Used Vehicles in Winnipeg
Used Vehicles – A Used Vehicle Dealership Is Born
Jim lay in his bed after a long day; his mind began to fill up with worries and concerns. Five kids, a wife, a busy household, and trying to manage it all living paycheck to paycheck. His responsibilities weighed heavy on him; his oldest son was now at driving age and would be needing a car on top of everything else. How was he going to afford this? What kind of car should he get? Obviously it would have to be a used vehicle he concluded, but what about getting a used vehicle that would last and not turn out to be a lemon? Tomorrow he would start to look for used vehicles, and as he slipped into sleep, he hoped it would be an easy and positive experience.
The next morning Jim sat at the kitchen table and began looking over used vehicles ads. He had collected several auto-trader type publications and was trying not to to feel too overwhelmed.
Shopping for used vehicles can be overwhelming
“Hey Dad!” His oldest son said as he came into the room, “Oh cool! Are you going to buy me a car today?”
“I’m going to try.” Jim replied, smiling and hoping for the best, “I’ve got a lot to take in so let’s be patient OK?”
“Sure, Dad – how about a Lamborghini?” His son laughed as he grabbed a piece of toast and headed out the door for school, “Bye Dad!”
Oh to be young again with not a care in the world, Jim mused, and got back to browsing the traders of used vehicles. His head started to spin, the make, model, years, and prices of the used vehicles came at him in a barrage of confusion. He and his wife had had the same car for several years, and it was a good car, gave them no problems, and was paid off – he was feeling apprehensive about the possible Pandora’s box he might be opening. Who would have thought shopping for used vehicles would bring so much stress?
Time was also of the essence here. He was a very busy man working over-time each week and as he checked out all the used vehicles for sale by owner ads, he realized it would be very impractical to check out each used vehicle one at a time. He opted then that he would visit a few car dealers and see all the used vehicles at one location.
Later that day, after work, Jim set out to shop for used vehicles. He was going to pay in cash and so was hoping he could use that as a bargaining chip. With high hopes he drove to the first used vehicles dealership.
Used vehicles are the financially smarter choice.
“Hello there!” The salesman greeted Jim has he walked the lot, “So how can I help you?”
Jim sized the man up, he was in his forties, clean shaven, casually dressed – he seemed like a good guy, and he sold used vehicles.
“Hi there, yes I need a good used car for my Son. He just got his license and on my case for a car.”
“Any particular make or model?” The salesman inquired.
“Just something good and reliable; I want my son to be safe.”
“Of course – I totally understand; I’ve got kids myself.”
Feeling a bit more relieved about the whole process, Jim felt that this man, being a father himself, would guide him in the right direction. Things were looking positive.
“How about this car?” The salesman said pointing to a nice looking compact used vehicle, “It’s been lady driven, great condition, air, nice stereo, tires are in good condition, and reliable. Like I said, I understand what you mean about it being safe for your son.”
“Yes, it’s a nice looking car.” Jim agreed, feeling he could trust this fellow father, “Do you mind if we walk around a bit?”
“Of course not, but I am fond of this one, and it’s a great price – I think you should give it a test drive.”
It seemed reasonable enough to Jim and so the two of them went for a spin around the block. The used vehicle seemed to drive well. It was 5 years old and the kilometers were not too high.
“How long would you say this car could last?”
A used vehicles salesperson should never guess at the lifespan of vehicle!
“I’d say another 4 to 5 years easily.” The sales man said with confidence.
Jim was not sure; how could he tell one used vehicle from another anyways? He had never really paid much attention to used vehicles in his life, he was a busy working man providing for his family, and so he concluded he needed to trust someone when it came to things he had no idea; and besides, this man was a father like him – how could he sell bad used vehicles to another father knowing that his son would be driving it.
“Ok,” Jim said, “Lets make a deal.” as they drove back to the car lot.
Sitting in the office Jim surveyed the surroundings. The office was clean, pictures of family on the salesman’s desk; on the walls with plaques of recognition from various sponsored sports teams. It seemed like a business he could trust.
