Daughters Constantly Cheated When Buying, Selling or Maintaining Vehicles

Mar. 5, 2015

Dear Cathy:

There are mostly girls in my family.  My husband passed away when our daughters were very young.  I also have 5 sisters and most of them had daughters so when it comes to buying used or new vehicles and maintaining these vehicles, we are at the mercy of unethical car dealers and mechanics.  Do you have any suggestions on how my daughters can educate themselves on what really happens in the car industry?  Mother of Daughters, Wyoming

Dear Mothers of Daughters:

The car industry remains on the list as one of the top 3 most unethical industries out there.  Even though the car industry is a man’s world – many men are just as uninformed as women when it comes to buying and maintaining a car – but of course they will never admit it.  

It’s quite alarming but according to car experts -- African American women pay on average at least $6,000 more for a new car than others; African American men pay $4,000 more; White women pay $2,000 more; and White men pay $2,000 LESS.

The last thing women want to do is to put car buying and car care on their already list of things to do.  However, no one should be cheated out of their hard-earned money when they go to buy a used or new vehicle, or when they have car maintenance issues so education is the first line of defense against fraud and deception.

When it comes to maintaining a car did you know that most women have never looked at the book in their glove compartments in their cars?  Many don’t even have this book in their cars and don’t know they can buy this book from the car manufacturer.  The book will have the basic knowledge of caring for your car and should be read by everyone.

My two books “A Women’s Guide to Buying a New and Used Vehicle: Everyday Secrets Your Should Know” (Part 1) and (Part 2) (available as e-books only) will lay out an action plan for buying a used or new vehicle and maintaining it.  It will level the playing field for everyone especially women.