[nothercastle]

Most people could probably benefit from someone helping them navigate the car buying process. For a $500 I bet I could talk most buyers through the right lease, payment setup and financing and pre negotiate a decent deal in one of the 3-4 neighboring states and setup an inspection at a good mechanics if buying used. I bet I could bring 1-2k of value into that transaction. If I was doing it as my day job I could probably squeeze out 2-3k or help them tap the auction market directly.

[bombcar]

The problem is there's no way to prove that you're doing that and not a scammer; you're almost better off just asking someone who bought one recently what they did.

(What you're suggesting is basically Nothercastle's Used Cars)

[nothercastle]

Except it’s more like a buyers agent or a doula. Someone that’s navigated the process many times to assist on behalf of a buyer. Upfront payment no commission or kickback could even put that in the contract.

I do think these people exist I’ve seen them advertise services in specialty car forums but it’s very niche.

[gnopgnip]

But the buyers agent is going to work with most buyers only once. And work with dealers many times. This is hard to get the incentives right

[nothercastle]

Pre Pay the agent then the incentive is correct.

[wodenokoto]

But now you need an agent to help you navigate through the market of car-buying agents!

[to11mtm]

You see it more frequently in certain luxury vehicles where the price is part of the prestige, usually to where the equation is a bit more managed, e.x. they can set base price higher and have fewer random 'tire kickers' to deal with.

[anigbrowl]

That's worth writing a book for. A short, straight-to-the-point guide in simple language would probably sell really well.

[nothercastle]

It’s not though because if you can read the book you don’t need help. The thing most people need help understanding is the intricacies of financing, rates, prepayment, insurance, and warranties that’s not something an average can figure understand .The other part is just getting around the upsell and shopping around. You can research all that online the information is there but most either don’t care to understand or it won’t.

[anigbrowl]

I can totally understand that, but I don't want to waste time figuring out how to optimize it by trial and error if there's a an easily digestible guide that gets me within 95%, because that shit is not fun or interesting to me. I'm telling there's an audience for such a book because I'm it, and you're arguing that I don't exist. Then you put a new edition once every 1-2 years, and call it 'Nothercastle's cary buyer's guide 2025'.

[nerdponx]

Not sure I agree in general. Grinding through hours of research and teaching yourself things from scraps of info is a lot harder than reading it out of a well-structured book. Can't speak for this particular domain but I certainly would appreciate a coherent resource.

[nothercastle]

Yes but unfortunately things change pretty often so idk how you keep everything up to date in a book. Leases need a calculator to compare and reliability and depreciation estimates are also dynamic. You could have a website with a subscription but people hate paying for those.

[OnionBlender]

Buying a car is an awful experience. I once had a Mazda dealership hold onto my keys and license during the negotiation so I couldn't leave.

[setr]

Under what pretense did they get a hold of your own car keys?

[Scoundreller]

Trade-in evaluation?

[camkego]

These services have existed for many years. ie https://carbuyersadvantage.com/faq/

But it takes a leap of faith for me to think my interests are best served with this type of service.

[nothercastle]

I see what you mean, I guess if your friends used it and it worked for them then I could see using it as well.

This place you linked isn’t upfront about their fee structure at all so I’m pretty suspicious. If you aren’t paying for the service your aren’t the customer and this might be the case here.

[EVa5I7bHFq9mnYK]

Just check it visually, kick the tires, and listen carefully how the engine starts up - should be quick and smooth. Pay cash. Now please send me the $500 check.

[nothercastle]

Many people would fail even that but no visual without a lift isn’t enough.