When people are ready to buy a used car, they usually purchase their vehicle within two weeks from the time the need becomes so obvious that it can no longer be ignored. For most people, the decision that they will make, perhaps the second largest purchase of their lives so far, takes place in a relatively small window of time. This usually will be the primary vehicle used to go to work, school, carpool and other important events. What you know about how to inspect a vehicle and look for mechanical problems will be relied upon heavily during a somewhat stressful time, when a decision could be made quickly and with immediate results… whatever they may be. Perhaps you forgot to put the car in reverse for the whole test drive or the ride back home… and did not find out until the next day, while backing out of your own driveway to go to work or school or your weekly Balderdash game, that there is NO reverse!

This responsibility is one, that someone like me, Tanja, happily took on for the many years that I was an auto broker in the new/used/wholesale car buying market (yes, that is PAST tense, I am retired from it:).

My wonderful past clients, who I truly enjoyed helping out in this area of their lives, had coined me as their “personal car shopper” and would rely on me to provide, literally, “the perfect vehicle” for their son, wife, daughter, husband, partner, business and so on…

Along with my own past husband, but still good friend, Paul (he worked the commercial side buying big trucks, vans, dump trucks and so on…), we created National Consumer Advocate to bring our many combined years of auto buying knowledge and experience to the public at large. We took a year off from the auto business and we, generally speaking, stepped lightly off one of the many sinking ships in the US economy, with an entirely new focus and created a DVD especially for the discerning used car buyer, “How to Buy A Used Car Without Getting Ripped off!”. We made it along with the help many good friends and professionals in the used car market, who are really GOOD people, and they happily provided their wisdom and sound advice to us along the way.

In our videos, we explain to you in detail everything you really do need to know when it comes to Buying a Used Car or Truck or Van or 4×4 or AWD, and manual or automatic transmissions are both covered. Ok, we might of missed some things, but you will be hard proved to find it. Go ahead, we love the feedback! I’m even creating a blog where people can share this missed info with other used car buyers. You might want to see what you can contribute if you know a lot about buying used cars yourself.

Now, I gotta warn ya… you might actually have a little fun watching our videos, but you will ALSO have to think a bit. This DVD is something that would not be fun to watch with say, for instance, a hangover or jet-lag, nor do I think it should replace the Saturday night movie either; but watching it more like somewhere in the middle, where you can pay good attention to what we are showing you, as there is a lot that we cover in this little DVD “How to Buy A Used Car Without Getting Ripped off!”.

We tell you what you would need to know, so that you can absorb as much as you want, and have a good idea about what it takes when it comes to inspecting your next used car, before you buy it.

We will guide you in how to take a “proper” test drive, including reverse (it did actually happen, more about that in the DVD) and we will go into detail about what you want to see when the hood is up.

We will teach you what to look at in and around the Engine, Suspension, Brakes, Transmission, Exhaust, as well how to spot any tell-tale signs in the exterior paint for accident damage or the interior for not-obvious, but just as relevant damage. The list goes on, which reminds me, we also GIVE you a “Vehicle Inspection Checklist” to print and take with you when you go look at the used car for sale, along with a “Vehicle Rating System”, which rates the car as a whole, along with the information collected while doing your inspection.

Now, if you really want to have some support while inspecting a used car for sale, there is also an “Audio Companion MP3” that literally walks you around the vehicle while you are inspecting it, reminding you of all the important points to watch out for, and goes along with your vehicle inspection list as well. It is kinda like watching synchronized swimming, except you are the one moving about in a confident, fluid, knowledgeable flow.

We could have put all this in a book, but we thought a DVD would be more fun & engaging, given the nature of content, and it is best available for instant download as well as ordering the DVD in its entirety. Yet, for those that would want something in a book format, we created our own e-Book about another, just as important subject called, “How to Negotiate a Used Car Deal.” You can only win with our information, or at least have a better understanding of how you may have lost out on some car deals in the past.

Well, there ya have it. I just want you to know that I did all this so that I could make sure that YOU… whoever you are, wherever you are… will have a much more effortless, easy, confident and relaxed experience (especially if you remember to do some deep breathing) the next time you need to buy a used car. Aloha!