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Turning Automotive Industry Data into Products and Brand Identities. Leadership | Data Storytelling | Product Management | Media Relations | Client Strategy | Team Integration

Part 2: Private Party Looking for a local deal, I started out like most buyers in this channel with Craigslist. What a mess! This unregulated platform had a host of issues: ·     Vehicle information is inconsistent or absent ·     Gratuitous use of keywords by dealers creates results for vehicles you aren’t interested in ·     Many dealers only list monthly payment &/or down payment. You have to search for the actual price (if listed at all). This also breaks the pricing filters in the search ·     The best deals I found were from non-responsive sellers. I sent at least a dozen emails that went  unanswered ·     Many dealers don’t include “mandatory” useless installed features at absurd markups in their listed price. $3,000 was a common added price for VIN etching, GPS anti-theft hardware and clear coat finish. These predominantly non-franchise dealers left me with the icky feeling many buyers associate with shady sales tactics and poor experiences with car dealers I eventually  found my private party seller via a major vehicle listings platform. The discovery process was very smooth and efficient. The VIN was prominently displayed for me to validate valuation and vehicle history via Black Book valuation tools. The platform offered a straightforward communication portal with the seller. This was no doubt to keep everyone within the platform, but also added security and peace of mind as a buyer. This platform offered a service to facilitate the sale, title transfer, taxes, etc. The fee was reasonable ($100 for our vehicle). This service also included lienholder payoff (big bonus for buyer peace of mind), but that was not needed for this particular sale. The transaction itself via the platform was less than ideal. After meeting the buyer nearly an hour from my home, agreeing to a price, test driving, etc. the escrow officer told me it would take an hour of more to complete the transaction. There was little to no documentation outlining the process, timing or paperwork necessary to complete the transaction. The sale was also on a Saturday and they had limited staff on the weekends. 🤔 It also took a month for them to send me the paperwork (I just got it yesterday). On top of this all, the seller claimed he “couldn’t get his money” and hired legal representation to take action against the service. 😬 All in all, great shopping experience on this platform but poor sales process, mainly due to sloppy logistics. If I buy private party again, I’d be interested to try PrivateAuto who offers similar services without the delays I experienced from a convoluted escrow process. For the car itself… we got a great deal on a 5yo hybrid compact SUV for my 16 year old. It was a bit thrashed but a day of father/son detailing had it front line ready and looking sharp. Price was ~25% lower than comparable vehicles on dealer lots! And no, Sean McNamara and Chris Marshall, I won’t tell you what model car I bought this time either! 🤐

Sean McNamara

Nissan USA Product Planning

2mo

Must be REALLY embarrassing….😂

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