This year, July 30, 2024, CARS, the historic regulation of car dealers will automatically go into effect…unless the U.S. Congress sells out to Big Auto—the National Automobile Dealers Association, the 70,000+ car dealers in the USA, and the auto manufacturers. Already, at least two bills exist that would block the FTC from enforcing the new…
Nobody likes to admit they got taken advantage of Not in poker, not in marriage, not in business — and especially not when buying a car. Every week, I hear from customers who tell me, “I really negotiated hard. They tried to trick me, but I outsmarted them.” What I rarely hear is, “I think…
President of the Florida Automobile Dealers Association Last Friday, Ted Smith and I had a heated phone conversation about a previous column/blog I’d written in which I blamed Ted and the FADA for the fact that Ashley Moody, Florida’s Attorney General had not enforced Florida laws, on the books for over 20 years regulating car…
My wife Nancy and I bought our first Tesla over 3 years ago. It’s a top-of-the-line Model S “Plaid” model, and the TSD (Tesla Self-Driving) package option was included. Even though the software for autonomous driving was included, Tesla would not enable it unless the driver demonstrated the ability to drive very safely. This feature…
As many of my readers know, I’m perhaps the only car dealer that speaks regularly with his customers. My personal cell phone number is available to all my customers as well as my employees. In my other role as a consumer advocate, which is why I write this column, I hear often from my customers…compliments…
As you know, car dealers have sold virtually all their new cars at thousands of dollars above MSRP over the last three years. The prices were so high that car dealers made record profits over that time despite selling relatively few new cars because of manufacturing constraints. Most auto manufacturers also made record profits because,…
www.EarlsVigilantes.com You’re reading this column now, and that tells me that you’re probably an educated consumer. You hope to pick up a tip or two on how to buy or lease a car without getting ripped off by a car dealer. This is what educated consumers do. They read, listen to podcasts, watch videos, and…
Seventeen years ago, I wrote a blog entitled “Grandma and Grandpa’s Freedom Machine.” I was 66 years old then and first began thinking of myself as a “senior citizen” aka “old guy.” The gist of this article was inspired by my late “Uncle Charlie,” who refused to give up his old Cadillac. He’d retired from…
Automotive technology has been advancing at warp speed for the past 20 years. Today’s new automobile is far superior in safety, comfort, ease of operation, maintenance, mechanical repair cost, and longevity. It seems like yesterday that we were all driving combustion engine cars that got 12 mpg and were well worn out at 50,000 to…
Disclaimer: I advise 99% of car buyers not to negotiate for the lowest price when buying or leasing a car. This column is for that 1% who are skilled at and enjoy the game and art of negotiation. Lawyers are often excellent negotiators, having been trained in law school to deal with judges, opposing lawyers,…
