Why a women's book? During all my years in the business of selling, servicing and repairing cars, it became clear to me that in auto-related dealings, it wasn't just a coincidence that women got burned more often than men. And I learned that it had a lot less to do with men's "car-savvy" than with the people (almost exclusively men) in the business intentionally taking advantage of women because they assumed that women are easy targets. To a lot of women, anything having to do with cars is a "a guy thing," and so they just naturally let the guys make their decisions for them.
But then, most women actively seek advice. They listen when they believe the source is credible. Most men already "know everything" about cars, and for sure about wheelin' and dealin'. That's why this book is addressed to women.
And why all this emphasis on used cars? Doesn't everybody know that when you buy a used car, you're just buying somebody else's troubles?
Picture this: You buy a brand new car, and after a year something comes up and you have to sell it. It's now a used car. Is it going to be a problem for its new owner?
The day you bought it, it depreciated about 30%. Now, only one year later, it has depreciated up to a whopping 50%! So the new owner gets your $14,000 car for $7000. Who got the better deal, you or the used-car buyer?
Buying used cars is definitely not always taking on somebody else's problems. Sure, some used cars have flaws. So do some new cars. Used cars that turn out to be lemons are the exceptions, though, and what The Intelligent Woman's (Used) Car Book will teach you is how to select a used car that's as good as a new one. It's not all that complicated, it's not a "guy thing," and once you know the techniques, they will be indispensable to you in keeping your new (used) car running (nearly) forever.
The focus of The Intelligent Woman's (Used) Car Book is to obtain maximum pleasure and utility from your car with a minimum of expense and stress. You'll save money by getting a good deal in the first place. You'll never get taken advantage of on repairs, insurance or any other dealings with your car and by getting the most from your car when you need to sell it. In short, you'll get more value from your every hard-earned transportation dollars, and have fun in the process. In today's economy, it's important for most of us to use our incomes wisely. Even though spending a fortune on one's car is widely accepted as a fact of life, it really isn't necessary!
Learning simple aspects of car-ownership, maintenance, repairing and insuring, can change forever the way you deal with these issues. It can save you thousands of dollars and do away with the hassles and heartaches. With that comes a confidence and peace of mind that you've probably not known before in your auto-related transactions. The more savvy you are about your car and about how the whole car-business works, the more effective you will be in your car-related transactions. Your new confidence will be enough to avert a lot of dubious dealings before they begin.
In The Intelligent Woman's (Used) Car Book, you'll learn to avoid the manipulations in the sales office which often cause customers to pay thousands of dollars more for their purchases than was originally implied. Sadly, this has become industry practice. Auto dealers conduct seminars and intensive training workshops to teach these tactics to their sales people. Over the years, these training practices have been fine-tuned by professional psychologists skilled in the intricacies of the buying mind.
Against this kind of training, Ms Jane Doe, who buys one car every few years hasn't had much of a chance. Until now!
I'll show you why many efforts to buy an "economy car" wind up being anything but economical. You'll learn the important difference between "miles per gallon" and "miles per dollar." I'll even show you how to completely avoid the costliest item of car-ownership for most people: depreciation! You'll also learn how to deal with repairs when they become necessary, and even how to get the best mileage from your insurance dollars.
There's no need to ever be intimidated again by the thought of doing business with car dealers or repair shops, or by the guys who think women don't know anything about their cars. Please rest assured that there are honest people in the business and good cars out there. I'll show you how to find them.
There are already other books and periodicals available that include lists of cars of recent years that have proven to be lemons. I purposely didn't include such a list for you to try and memorize. Instead, I'll show you how to easily detect deception and problems, and how to easily smoke out the lemons on your own.
The Intelligent Woman's (Used) Car
Book is presented in such a way
that you can choose from the table of contents any topic that's
of interest to you. Wherever you read, there will be references
to any other chapters that give further specific related information,
and the index will help you easily locate anything discussed in
the book. There is no need to read this book in any particular
order, although it would be to your advantage to peruse every
word sooner or later.
A comprehensive Pocket Check List to take with you when you go look at a car for sale! It serves as a reminder for every item covered in the "Check it Out" chapters, with a page-number by each item to refer you back to the book, if necessary. Don't leave home without it!