Finally! Cordless phones that don't block your wireless computer (9/29/10)

In this section of my newsletter I will sometimes recommend trusted colleagues and other times I'll suggest useful products and software. Today's recommendation is:

Gary Jorgensen
Automotive Consultant

It was early August, 2010. For the past 7 years I had been driving a used white 1996 Volvo 850 station wagon. It was a great car--easy to drive, comfortable, with enormous cargo room. It also got less than 20 miles per gallon, and the repair bills were starting to add up. It was time to replace it with a new (or newer) car, but I dreaded dealing with the inevitable pressure and complexity of the typical car-buying process.

Luckily I happened to mention this to my colleague Adam Frost. He said, "Martin, You've got to call my 'car guy'! He found me a great car, and he was a joy to work with!" On this recommendation I contacted Gary Jorgensen, and embarked on a completely different car-buying (and selling) experience.

Gary helped me identify and buy my new car:

He talked with me about the type, size, and purpose of the car I wanted. In my case, I wanted to downsize from a station wagon into a reasonably-priced hatchback with decent mileage and cargo room.
He suggested many models for me to research, which I did on my own on http://www.autotrader.com using their Car Research tools.
As an experienced former mechanic, Gary gave me his honest opinion about every model on my list.
We debated buying new vs. used. He helped me decide that buying a new car made more sense for me, since the prices on the used car market weren't that much lower.
He answered all of my questions.
He respected the list of models I had made.
He asked questions to clarify what I wanted.
He wanted to preserve the resale value of whatever car I might buy. When I asked what he meant, it turned out that he was assuming that I might resell within 3 years. Once I told him that I tend to keep my cars for 10 or more years (the Volvo being the sole exception at 7 years), he immediately dropped this assumption.
He spent hours with me, test-driving most of the cars on my list. Most of the time we drove off without the salesperson, so I felt comfortable talking with him about the car's pros and cons.
He pointed out many interesting things about the cars we drove that were important to me - level of road noise, handling, power, pricing, visibility, and more.
Once I decided on the model I wanted, he used his relationship with the dealers and salespeople to save me time and money, negotiating the price without my having to be there. What he ultimately saved me on the car more covered than his fee.
He went with me to buy the new car, and told me how long to expect it to take (at least 2 hours), and minimized any hassle from the dealer regarding extras I didn't want or need.
He drove my new car up from the dealer in Norwood for me, saving me even more time and money, since I didn't have to miss any client appointments that day.
For my colleague Adam, Gary worked with him in a similar way to figure out which used car models made the most sense, and then called from various used car auctions to report what was available that he had looked over with a mechanic's eye. Eventually they scooped up a great deal.

And, in addition to this amazing level of service, during the entire car buying process he simultaneously did the following to sell my old car:

He looked the car over carefully.
He read every single repair receipt and invoice in my extensive paper file, and gave me high marks for taking such good care of it.
He took pictures of my car to start marketing it.
He knew how little the dealer would offer me on a trade-in (around $500), and advised me to sell it privately through him (for a predicted $2500, minus his fee).
He talked to at least 3 potential buyers, most of whom were already clients of his, hoping he could find them a good used car.
We discussed whether I should have him do the repair work that the Volvo needed before the sale on my behalf, or whether it made more sense for him to do it after the sale on behalf of the buyer (which is how it turned out). He could do most of the work himself, at cost.
On the day we went to buy my new car, he drove me in my old Volvo to and from the new car dealer to get a feel for how it ran.
Once I got my new car, he took my old Volvo to show to potential buyers, again saving me an enormous amount of time listing the car for sale, responding to inquiries, meeting with potential buyers, taking them on test drives, etc.
He sold it later that same day, at the price he predicted, to a buyer who was excited to have it!
While I notified my insurance company, he handled the paperwork (title transfer to new owner) and license plates (back to me).

As of September 2010, Gary's fees are:
To buy or lease a new car: $600 fixed fee, regards of the value of the car
To buy or sell a used car:
  $350 fixed fee to buy or sell a used car valued up to $5,000
  $600 fixed fee to buy or sell a used car valued $5,000 to $10,000
  $1,000 fixed fee to buy or sell a used car valued over $10,000
However, if he finds that he can't save you any money over what you could buy yourself without his help, you still get his best advice and legwork, and his fee is $0.

In my case he charged me:
  $600 fixed fee for helping to buy my new car, and
  $350 fixed fee for helping to sell my old car.

It was a pleasure working with a consultant with such a high level of knowledge, service, experience, patience, and respect. Don't be fooled by his low-key demeanor, Gary is a first-class professional, and well worth what he charges.

So, what did Gary help me buy? A new silver 2010 Scion xD hatchback, made by Toyota. While I can no longer fit a family of four and their furniture in the back, it's just what I was looking for: a great hatchback with decent cargo room that gets good mileage. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scion_xD for more info. And, Adam is very happy with the used silver Taurus wagon Gary found for him. It has a rumble seat in the back so his kids can invite their friends along on outings to the zoo.

Here's how to contact Gary:
Gary Jorgensen
Automotive Consultant
(617) 755-2875 cell
gary@autogary.com
http://www.autogary.com

Tell him I sent you!