I think I mentioned in an earlier post that the pickup we bought to haul Topper around was a bit overloaded. That has bothered me a lot, and I was hesitant to share my concerns with Jill. We stopped at a weigh station on our first camping trip, and she could tell by my face that I was shocked by how much we were overweight (the rig, the rig...the other is none of your business!).
We had a long and candid discussion about the problem and what to do about it. At last, I agreed that we had to bite the bullet and get a different pickup, if we are to continue enjoying Topper. So, last week, I found a website for Syd Dorn, an auto broker in Lake Oswego, and a former member of our former church. I sent a message from the website to Syd explaining the predicament I had got us into and what we needed in a pickup to fix the problem. I was prepared to be looking for a vehicle for a couple of months.
Well, Syd went to work and quickly! He called for more details about what we wanted to do and what our budget was. I think I sent the info on Sunday, and on Wednesday, Syd sent pictures of a beautiful, red, 2001 Ford F350 Superduty Crew Cab. He asked us to take our Silverado to his cousin in Salem for an appraisal, which we did that very day.
Later, he emailed me and told me that he could get the truck within our budget, based on the appraisal from his cousin. I thought the appraisal was awfully low and mentioned that in my reply. Syd suggested that he might be able to get the Ford owner to come down a bit, but his cousin was firm on what he would pay for the Silverado.
So, we agreed to go to Lake Oswego (an hour's drive) to see the Ford. When we got there, we were stunned by how beautiful the truck is. There was a handsome fellow standing next to it, and we learned he is the owner. We also found out that he is a member of our former church and a personal friend of Syd's.
We looked the truck over and found it to be in very good condition. Then we drove it, and I was impressed with the way it drives. When we returned to Syd's office, we had a couple of questions for Matt, the owner, and for Syd. Chief among them was, "What is the payload rating of this truck, and how was it determined." Syd produced a printout from Ford indicating the maximum payload is 4,300 lbs.
With all of our questions answered, our conversation turned to more important things, like catching up on mutual friends from Rolling Hills Community Church. We had a wonderful time sharing stories and asking to be remembered to mutual friends.
At last, Syd said, "Well, what do you think about the truck?" I replied that we liked the truck very much, but what is the bottom line? Syd told us that the price was $500 lower than the last price he had quoted us, "AND," he said, "I called my cousin's brother and told him I thought their offer was too low. We finally got them to come up $200." Bottom line? We came in $700 under budget!
To put this deal together, we agreed to take our Silverado to Syd's cousin today and pick up the F350 tomorrow directly from Matt. We are really excited to have a truck that will properly transport Topper and us to wherever we decide to go. I am personally gratified that Syd was able to put this deal together in such a way that I can stop feeling bad about the original truck deal I made. Based on the fact that we lost money on the Silverado but got an amazing price on the F350, I believe that we would have spent no less, had we bought a similar F350 from a dealer, instead of going through this whole process of buying and selling a truck at a loss within two months.
I have a new respect for the auto industry and for the Dorn family in particular. They have been active in promoting legislation that effectively reduces the number of charlatans in the used auto industry. I believe that Syd truly lives up to what he says on his website: "Vehicle Buyer's Service is based on biblical principles and convictions of honesty and integrity in every transaction." We feel that we have not only procured the vehicle we needed and saved both face and money, but we have made some new friends in the process.
If you need a new vehicle, no matter where you live in the U.S., contact Syd! (No apologies for this gratuitous plug!)
No comments:
Post a Comment