Auto Estrogen

If you’re a woman looking for a new car, you’ll probably pay more than a man according to a news report on Negotiating, which can be seen here:
http://www.wsbtv.com/video/16140692/index.html

The report shows both a man and woman going into the dealership to purchase a car. After being in the dealership, the man comes out with a great deal while the woman leaves without even getting a quote. Are you surprised? We’re not. But why is this? Why do women tend to pay more.

Apparently it’s because Women Don’t Ask. In her book of the same title, author Linda Babcock shares studies that reveal:
· Men initiate negotiations about 4 times more often than women;
· Women will spend up to $1,300 dollars more to avoid haggling at the dealership;
· And 20% of women say they never negotiate.

The reasons why goes beyond the extent of this particular blog post, but here’s the deal ladies, we have to wise up and begin to ask!

There are a number of interesting and useful websites sprouting up to assist women and consumers with car buying. Women are busy, and we understand that, so our goal is to introduce you to some of these resources, give you an overview and review of the services offered.

One interesting site is called Car Tango, a site for women with the slogan “Girl Meets Car”. It’s cute if nothing else. Their goal according to the website is to help women find their perfect automotive match, at the best possible price and without the hassle.

We at Car-Buy-Her particularly like this concept because we understand how time-consuming and frustrating car buying can be for women so we decided to mosey over with our actively looking, ready-to-purchase Car-Buy-Her, to see if we could learn how to Tango and meet the car of our dreams. We started out by getting a membership, free and relatively simple to set up, options included the “Quick Profile”, which was indeed quick and void of a long series of intrusive questions, requiring only an email and a password. Excellent, we thought, moving right along.

We found the site relatively easy to navigate, starting initially at the research section, which allowed us to plug in various cars of interest. This section was particularly useful as it gave us the option to do side-by-side comparisons along with providing pros and cons of one car over the other. We were extremely impressed and received a good overview of what one car offered over the other all together on the same page. Since our Car-Buy-Her was still deciding on what she wanted we decided the Car Soulmate Survey might shed some light and add a bit of fun to our research. We sifted through a series of female-friendly, sometimes silly and sometimes unrelated car questions like, What kind of vacuum cleaner do you own and if we could who would we hang out with for a day with choices ranging from the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Jennifer Aniston, Ellen Degeneres, and Condoleezza Rice as options. We certainly didn’t know how they all worked together but when the questions were all answered and the results came back, the car options were unbelievably close to what we liked and thought we might be interested in and included pictures, prices, and links for more information.

That was fun we thought, but now it was time to get to work or to dancing, the Car Tango way. We were ready to buy, to Tango with the dealers and see what they had to offer, but then the trouble began. For starters after reading the directions on how to Tango, we couldn’t figure how to get started. We fumbled around on the site a bit then tried doing a search and save with our cars of interest. The problem was once we put our cars in, we didn’t get any information back.

We sat, confused.

Then we decided to call Car Tango and things got better.

We were extremely happy to get a live voice on the phone, someone who could actually talk us through the website and explain how we should go about Tangoing. It turned out we were talking to the owner Dan, who was very nice and helpful. Not only was he willing to talk us through this, but he actually stayed on the phone as we went through the process. He explained that they (Car Tango) were a new company and still bringing in dealers and it was possible we might need to expand our search beyond the 50-mile radius we had initially put in. We were willing to give that a try. Dan put some different variables into the system and was able to get a list back. Unfortunately we were not. We tried again. No luck. We all decided it must be a software glitch, in which case we emailed the Car Tango tech department with the URL of the error, thanked Dan for his time and agreed to give it a try later.

Later that afternoon we received an email back from the tech department stating the bug had been fixed. Cool, we thought, we’ll give this a try later.

We haven’t gotten back just yet, but are anxious to do so and see just how well we do with the Tango.

We’ll keep you posted.

Buying a new car, like a new relationship is filled with excitement and thrills. The beginning of a new relationship often brings ideologies and fantasies of the perfect situation. Everything’s new, everything’s good, and everything’s perfect. Likewise, when buying a car there are many romantic notions, especially on the dealership lot. You see that new car, purchase it, and plan to live happily ever after, until the day-to-day reality sets in. New cars, like new relationships are great, but here are a few things you want to be weary of:

1. New Cars Last Forever. Unlike, diamonds, this is not the case with your new car. As a matter of fact, it’s the exact opposite meaning the minute you drive it off the lot it depreciates, losing its initial value. That’s why it’s important to know and buy the car you want because if you find yourself unhappy and wanting or needing to sell, it might not be so easy to get rid of.

2. It Smells So Good. You remember in the beginning of your relationship when your guy always smelled and looked fresh and then one day you looked at him and thought, “You stink”. Sadly but true, the new car smell does wear off and then you’re left with dangling scents of uneaten food, dirty shoes, musty laundry and who knows what else. Not to fear though. There are plenty of products that help eliminate this problem.

3. It’s Pretty and New so it has No Flaws. Outside of just wanting and needing a new car, many buy new because they don’t want to deal with the hassles of maintenance. They assume cars straight from the manufacturer with warranties equates to no-fuss driving. Not necessarily so. New cars have their share of maintenance issues as well, thus the warranties. Sometimes there are manufacturer’s issues; recalls for example, are certainly possible. So keep in mind that buying new is not an absolute or your guarantee that you won’t spend some time in the service department.

