrysler concocted while playing golf at Bloomfield Hills Country Club outside of Detroit.

Another neat thing about holdback for us dealers is being able to tell our customers that we are only charging them “X dollars” over invoice. Or, we can tell them that we will sell them this car at invoice with no profit to us at all! [There’s a sucker born every minute] Dealers often have “invoice sales” with copies of the invoice pasted on the car windows. Who doesn’t believe that an invoice is the cost of the car? The truth is in the semantic skullduggery …”Mr. Customer, I solemnly swear to you that this the exact price that I paid the factory for this car. In fact, here’s a copy of the invoice.” That’s what the dealer “paid” the factory all right, but it’s not what the he paid the factory after he got his holdback check in the mail.

You might be thinking, so we’re talking about $200 more or less on a $10,000 car. Who cares? Don’t forget, that was over 40 years ago. Holdbacks have expanded considerably and now instead of several hundred dollars we’re talking several thousand.  Also, dealers no longer have to wait a year to get their hold back money back. Now they get it back monthly. Manufacturers even changed the names of these monies they hold back. These are innocuous names so that, if you see them on the invoice, you will have no suspicion…names like floorplan assistance, advertising, PDI, Administrative or DAP. Of course there are also cash rebates to dealers that don’t even show on the invoice. I estimate the average car invoice today includes $3,000 to $4,000 in hidden holdbacks to the dealer. Holdbacks are also applied to factory or distributor accessories like “protection packages” [wax, undercoat, window etch, roadside assistance], floor mats, window tint, etc.

The bottom line is that you don’t rely on the dealer’s factory invoice to determine the price you are willing to pay for a car. And be especially suspicions when the dealer quotes you a price of “X dollars over invoice” or actually shows you the invoice. You’ve heard the old joke, “How can you tell when a politician is lying?” Answer: When his lips are moving. “How can you tell when a car dealer is lying?” Answer: When he shows you the invoice.

Cadillac Service and Repairs at Chevy Prices

This article is directed at luxury car owners. If you drive an Acura, Cadillac, Lexus, Lincoln, or Infiniti and you’re taking your car to the dealer of that same make you drive, you’re paying as much as twice as much as you have to for maintenance and repairs.

Most people know that General Motors manufacturers Cadillac as well as Buick, Chevrolet, and GMC trucks. Most of the models of each of these makes share in the engineering and design. This also holds true for Acura and Honda, Lexus and Toyota, Lincoln and Ford, and Infiniti and Nissan. Some models are almost totally identical “under the skin”. The manufacturers make their luxury version look fancier and add luxury options and accessories, but the underneath it all, they are mostly the same vehicles.

The reason that many people don’t know that their Infiniti is built by Nissan and Lexus is built by Toyota is “marketing”. The manufacturers don’t want you to know that that the Lexus ES you’re driving is really a Toyota Camry, “all dolled up” or that the Acura ILX is really a fancy Honda Civic. Volkswagen, Mazda and Hyundai all made big marketing mistakes when they introduced their luxury models, Phaeton, Amati, and Equus. The VW Phaeton which cost over $100,000 bombed badly and is no longer sold in the USA. The Mazda Amati was announced in the early 90’s but Mazda canceled their plans when they suddenly “saw the light”.  The Hyundai Equus, over $60,000, is not selling well either and I predict it won’t be able to compete in the USA luxury car market either.  

The reason these three models failed is that Volkswagen, Mazda and Hyundai made the fatal marketing mistake in expecting a luxury car buyer to spend $100,000+ for a car sold in a Volkswagen dealership or $60,000+ for one sold in a Hyundai dealership. To compete with established luxury brands like Mercedes and BMW, manufacturers must offer buyers a car that they feel confident is not only a luxury car, but perceived by their friends, neighbors, relatives, and business associates to be a luxury car. When a luxury owner is leaving a fancy restaurant or his country club and gives his ticket to the valet, he doesn’t want to be asking for a Volkswagen or Hyundai, albeit the most expensive one. When he brings his car in for service, he wants to mingle with other luxury car owners with all of the luxury amenities offered…it’s like first class vs. coach. I know Lexus dealers who offer massages and manicures to their service customers. JM Lexus, the world’s largest Lexus dealer, has a putting green on their roof for their waiting service customers.

Luxury owners expect to pay more for service and luxury car dealers are happy to accommodate them. If you’re willing to pay twice as much for an oil change because you can play golf while you wait or have a manicure, that’s up to you. But you can save a whole lot of money and have technicians that are totally qualified to maintain your luxury car by bringing it to the same manufacturer’s dealer for the lower price make…Acura to Honda, Cadillac to Chevrolet, Lexus to Toyota, Lincoln to Ford, and Infiniti to Nissan. 

