[Opinion topic] Experiences with Automotive brokers

[Chasing Dreams]

Hello all,

Who has experience with dealing with auto brokers in the past? What kind of service did they provide? Selling your car? Sourcing a car that fit your need? Shipping a vehicle or other services?
What's the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to working with a middleman?

[bimmerfrk]

Originally Posted by Chasing Dreams

Hello all,

Who has experience with dealing with auto brokers in the past? What kind of service did they provide? Selling your car? Sourcing a car that fit your need? Shipping a vehicle or other services?
What's the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to working with a middleman?

Middleman just equals another mouth to feed. Just practice your negotiation skills and improve. The proverbial saying is correct. If you want something done right, do it yourself!

[Run Silent]

Middlemen are fine, however, you can usually find the same services for free by simply asking for help among friends. I worked for nearly 2 decades in the automotive industry as a manager and director of large dealerships. I am glad to offer opinions and recommendations as well as access to my automotive purchase and valuation tools gratis to anyone that is a fellow auto enthusiast.

But to directly answer your question - most professional auto brokers will not save you more dollars than they cost you, however, they typically will save you time and headaches.

I look at them like I look at Carmax - for someone who doesn't have the time, inclination, or both to work out a strong deal on their own, Carmax is a good solution. You won't get a great deal at Carmax, but you won't be taken to the cleaners either. You won't get an absolute creampuff of a car at Carmax, but you won't get a frame bent totaled out piece of crap either.

Bottom line - brokers are good at saving you time and hassle - but you will likely pay for that service.

[DETRoadster]

Brokers are like travel agents, IMO. They made sense in a pre-internet world, before you could do all that stuff yourself online. They still make sense (like travel agents do) if you are after something incredibly specific and hard to find. For example, you want a Bugatti Type 35 so you have a broker locate, authenticate, and work the deal because you are mega rich, don't have the time, don't have the knowledge, and don't want to get screwed. If, on the other hand, what you are after is a replacement for your wife's minivan, just take that on yourself.