10 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Buying Used

You may not know this already, but between blogging and Mom-ming, I happen to work at a car dealership. I'm not in the car-slinging business, though, being the creative savant that I am, I just handle all of their digital properties! ;)

Before I began working at +Mills Motors Buick GMC Ltd. I was a bit ignorant as to how the whole "car dealership" thing worked. We'd purchased one used vehicle in our time, and that experience was less than stellar. In fact, the experience of purchasing a vehicle at a non-local used dealership was so bad (faulty vehicle reports, lack of information, pushy sales people) that we swore off buying used all-together! When the time came for us to get into a bigger vehicle, we went straight for new! In hindsight, that probably wasn't the greatest decision for a young family with poor credit history and a new home being built, but what did we know?

I WISH the first time stop we made in our car-buying journey was at Mills! Since I've been working here I've come to see just how different they are! First of all, our company mantra is "Whatever It Takes"... and it truly is part of our every-day work lives. Everyone here puts 100% of themselves into everything. It's a refreshing thing to see!

If I just sat here and wrote a post about how awesome Mills is (it is) it'd seem nothing but biased, so instead I'm going to share with you the awesome things I've learned about the car business since starting here! Check the bottom of this post for the most epic Giveaway ever!

The Top 10 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know About Buying Used Cars

10. Dealerships fix their used cars. When a car is purchased for the pre-owned vehicle lot, it's put through a "reconditioning" process to ensure it's up to snuff and safe for sale. Because the dealership employs some of the top technicians in the community, they assess and fix vehicles before they hit the lot. Most reconditioning costs are between $1200 and $1500, spent by the dealership to make sure the car is beyond government safety standards, but also looking its best.

9. Dealerships sell "certified" pre-owned vehicles. The differences between a regular old "used" vehicle and "certified pre-owned" are major. Buying a "CPO" or "Certified Pre-Owned" vehicle is always a safer, more trustworthy alternative to buying any old used car! 

8. You aren't limited to what is on the lot. One thing that I had no idea about before is that our pre-owned inventory isn't all that's there, our sales manager and consultants are happy to work with you to help you find the right vehicle for your lifestyle, mileage and even options. If they don't have it in stock, they'll do their best to find it for you. I think that's pretty awesome.

7. You don't have to have perfect credit to buy from a dealership! Mills Motors in particular is very aware that most people are reluctant to step foot into a dealership when they've got a wobbly credit rating. They've actually hired an on-site credit specialist to work with people who've got bad credit situations to help guide them into a good monthly payment and interest rate that works for the customer's budget and long-term credit goals. I've seen this in action and I wish I'd known about it before!

6. That whole "used car salesman" stereotype? Garbage! At least around here it is! Our sales consultants are motivated by creating loyal customers, not just one-off sales, so it's in their best interest to make sure you're not only happy with the sale, but also how you were treated and what kind of price you got. There's no "swindling" happening around here!

5. Used Car Lots at Dealerships sell ALL makes & models! When you think of a dealership, you generally buy based on what brands they sell. If you're a Buick guy, you go to a Buick Dealership, right? Wrong! Mills Motors, although a Buick GMC branded dealership, sells every make and model on their used lot. So if you've been thinking about that Ferrari, think Mills! ;)

4. The best in service! It's a pretty common thought that having your car serviced and maintained at the dealership (post-warranty) can be expensive, or at least more expensive than the Mom'n'Pop shops. From what I've seen so far, nothing could be further from the truth! Service Centers at dealerships are more competitively priced than ever, and considering they employ Grand Master technicians who give accurate, fair assessments of your vehicles and top-notch fixes, I know I'd rather be safe than sorry, right?

3. Dealerships vs. "B LOTS" -- So what's the main difference between buying used at a dealership instead of from an independent used lot? Well, a "lot" actually. :P -- First and foremost, though, is that the dealerships have on-site techs and service staff who are able to properly fix and maintain vehicles, in fact they have regular training to ensure they're current in the latest technologies. Dealerships also tend to be more transparent when it comes to the deals, so you know you're getting a better idea of your deal. Plus, the incentives can't be beat!

2. Car Dealerships like Mills Motors invest into their community! Because they're regulated by their manufacturers in certain areas, Automotive Dealerships tend to spend a lot more time & energy "giving back". They employ many members of a community (our dealership boasts well over 100 employees) and pledge a lot of money towards local charitable organizations. 

1. How much WORK it is to sell a car! Beyond the seemingly insurmountable paperwork and licensing alone, the actual work that goes into bidding, buying, fixing, upgrading, merchandising, marketing and then actually selling the car is insane! Before working here I would've thought you bought a car, took a picture, put it online, waited for a nibble and then sold it -- easy peasy! But... because everything is done "by the book" every deal is done carefully and there are a lot of factors, and people, who play into getting just one car sold every day. One of the reasons I love working here is because of the amount of team work and organization that goes into making it all happen! It's amazing, really!

So now you know! There's a lot of people and interesting factors that play a role in an active dealership. I'm lucky enough to work at one of the best car dealerships in not only our community, but the entire country! It's managed and employed by some of the most forward-thinking individuals in the industry and you can definitely see that in the way they interact with their customers every day! 

I'm very proud to be part of this team, and to show you how exciting being on #TeamMills is, we've put together a little giveaway for you! Simply enter the rafflecopter Giveaway below and on December 7th @MillsMotors will draw one person, who will be mailed a $200 VISA Gift Card! This of course, is only a small amount compared to the $10,000 GRAND PRIZE giveaway happening at our "Grand Opening Event" for the Mills 5 Star Mega Lot! (WHAT?!!!!)

If you're in the market for a used vehicle, here are exactly 10,000 reasons for you to buy RIGHT NOW!

Now, onto the giveaway! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway