I have customers tell me that buying a vehicle can be a terrifying experience. They don't know who to trust. Can I believe what this car dealer is telling me? Do I know the history of this vehicle? What kind of repairs have been done? Did the previous owner take care of the vehicle? What's going to happen when I drive the vehicle off the lot? Is the dealer going to stand behind his product? The answers to some of these questions you might never know. For example, did the previous owner or owners take care of the vehicle? It is hard to tell for sure. Here are some things that I look for to give me clues if the vehicle has been taken care of. I look at the appearance of the exterior paint. I determine if the paint is average wear for the year model. I look for dents. You are going to have minor blemishes on a used vehicle. Major dents are not a good sign. I look at body moldings and the gap around the doors. Are the gaps around the door the same width around all the doors. I look underneath the vehicle for excessive rust.  I look on the inside for interior wear. How does the inside look? Is the carpet and seats in good shape considering the year model of the vehicle. In my opinion if a vehicle looks good inside and out and it is clean, the odds are the previous owner probably took care of it. How about this question, What's going to happen when I drive the vehicle off the lot? At my dealership, if you have a breakdown within  the first 30 days, I will take care of it without any questions. I also offer service contracts on the engine and transmission for up to 24 months on most models at a modest price. The key to whether the person is an honest dealer is determined on how he or she takes care of you after the sale if there is a problem with the vehicle. My goal is to make you a life time customer . In order to do that I know I have to take care of and help you after the sale. I want you to tell other people that I treated you good. I am determined to live by our corporate motto: "Be Helpful, Be Honest and Be Fair". I believe that's all any reasonable customer would expect from a business person. I realize it's a priviledge to earn your business and trust. I want to do everything in my power to make this happen. I can honestly say that I try my best to do everything that I can to help people. Sometimes I tell people not to buy a vehicle right now. They can't afford it. I encourage them to save up their money until they have a sizable down payment in order to keep their payments as low as possible. Sometimes I encourage them to keep driving the vehicle that they are driving until they can afford better. I believe that you truly earn a person's trust when you advise them what would be in their best interest. Sometimes telling the customer the truth is not what they want to hear. If you truly care about a person and their needs you will tell them the truth. It will benefit them in the long run. If you know who you are dealing with, and you know that they have your best interest at heart, then you have no reason to fear.
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The  hero in my life is my father. He is 82 years old and in great health. He retired from his business at the young age of 80. He has a 7th grade education and has had 6 patents in the Washington, D.C. office. He has a tremendous positive attitude. He never gives up or quits. I will never forget as a child , my dad would get up early in the morning, get dressed and walk in the dark down the paved road in our neighborhood for his daily exercise. I thought that he was crazy getting up at 6:00 am to go walking. He made a believer out of me. He still walks everyday and it has paid off for him. He showed me by example how to work. He always provided for us and never complained about working. He was committed to his family. We never went hungry. We were not rich, in fact we didn't have a bathtub or shower until he built our new home in 1969. Prior to that , we took baths in a wash tub and used the bathroom outside in an Out House. A lot of people have no idea what an out house is. I thank God for bathrooms. That is all I am going to say on the subject. He taught me the value of honesty, hard work, committment and how to treat everyone fairly. My dad loved everyone. He never met a stranger. I try to live my life the same way, whether it be in business or personally.  I admit I have a lot of flaws, but one thing I have tried to consistently do my entire life , which I learned from my father, is Make People Feel Important, And Treat Them With Respect. I can say my father made me feel important. He is truly a Hero.
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