Automotive Repair and Maintenance-Full Service-All Makes & Models

       (Christian Brothers Automotive-Grayson is a full service Automotive and Light Diesel repair and maintenance shop. Located in the heart of Grayson at 2547 Loganville Highway, we are open 7am -6pm Monday thru Friday to serve our customers. We have shuttle car service to take care of the logistics of getting your car repaired here. We have ASE certified technicians including an L-1 ASE master technician on staff. No matter whether the car is European, Asian, or domestic, we work on all makes and models daily! Call us at 678-825-3833 or, find us on the web at: CBAC.COM/GRAYSON 
email us at: GA007@CBAUTO.NET)

Buy Wisely to Save Long Term

Debt-free living advocates such as best-selling author Dave Ramsey, or Crown Financial Ministries co-founder Howard Dayton recommend buying a good used car instead of a new car. This is not just good advice for people with limited budgets. Warren Buffett, ranked one of the ten richest men in the world by Forbes magazine, is reported to prefer buying two year old Lincoln Town Cars. Buffett can obviously afford any car in the world, but chooses to spend his money on a good value. Ramsey also buys two year old luxury automobiles, for cash, and then keeps them for many years afterward.

The tricky part in this plan is buying a GOOD used car. We sometimes see people who have bought a relatively inexpensive used car to save money then unfortunately have to spend an equal amount of money on major repairs. This obviously did not save money. How then can you go about buying a good used car?

The first step is buying from a reliable source. A new car dealer is one of the better sources. They have first pick of the trade-ins, and their buying volume gets them choice picks at the used car auctions. If they take in a car that they think is questionable, they will usually sell it at auction rather than risk their reputation with local customers.  There are also dealers who advertise ‘certified used’ cars. Many Honda, Toyota, and even some BMW dealers do this. They are actually required by law to inspect and repair the used cars along a fairly strict set of parameters. You can expect to pay a more for a similar model car that is ‘certified used.’

Private sellers should be approached with caution. They may be looking for the same price as the dealerships, although they are generally an ‘as is’ sale. Unlike the rules of real estate they arent’ required by law to disclose known defects. So, if you can’t find what’s wrong….it’s yours to fix.  A few  supposedly private sellers are really people with some special connection that are selling several cars each month. These people are frequently selling the problem car that the reputable businesses did not want. If you get the sense that you are buying from someone like this, be very careful.

The next step is to pay $39.99 for a CarFax report. This report will list changes in ownership, insurance collision or flood history, and the extremely rare lemon law repurchase. You are paying $39.99 just to make sure the above are not a problem. It will not list warranty repair work, recall work, or paid repair work.

The next step is to have a repair shop, independent of the seller, inspect the vehicle. This inspection is looking for anything that looks out of the ordinary. The best result is a thorough report that says everything that can be seen  is okay. When the report begins to list items that the seller did not disclose, you should probably look for another vehicle. Ask the repair shop to be very critical. You want to know the worst news BEFORE not after you own it.Do not set your heart on the vehicle before you get this report. If the repair shop lists too many concerns you need to step away from the deal. You may be gambling with thousands of dollars in repair work.

 While these inspections are commonly $75 to $125 at dealerships , we choose to provide this service for free as long as an appointment is made ahead of time.  We appreciate the opportunity to earn your business as a future customer.