Nerds are stone-cold killers in the marketplace today. Over the decades the definition of that term has changed dramatically from one of disrespect and disregard to one of deference and discretion. Nerds have found their place by using their brainpower to maneuver the entire world around them and that ability translates into all of their big purchases including their vehicles. Despite not often being car and truck enthusiasts, they seem to find the perfect vehicle for them at a screaming deal. So wouldn’t it be great to be capable of buying a car just like they do? What is it that they’re doing differently? How is it that they get such great value without having to be an automotive expert? Namely three things, they take the emotion out of the equation, they leverage the best tools, and they use what they’ve gained to make a stone-cold killer deal.
Take The Emotion Out
Via Tesmanian
Many people don’t know that the number one influence on whether or not the average consumer in America will buy a car is the aesthetic value of the vehicle. In general, people are very particular about how the vehicle looks more so than any other feature. If it fits their perceived style and it appears clean they oftentimes stop investigating right there and begin preparing to fork over thousands of dollars to the seller. Nerds don’t do that. They’re far more calculating, so they take the emotion out of the equation to allow them to see more clearly what the truth of the situation is.
They clarify their personal needs as opposed to just their desires. For example, if a nerd needs a vehicle that can hold 6 adults but wants one that is fast as well so they’d look at a sporty SUV versus a Honda Odyssey. At the same time, they wouldn’t be considering something that didn’t meet each of their needs including occupant capacity. So they don’t compromise on their needs, ever.
Nerds of course do their research – online and in person. Do you know that car buyers spend most of their time researching and searching for a vehicle online but a fraction of that precious time in the vehicle itself? While you can’t test drive every vehicle out there, once they have a short list of makes and models to consider, nerds will drive each one, or at least have experienced riding in one before they make a decision. What’s great about nerds though is that they can usually find the vehicles that allow them to have both everything they need and everything they want. How? By using the best tools.
Use The Best Tools
Via Autotempest
When nerds go car shopping they do it from the comfort of their couch or desk most often these days. They know that the internet has every tool and resource to aid buyers in their search and they take full advantage of the situation. Gone are the days of driving from one car lot to the next looking at vehicles you’ve never laid your eyes on before. No, nerds will scour the web to find out what other people with their combination of needs and wants are driving. This allows them to spend the least amount of time, as little as 30 minutes at the dealership itself. And despite it perhaps seeming like a fast 6 passenger vehicle is an oxymoron a nerd can find one easily on a site like Autotempest. We recommend it because it allows you to input practically any search filter you personally want and search all of eBay, BringATrailer, Carvanna, Cars.com, Truecar, and more with a single query. It even links directly to the same search at Craigslist, Autotrader, Facebook Marketplace, and CarGurus. If you want to find the most options with the least amount of work, Autotempest is the site for you. It even lets you search as big or small of an area as you’d like. In our search for a 6-passenger vehicle that’s fast it takes about one minute to tell the site that we’re looking for a larger vehicle and then add in our search keywords like fast, powerful, turbo, and supercharger before it lists multiple vehicles that fall within our desired parameters. Nerds will at this stage narrow the field down to ten or so vehicles that they like based on pricing and features.
But how do you get from ten vehicles down to just a few? This is where nerds continue to leverage the internet to find common issues and problems for the remaining options. They’ll take the step to get a VIN history report such as a Carfax on any vehicle that seems to be on the shortlist. Usually provided by the seller, a Carfax will provide them with an idea of how well maintained the vehicle has been, if there are title issues, and if it’s been damaged in an accident as well as other information. However, be aware that Carfax reports are not always reliable on their own. Check out our article on why you can’t rely on a Carfax report alone: Why you shouldn’t rely on a CarFax report when buying a used car
Websites like BADVIN.org will even feature photographs of the vehicle during past events including sales records, accidents, and auctions. Finally, once they feel ready to possibly pull the trigger they’ll go in for the kill with one of, if not the most powerful tool in their arsenal … an independent pre-purchase inspection from POMCAR. A pre purchase inspection provides you with the best possible information on the vehicle you’re interested in because it’s real-time data on the specific vehicle in question. One of our certified mechanics takes an objective look at the vehicle of your choosing to confirm it’s genuine condition. Where a VIN history report can tell you about things like how often the oil has been changed, a POMCAR pre purchase inspection can tell you that despite a regular service history, the car is about to need thousands in repairs. On the other side of the coin, a pre purchase inspection can also prove that a car is in truly exceptional condition.
Perhaps one of the biggest benefits of POMCAR is that unlike any other company you can be assured that we’re taking an honest objective look at the vehicle. While it’s obvious that the seller can’t be objective about the condition of the vehicle, what many will forget is that hiring an independent individual to look over the vehicle may not result in objective results either. Oftentimes mechanics and dealers work together to mislead customers about the condition of vehicles. With POMCAR you’re the boss. You can even give us up to three specific areas of concern that you’d like our experts to investigate specifically. This means that as you move into the final step of buying you’re equipped with the most powerful tool about the vehicle in question, hard facts.
Make A Killer Deal
When you walk into the dealer thunder dome where you will finalize the big purchase, you need to be aware of what you’re willing to pay for and what you’re not. Is the price of the vehicle negotiable? If so, what’s the most you’re willing to pay? Pricing guides like NADA and KBB tend to be far behind the market trends and only falling further behind with strange things like Covid contributing to abnormal used car pricing. With that in mind, the best way to determine fair pricing is by comparing similar vehicles with similar mileage and options and then weighing that together with the information you’ve gathered from the VIN history report and findings generated from the POMCAR pre-purchase inspection.
Dealer financing is almost always more expensive than what you can get on your own so be considerate about that. If you’re paying cash for a vehicle you can typically get a slightly improved deal because all the risk is gone for the dealer. Nerds consider aftermarket warranties and service packages too. Understanding what type of services and components are covered is vital. While there are a few circumstances where both additional options make financial sense, the majority do not.
Final Considerations
Imagine the difference in position between someone who’s rolled up to a dealer lot to buy whichever car the salesman finds best for them, and the nerd who’s diligent research has provided them with all the knowledge they need to get the best deal. By leveraging a POMCAR pre purchase inspection they’ve certified that the vehicle is in excellent condition and likely to provide them a trouble-free future. Armed to the teeth with this knowledge they can confidently go into the buying process. That unequipped individual on that dealer lot will likely suffer the same fate as so many others who don’t buy like a nerd, dreaded buyer’s remorse. They’ll lie awake at night wishing they’d made another choice. They simply didn’t equip themselves with these tried and true tips to get the best deal on the best car available. You however have done just that. Now you can take these same steps and walk out of your next automotive purchase feeling like the clear winner, and a bit nerdy. Don’t forget to share this with your friends so they can get nerdy too!