I have been so neglect of my duties. You see, it all started when I realized my son was in the process of getting a driver's license. No way in hell, was he going to be driving his little friends around in my car! This is what started me on what is now being called, "The Never Ending Used Car Salesman Hunt!" When people used to make fun of Used car salesmen, I thought it was just THEIR experience. Little did I know that 98% of the men I met were slimy and big liars! Because this will not be my first experience with used cars, I knew what to look and listen for. I spotted a nice Acura TL and decided to test drive it. The saleman said that he was "firm" on the price. Imagine, to my surprise, the car was making a slight jump when switching gears. The car was an automatic so the gears should have switched smoothly. I told the man I refused to buy a car with a problem transmission. I thought he had seen a ghost! He couldn't imagine how I knew about it but, he wanted to deal at that point. I opted not to buy that car because 1). transmissions are pricey and usually never work properly again. 2). I wanted a car that I could feel my son would be safe in and a tricky transmission could conk out at a very inopportune time. Like when making a risky left turn. I am telling this whole story to inform women that WE need to learn about cars. There won't always be times when we have a man around to negotiate for us. My mother is the master negotiator and she taught me well. Also, if you are test driving a used car, find the nearest Autozone and they will check out the diagnostics for free. If there is no Autozone handy, find the nearest service center and ask that they check out the fluids, (transmission fluid, coolant and oil). Tell the person you are thinking of buying this car and ask their opinion. They have no vested interest and will be truthful. Keep all these tips in mind and you will prevail. NOW GO SHOP
