Stack the Deck when You Buy a Car in Michigan

Many people equate buying a car right alongside a trip to the dentist for a root canal or a tax audit. The pitfall to this attitude is that car buying is often delayed until the situation is dire, leaving the buyer without the objectivity necessary to make a calm, logical decision.

Michigan car dealers are particularly adept at spotting this type of buyer when they show up.

Here are a couple pointers to help you avoid this pitfall, and approach car buying with a little more confidence and much less trepidation.

If you had several, or even only one bad car buying experience, there is little we can do to make it into something you eagerly anticipate, but at least the process won’t result with you curled up in the fetal position on the floor of a Detroit car dealer, begging for mercy.

1. Don’t Wait until You Are in Need

If you leave yourself adequate time, you can take little bites of the car buying process, then stop as soon as you start to feel antsy. This will also give you solid leverage when it comes time to negotiate price.

So, start off small by looking at car dealer ads to identify cars that might in some way improve upon what you are currently driving. Maybe you want better gas mileage, or maybe you would like additional passenger capacity. Anytime you take one of these minor planning steps and do some research, immediately reward yourself with something that will reinforce your positive behavior.

2. Use the Detroit Free Press

The print version and the auto pages of their website both can help you identify some extremely convenient dealers. You can find vehicles that might have potential, and then go there when the dealer is closed. The reason for this is because in a print ad or a website with pictures, everything looks pretty good. You need to see a car in real life to uncover any flaws and blemishes on the body that can affect the asking price. Doing this without a car salesperson hovering, you will find, is actually not anxiety inducing in the least. Michigan car dealers have been lobbying for years to be open on Sunday, but to this point they have not met with success. Then, remember what we told you in the first tip and reward yourself for your proactive approach.

The real trick is to desensitize yourself to the negative emotions that can be aroused over when considering the process of buying a car. Let yourself be creative, and you will doubtless discover others along the same lines as these two.

Did you ever wonder what type of Velcro is holding your EZ-Pass onto your windshield? Click the title to find out.

Question:

     I have a 2003 Ford Taurus 3.0L V6 Engine, when I have my car in idle it runs rough and the RPM's stay at 700, when I put it into drive it hesitates, if I put the a/c on the RPM's vary between 300-700 and then stalls out. I had routine maintance done recently, (oil change, air filter replaced,and tires rotated).The backpressure sensor was replaced,less than a year ago I had a tune up done.

 

Answer:

     Most idle problems are due to the throttle body or idle air control, which is located in the throttle body.  I would recommend a good throttle body cleaning by your mechanic and possible replacement of the IAC if it tests bad. 

     I have also heard of vacuum issues and even spark plug boots improperly installed causing misfires when water get's into the spark plug area.  These should be checked if your mechanic checks out the throttle body and finds no issues.

Question:

Hi Kevin,
     My 1999 Mitsubishi Montero is acting strange:
draining the brand new battery in two days even when just parking in the garage.

     Remote key does not open the locks, only clicking noise generated. Engine starts and runs while battery is still charged.
Is it possible that this condition is coming from faulty alternator?

 

Answer:

     Alternator is possible, but it is probably an accessory inside the vehicle. 
The first thing I would check is the alternator charging voltage.  With the vehicle running, measure the voltage at the battery with a voltmeter.  It should be between 13.5 and 14.5 Volts.  If it's below that, I would suspect the alternator.

     I would also fully charge the battery and have a garage perform a load test.  It's not unheard of to get a bad new battery.

Once those two checks are done it's time to find the drain...

     The best way to check for drain is to use an ammeter, hooked inline with the negative cable at the battery.  With everything off, and no key in the ignition, start pulling fuses until you find the circuit causing the drain.  Your radio and ecu will probably cause a slight drain, and 50mA is not uncommon so don't think you have to get the drain down to 0.  You are looking for a circuit causing over 500mA to drain your battery that fast.

Once you find the circuit causing the drain, you need to determine what component in that circuit is causing the problem.  Damaged light sockets, bad solenoids and motors have been known to cause issues.  It's always an adventure finding electrical problems, and don't forget a bad wire can also leak to ground and cause a drain.
Good Luck,
Kevin

Read about Mr. Allen Swift and his dedication to his first car.