“So lets get down to the details.” The salesman said looking at a stack of paper, “I’m asking $5000 for this car.”
Jim sat there for a moment, the time had come to make the decision, how would Jim know if that was a good deal or not? Should he continue to shop for used vehicles? He surmised that the body was in good shape and had been driven by a lady – not to mention this salesman did seem like a good guy. He had $4200 to spend so he made his offer.
“How about $4000?”
“You drive a hard bargain; but I can see you are a dedicated family man like myself, and I want to see you be able to drive this home for your son; so yes, I’ll agree to that price.”
Jim felt the rush of victory.
“Ok then,” Jim said, “Let me drive home and have a friend drop me back off, and I’ll take the car. What time are you open tll?”
“Sounds good – I’m open for another 3 hours so I’ll get the paperwork together and will see you later and we can sign off on the deal.”
Driving home Jim felt great. He had experienced many joys in his life, but nothing seemed to compare as when you provide something for your family that you can feel proud of. While Jim wasn’t knowledgeable in used vehicles, this car was a nice used vehicle he thought to himself, not a fancy Lamborghini, but fine enough! At home Jim called one of his buddies and got a ride back to the dealership; he found the salesman in his office finishing up the paperwork.
“You just need to sign here.” The salesman said, “And here, and here…”
Signing the documents Jim was still on a high from the experience, he could not wait to get the used vehicle home to his son. For several minutes they went over the paperwork, and in conclusion the salesman handed Jim a set of keys.
“Congratulations! I hope your son enjoys it.” The salesman said smiling from ear to ear.
In Manitoba, used vehicles need to be safetied to be insured.
Jim was ecstatic; that was easier then he thought it would be! And how great that he met this salesman who was a father himself – there are still some good people in this world he thought with renewed faith.
Jim could hardly wait to get the used vehicle home. It was 7pm and his son would just be getting home from baseball practice. He had not promised his son a car that day; in fact, he really thought it would take much longer than it did, so he knew his son would be very surprised.
He parked the used vehicle in the driveway and walked into his home finding his son doing homework at the kitchen table.
“Hey Dad!” he greeted, “How’s it going?”
“Really good.” Jim said, “Come on out to the driveway, I’ve got something to show you.”
100% full disclosure when shopping for used vehicles!
His son looked at him in disbelief, and hesitated for a moment.
“Really?” He asked as he got up, and then picked up his pace rushing through the door.
Standing at the door his son could see the car.
“Dad!” he exclaimed, “Is that mine?”
“It sure is.”
As they both walked closer to the car they noticed something on the driveway coming out from under the car, a pool of some kind of greenish liquid. Jim got down on his knees and looked under the car.
“What the….” he said, his excitement turning to dread, and then to anger, “I don’t believe it!”
“What Dad?” His son asked, “Is everything OK?”
Turning to his son, he was filled with mixed emotions of anger, disappointment, and even shame for being so naive.
“I don’t think so.” Jim began feeling his heart sink as he saw the obvious disappointment in his son’s face, “I think the car is a lemon.”
His son dropped his hands to his side and his shoulders sagged.
“I’m sorry.” Jim said, “Let me take care of this – I don’t know what the problem is, but I assure you I’ll take care of it and you will have your car as fast as I can get this resolved.”
Knowing his words did not make his son feel any better, he put his arm around the boy, and the two walked back into the house.
The next day, Jim had the car towed to a mechanics shop that his buddy recommended. The mechanic greeted him as he walked into the garage.
“Hi there.” The mechanic said, “What can I do for you?”
“Well…” Jim began, “I just bought this car yesterday, drove it home when it dumped out a bunch of green liquid; obviously it won’t run and I don’t know what is going on. I purchased it for my son and so this is such a disappointment.”
“I’d say it is.” The mechanic said with some empathy, “Let me take a look.”
The mechanic walked around the car, took a look underneath, and then opened the hood. He pulled on wires, wiggled some parts here and there, and then opened up the radiator.
