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What Does an Auto Broker Do?
An auto broker brokers deals for automobiles.
Alright, that's an awful joke and gross oversimplification, but also a useful way of thinking about it. Cars are ubiquitous to modern living; they are also highly complicated machines, and, not coincidentally, one of the most expensive purchases Americans make, especially when bought new . Whether you're trying to buy, sell, trade, or lease, when you add "highly complicated" to "financially risky" you get a recipe for agonizing questions:
"Am I doing this right?"
"Am I being ripped off?"
"Am I asking the right questions?"
"Is this car going to break down as soon as I get home?"
These questions often don't have any easy answers, especially when dealing with strangers or aggressive salesmen with multi- million dollar dealerships at their back. It's almost impossible to get a fair deal when one side is better informed than the other, and almost impossible to stay equally informed when the other party's career is based around their knowledge of automobiles.
Enter auto brokers. We act on your behalf, using our knowledge, experience, and time to ensure that you get the absolute best deal possible. You only have so much time, energy, and funds to dedicate to getting a great deal; dealerships and amateur salesmen know this. Working on your behalf–whatever that may entail–is our full-time job.
The bottom line comes down to this: we only make money when we save you money.
Buying A Car
One of the first questions we ask when someone wants to buy a car isn't "what kind?", it's "what are you trying to do?" Everyone has different needs, wants, and dealbreakers when it comes to their next car. The first thing we do with clients is figure out these things together, and then choose a make, model, and year that checks each box without breaking the bank.
Here's the thing, however: since we have no financial stake in what car you ultimately choose, we have the freedom to be completely honest in our recommendations. For example, were you to go to a dealership with these same wants and needs, they would point out that the (let's say) 2008 Subaru Forester ticks all your boxes. We would tell you that it ticks your boxes, sure, but the Subaru 2.5L engine design is notorious for blowing its head gasket to the tune of $1,000+ repairs and recommend alternatives. The choice is always yours; we just keep it an informed one.
Once you've decided upon a make, model, and price range, we start hunting, using over 40 years' experience and connections in the automotive business to find the perfect car at the perfect price- -through dealerships, other brokers, private parties, auctions, and everything in between. Once we've done the legwork we reach back out to you and see if the shoe fits; if not, we keep looking until we find out what does.
Once we've found the car for you we negotiate the deal with the seller, otherwise known as the fun part. As a licensed auto broker we have both access to wholesale pricing not available to the general public and the skills and connections to get the most car for the least cash; our experience with local credit unions makes even financing as easy as possible. The best part is that the vast majority of the time the dealership pays our broker fee, meaning that you get the best deal at no extra cost!
Finally, once everything is ready, we accompany you to the dealership to sign the paperwork–the first thing, excepting test drives, that you can't do over the phone. Most people spend between three and six hours at the dealership; our clients generally spend only twenty to forty minutes at the dealership, as we set everything up in advance to make things as easy as possible.
And that's it! You drive off in your new car, confident that you got the best deal, and not a pushy salesman in sight.
Selling and Appraisals
Selling a car can be as stressful of an experience as buying one–though we've all come up against the brutal rate of depreciation it's still galling to hear that the car you bought new less than five years ago has already lost half its value. Craigslist can reward hours of cleaning and preparation with three would-be buyers flaking, one that insists a problem you've never heard of means you ought to pay them to take the car, and another that you regret giving your address to within minutes of meeting them.
That's where we come in. Like with buying a car, the first thing we do when contacted by a client is find out what they're trying to accomplish– whether they're trying to get rid of an extra car to free up the driveway and get some extra cash, upgrade their daily driver, or get rid of an old clunker that's more trouble than it's worth.
After that we come out to appraise the vehicle, using code scanners, our degrees in automotive technology, and decades of experience to give you an accurate value for your car. We then sit down with you to discuss the best way to move forward–usually either by selling the car by consignment, selling the car to us directly, or trading the car in at a dealership. Of course, should you decide against selling the car through us (or at all), there's no obligation to continue!
Just like with helping you buy a car, we want to help you make the most informed decision you can, not make a decision for you! We're in the business of helping people, not making money off of them. The vast majority of our business comes from repeat clients–people don't come back if they get a raw deal.
Consignment
Many of our clients choose to sell their vehicle by consignment after having it appraised; in essence, this means having us sell the car for you.
First off–there's a bit of paperwork saying that you agree to let us take and sell the car on your behalf. No one likes paperwork (and we do it often enough to know why) but this one's important; few people feel comfortable giving a stranger their car for a pinky promise that they'll be paid for it later.
After that's out of the way you have to… do nothing. We handle everything from here, all the way down to the DMV paperwork; the only thing you'll have to do is approve or disapprove of an offer made on the car.
This is where many people ask "Why you, then?" And understandably so; if the only perk to auto consignment was convenience we'd be asking the same thing. As much as we ought to stay humble, the answer is because we're very, very good at it.
Before starting Ferguson Auto Brokers our owner had over three decades of experience buying, selling, and working on cars in Oregon– from Prineville to Salem, Mount Hood to Portland, dealerships, body shops, car lots, and everything in between (why yes, he is old). When we sell your car we sell it: wash and detail the interior and exterior, replace what parts need replacing, clear any codes or dash lights, touch up scuffs in the paint–all before taking a single picture.
After fixing your car up we get it out into the world with listings on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and our own website. On top of that we reach out to dealerships, other auto brokers, and forty years' worth of repeat clients–we've had decades to grow our network, and it grows stronger with every new deal, all working towards getting you the absolute best deal possible for your vehicle.
Of course, you have the final say on the sale! We keep you appraised of how your car is doing–offers, what you can expect to get out of it, and anything else that may come up.
Once the car has been sold, we handle the DMV paperwork and drop off your check. It's that easy–no leaving the house, no Craigslist cretins at your door, and, since our fee comes directly from the proceeds, no cash out of pocket.
Trade-Ins
For many people, selling a car is less a goal than it is the first obstacle to getting a new one. We get it–we've all been there! That's why we approach trade-ins the way that we do: with a focus on your end goal.
First and foremost comes a fast and thorough appraisal, so everyone knows what we're dealing with. After that we help you decide what the best way forward will be: either a straight trade-in at a dealership, or having us sell the car for you and allocating the money towards the cost of your new car (be it through us, a dealership, or anything else), depending upon what feels right to you.
While that may sound strange, the fact is that some cars are simply more valuable on the private market than they would be when traded in, and vice-versa; with our experience and connections on both sides of the market–both dealer and private–we're uniquely suited to finding you the most bang for your Buick.