OPINION |
I took my car in for service at Corwin Ford last week, and now I'm getting emails saying they want to buy it.
That has never happened to me before. It surprised me.
Isn't that like going to a tailor who offers to buy your pants?
Or having your mouth uncomfortably agape when the dentist asks: “Nice molar. How much?”
As you know, cars have been hard to come by in recent years.
Dealer offers to buy all kinds of cars
There's the microchip shortage, supply-chain problems with parts and, in some cases, difficulties with hiring.
Corwin buys 30 to 50 cars “off the road” a month, says Tim Russell, general sales manager. It's been doing so for about two years, since the pandemic hit.
I have a 2019 Ford Edge with about 45,000 miles that I bought used Feb. 28, 2021. It's the nicest vehicle I've ever owned.
Russell tells me Corwin buys all kinds of cars, even ones with 200,000-plus miles.
“It all depends on what models we want,” he says.
I'm not talking about trade-ins. These are cars you bring in for service, and the dealer asks you if you want to sell it.
Guess the average cost of a used car
I should mention that perhaps the reason I'm surprised by this now is because I almost never take my car in for service at the dealership. I have the world's greatest local mechanic for that.
Last week I took it to the dealer because I bought a second (backup) electronic ignition key. I had to take my car Pilar — named after novelist Ernest Hemingway's boat — to the dealer to program the key.
More people are buying used cars these days because new ones have been in short supply.
In writing this, I stumbled upon the average cost of a used car in the United States. I think you'd be surprised.
The New York Times reported in September that it had stabilized recently at $28,000. That's up 9 percent from a year ago.
The average price of a new car these days is $48,000, according to Cox Automotive. That is a number foreign to my life experience.
Strangers also want to buy my house
If you own a home or are paying off a mortgage, you probably receive random emails and letters from people who want to buy it.
My first response is always: How dare you! I love this house!
And then: I wonder how much they'd offer?
Of course, it's reassuring to have a car and a home in the first place. Not everyone does.
It's tempting to ask what someone might offer. But I haven't even considered asking for a number because, first of all, if I thought about selling my house without first consulting my wife, I would not realize any of the home equity built up over 10 years because she would most likely kill me.
Here lies Steve Pokin He sold his house And angered his spouse
Why sell? I'd just have to buy another car
Regarding my car, why sell it? I'd just have to buy another one.
I ask Russell, who works at Corwin, if that ever happens.
Does someone respond to your email and sell their car to you — maybe while it's up on a lift for an oil change — and then immediately buy another car from you?
Yes, he says. An offer can prompt some thoughtful consideration, he says.
“It might get the consumer's mind rolling,” he says.
Sometimes people have one too many cars and are willing to sell.
Sometimes the person will purchase a new car, he says. Sometimes it's a used car with lower payments.
Sometimes the owner buys a replacement car right away. Sometimes it's months later.
For me, I'm fortunate to have what I have. A house, a car and a $415 second ignition key.
This is Pokin Around column No. 84.