“You need to replace the radiator all together. I’m betting that whoever sold you this car put radiator stop leak in it to hide the problem, but as you can see it is a temporary fix.”
“How much to fix?” Jim asked.
“$500 will do it, and I’ll have that done by tomorrow.”
The following morning Jim picked up the car, and drove it home.
“OK.” He said to his son, “It’s all fixed now!”
His son was once again happy, and the two of them took the car out for a drive.
“Dad, this is amazing.” His son gushed, “You are such an awesome dad!”
Jim’s chest filled up with pride; yes he was an awesome dad, no amount of money could buy what he was feeling in that moment. The two of them drove around for a bit and then stopped to grab a bite to eat for lunch. After lunch they got back into the car. His son turned the key in the ignition and the car would not start. He tried again and again and looked at his dad with worry on his face.
“Dad?”
Jim’s chest that was earlier filled with pride; now became filled with anxiety, but he wanted to stay control of the situation for his son.
“You let me handle this.” Jim said with authority. “I told you I would get you a car and I will.”
Jim called a cab for his son to get home, and then called a tow truck and had the car towed back to where he bought it. He walked with a fast angry stride into the office.
“What the hell did you sell me?” He demanded getting in the salesman’s face.
“What the…. let me see… what happened?”
Trying to maintain his cool, Jim relayed the events of the last two days.
“Gosh, I’m so sorry.” The salesman offered, “I’ll get my mechanic on it.”
Jim waited in the office for forty minutes when the salesman walked back in.
“OK, it’s the fuel pump and I can have it fixed in an hour. It will cost you $400.”
“Fine.” Dave said, “Call me when it is done.” He waited across the street at a coffee shop.
When the car was fixed, Jim got the call, paid the repair bill and began the drive home. At a stop sign, the car stopped running and would not start. Jim felt like his head would explode with high blood pressure. He took a deep breath and called the tow truck again. This time he took it back to the mechanic that fixed the radiator. That man, unlike the salesman, was a good guy Jim deducted.
“Geez.” The mechanic said, “Let me take a look, I’ll have one of my guys here drive you home.”
At home Jim waited for the mechanic to give him a call. He was trying not to have a full on anxiety attack. How many people he thought go through this? The used car salesman was obviously a crook – a wolf in sheep’s clothing, a person with no conscience. The phone rang; it was the mechanic.
“Looks like it was the fuel pump, I’ve got it fixed so you can pick up your car when you are ready.”
A surge of anger flowed through him! The audacity of the salesman! After picking up the car from the mechanics garage he drove straight to the used car lot.
“I demand my money back for the fuel pump!” Jim growled, and continued to tell the salesman’s the fuel pump chain of events. The salesman dared not argue given Jim’s state of mind, and handed him the $400.
Shopping for used vehicles doesn’t have to be overwhelming!
Sometimes, bad experiences can turn out to be a blessing in disguise; and this was the case for Jim and this car buying experience. Over the next week Jim took his sons car, which was working fine now, to the good mechanic and talked about future possible repairs. From what the mechanic told him he realized he would not be able to afford the future repairs, but being a man of solutions, he decided to make what repairs he could now to meet safety standards and then sell the vehicle, fully disclosing all issues to the next owner. He would then buy another car, letting his kids who were of driving age drive the next readied vehicle and repeat the process.
Used Vehicles for sale!
“Why not sell used vehicles properly – fix them properly, with full disclosure as to any issues so customers know what they are buying?” Jim thought. It seemed to make perfect sense! His experience with the unscrupulous used car salesman had made a serious impression on him; he imagined how many people must have experienced the same and the thought made him shiver.
“grew to 30 plus used vehicles”
It was a solution that worked for Jim and his family. Within a very short period of time, Jim had erased all his financial troubles buying used vehicles, repairing them and reselling with full disclosure. He built a great reputation as a man one could trust in the used car business, and in time grew to 30 plus used vehicles; a thriving used vehicles business, and a plethora of happy customers; not to mention a very happy family.