There is one caveat and that is the manufacturers require that you have your factory warranty repairs done by the luxury car dealer. You may also experience some problem with parts availability. Although most parts are the same, there are some parts like a cabin air filter which the dealer may have to buy from the luxury car dealer. My suggestion would be to make an appointment for your service in advance and tell the Honda dealer what you would like done. He then can be sure to already have all the necessary parts on hand when you arrive. You will be shocked at how much money you can save and, measured over the total time you own your car, this can amount to thousands of dollars.

I know that a lot of luxury car owners will read this and continue to bring their luxury car to the luxury car dealer just like there are diamond jewelry buyers who will pay Tiffany’s twice as much for the exact same caret, color, and clarity diamond as Costco sells, when the only tangible difference is the “little blue box”. Brand image is a powerful marketing tool. 

Always Get It in Writing

Many readers of this column call me for advice and to tell me horror stories about their dealing with unethical car dealers. Of course it would be much better had these readers called me before they bought the car.

I have written hundreds of columns for Hometown News and given advice on a variety of subjects which should make your car buying, or servicing, experience safer and more pleasant. There is one piece of advice which, if strictly followed, would eliminate over 90% of the problems car buyers have with car dealers. That advice is “always insist that all promises and commitments made by the car sales person or sales manager are put in writing”. The written commitments should be signed by the sales person/manager and you and you should retain a copy.

These are just some examples of promises made by sales people and sales managers that  were not kept: (1) Sign the contract, drive the car home, and if you change your mind within three days you can bring the car back and we will refund all of your money. [When the customer brought the car back, the salesman claimed he never said any such thing] (2) After signing a 36 month lease, the salesman assured this customer that, if she got tired of this car in less than 36 months, she could just bring it back anytime. [Of course the leasing company didn’t agree with the salesman on this]. A customer was promised that she would be able to get free loaner cars anytime she brought her car in for service. [The service department didn’t know anything about this. They don’t offer free loaners]. The business manager, also known as the F&I manager, told the customer that the warranty/extended service contract he was selling her covered 100% of anything that went wrong with her car. [When she came in for a brake job, the service manager showed her the fine print in the warranty contract that said maintenance items were not covered]. The salesman told the customer not to trade his car in on the new car because he owed way more on the car than it was worth. He told him to just let the bank take her old car back and because she was making her payments on time on her new car it wouldn’t harm her credit rating. [I don’t think this requires any explanation]. Customers are promised that they can bring their car back after they buy it and have CD players, leather, running boards, and floor mats, and other accessories installed as part of the deal. When they come back, none of the managers knows about this and the salesman can’t be found or doesn’t “remember”. I could list dozens more of these anecdotes.

You have very little chance when it’s your word against the salesman’s or sales manager’s. You have even less of a chance if it’s two against one. Do not be timid about asking that everything you are promised is put into writing. If the salesman objects to this or hesitates, you have to ask yourself why? Another reason for having all promises committed to writing is that the salesman or sales manager may not work at that dealership anymore when you come back to collect on his promise. He may have actually been sincere, but now he’s gone. Will his replacement believe you?

It’s a good idea to carry a note pad with you when you are negotiating to buy a car. I wrote a previous column entitled “Never Go Car Shopping Alone”. When you have an ally with you, she can take notes while you are negotiating. Also, if you do forget to commit a promise to writing, your credibility is enhanced when it’s two against one instead of “he said/she said”. When you are signing the final documents, you have your complete set of notes detailing promises, assurances, and commitments by the salesman. Then, all you have to do is have these signed by both parties and be sure that you get a copy.

Earl Stewart on Cars: A Look at a Deceptive Dealer TV Ad: Napelton Kia

In this segment of the Earl Stewart on Cars radio program, Earl discusses dissects a deceptive television ad from Napelton Kia, and talks about what happened when his mystery shopper attempted to purchase the sale priced vehicle.

Listen to Earl Stewart on Cars every Saturday, from 9am to 10am Eastern, on Seaview Radio, (seaviewradio.com), AM 960 and FM 95.9 & 106.9. You can phone in your car question during the show using the listener line at 1-877-960-9960.

Pick up a copy of Earl's new book, "Confessions of a Recovering Car Dealer". Go to earlsbook.com or on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Recovering-Dealer-Earl-Stewart/dp/0985729511/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373116154&sr=8-1&keywords=confessions+of+a+recovering+car+dealer All proceeds will go to charity.

You can also learn more at earlstewartoncars.com and twiiter.com/earloncars.