4. The body will maintain itself. A nice body is usually an easy sell. I mean who doesn’t like a shiny, buffed body, right? Just remember, the shine and body will not maintain itself. It has to be taken care of. Unless you plan to sit your car in the garage somewhere and not drive it, there is the distinct possibility that over time you will see some wear and tear on it’s body. Unexpected and unexplainable dings and scratches to the paint and a general wearing down of the original color are to be expected over a course of time.

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!

Have you ever been taken advantage of or scammed at the car dealership? It’s every woman’s nightmare, but you can prevent this from happening to you. Noted columnist Laura Coffey will join Sheronde Glover of Car-Buy-Her on Auto Estrogen Live! on Thursday, January 17th at 12:00 noon Eastern.

Ms. Coffey will share automotive money saving tips and why she started her crusade to help consumers make smart financial decisions after falling victim to a car buying scam.

Ms. Coffey is a veteran journalist with 20 years of newspaper experience, she has written and edited for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, The San Diego Union-Tribune, The Prague Post in the Czech Republic, the Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce, the Peninsula Clarion in Kenai, Alaska, and the St. Petersburg Times in Florida. Her column “10 Tips for Keeping Your Money in Your Wallet” is featured weekly at msnbc.com

To hear the show live, visit www.blogtalkradio.com/auto-estrogen

It’s 2008, a new year filled with new and wonderful possibilities. You’ve resolved to get into shape, take that class you’ve been wanting to take, and be a better person. You’re taking on the challenge of improving both your professional and personal life so why not take it a step further and improve your car life. In 2008, we have to get into 5th Gear and to do that I want to extend 8 automotive challenges to you:

1. Become an official Car-Buy-Her – This year Car-Buy-Her is launching it’s 5th Gear Challenge for women. You can join the challenge and become an official Car-Buy-Her in 2008.

2. Become more empowered as a consumer – Knowledge is power! Everything you read pertaining to car buying and maintenance will inevitably point you towards the importance of doing your research, getting as much information as you can and educating yourself. I believe an educated consumer is a better consumer, all the way around.

3. Get to know your car –Whether it’s driving to work, kids activities, social gathering or for travel, we spend a considerable amount time in our car. Don’t you think we should take the time to get to know it a little better? I know ladies that name their cars, but don’t know what an alternator looks like. Not that this would be on your top ten list of “need to know information”, but considering it’s a major part of the workings of your vehicle, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to at least have an idea of what it looks like. You don’t have to put on overalls and get up under the car, but the next time you have a little time, why not pop the hood and learn a little something about the floods that go in your car?

4. Put together your emergency kit – Learn what ten things you need to have in your car. You really don’t want to be driving around with these.

5. Review your Owner’s Manual. Stop ignoring the most important thing in your car. Open up the glove compartment and take a look at what’s inside.

6. Get more involved in automotive areas – Most women don’t get really excited about car stuff but it’s important that we get more involved. There are small things you can do to get more involved, for example learn to purposely ask more questions. When getting quotes for auto repair, ask them to show you what they will be doing to your car, what their hourly labor rate is, and if you can purchase your own auto parts (if feasible).

7. Pay more attention to maintenance needs. Don’t wait to take your car in when you know you’re having a problem. Think of your car as your child. If one of your children were ill, would you wait two months to take them to the doctor? Of course not! Well, why do you do that with your car? Don’t make a minor situation major or turn a little problem into a large one.

8. Attempt one maintenance task on your own. If you’ve never popped the hood on your car, checked the oil, or tire pressure, this is your year. You’d be amazed at the things you can do and you’ll feel better knowing how to do them.

It’s 2008 and the challenge is on! Car-Buy-Her is challenging 2008 ladies to join our 5th Gear Challenge to become engaged, educated, enlightened, evolved, and empowered in car buying and maintenance.

It’s time to take control of your car life and you can do that by joining the challenge. Car-Buy-Her is offering monthly teleconferences, webinars, workshops and clinics to provide information and resources for women.

It wasn’t that long ago that I was left on the side of the road, literally, and overwhelmed and frustrated by the car buying experience. There were so many things I could have been doing to prepare myself — but I didn’t know that at the time. So, I’m on a crusade to develop Car-Buy-Hers, not automotive experts because here’s what I discovered: You don’t have to be an automotive expert to get a good deal, you just need to be a Car-Buy-Her.

Here’s a definition of an expert: Having, involving, or demonstrating great skill, dexterity, or knowledge as the result of experience or training

Here’s a definition of a Car-Buy-Her: informed, in control and ready to buy

In my honest opinion, women don’t want to be automotive experts, but they do want to be informed and in control.

And if we really want to make a case towards the experts, let’s first determine who’s the real expert — is it the dealership or auto repair mechanic or would it be you?

Who knows best about your lifestyle, your needs, wants, and current situation? Who drives the car, takes care of it (or not) on a regular basis? That’s right, you do?!

So why then are we (women that is) relying on everyone else to make the deal and tell us what’s best for us?

It’s time to get into 5th Gear ladies! Join us, why don’t you . . .

Learn more about the 5th Gear Challenge