Welcome!
IMPORTANT: Driscoll Motors is different than your typical used car dealer. If this is your first time here (or if you haven't been here in a while) please read this home page so that you clearly understand...who we are, how we do business, our pricing policy, payment options, and what to expect when you come here.
If you can't find the time to read this whole page, be sure to read all of the bold print sentences and the ENTIRE "SALES POLICIES and FAQs" section before you contact or visit us (this should only take 15 minutes or so out of your busy day). If you can find the time to brave Austin's traffic and drive here you can certainly find the time to read this, after all, you are are considering spending many thousands of dollars on a vehicle from a dealer that you don't know, why would you NOT want to read this page? Having said that, we realize that our home page is a VERY long read but we think that you will find it informative and interesting if for no other reason than a good laugh :)
Scroll down to the bottom of the page to see our business hours.
Solamente inglés hablado aquí.
NOTICE: We DO NOT purchase or sell salvaged/reconditioned (totaled & rebuilt) or flood damaged vehicles! ALL of the vehicles listed on this website ALWAYS have clean titles!
WARNING TO THIEVES: We have a monitored security system, monitored and recorded video surveillance covering our entire lot, and a security guard on-duty nightly. You WILL get caught!!!
ABOUT US:
Founded in 1980 by Michael Driscoll, Driscoll Motors is located on a large 6-acre lot with a 13,000-sq/ft showroom facility at 10301 Burnet Road in Austin, Texas (8 blocks north of 183, see map).
Driscoll Motors is a dealership whose primary business activity is the wholesale brokering of used vehicles between car dealers throughout Texas but unlike most wholesale brokers WE DO SELL VEHICLES TO THE PUBLIC. Our knowledgeable buyers search the southwestern United States for the finest vehicles available so we see and broker literally hundreds and hundreds of late model (primarily 4 years old & newer) import and domestic cars, trucks, SUVs, and vans each and every month...a large percentage of which are still covered by Factory New Car Warranty. We are a Better Business Bureau A+ Accredited member, licensed by the State of Texas, and bonded for your protection.
ATTENTION LICENSED TEXAS DEALERS & WHOLESALERS: DO NOT contact Fred or Wade by ANY means or for ANY reason! You MUST contact Mike Driscoll directly by phone or in-person ONLY, he is usually here between 11:30am and 6:30pm weekdays. If you are an exporter or if you are NOT a licensed Texas dealer/wholesaler DO NOT contact Mike Driscoll, contact Fred or Wade. If you are trying to sell one of our vehicles to a retail customer, add an acceptable profit margin ON TOP of the price that you see, don't assume that you will be able to negotiate a lower price, with the severe used vehicle shortage it very likely won't happen. DO NOT bring (or send) your retail customer to our lot! Also, we WILL NOT allow vehicles to be taken "on the finger", if you have a customer for a vehicle and you need it BUY IT!
OUR PRICING:
Due to the primarily wholesale nature of Driscoll Motors' business, the prices listed on this website are what we expect to get for our vehicles from other dealers (with some exceptions due to the used vehicle shortage, see market info section below), consequently many individuals like yourself have found outstanding vehicles at bargain prices without the stress and hassle of having to negotiate to get a good deal, everyone receives the same price regardless of negotiating skills! Here at Driscoll Motors you will not be pressured in any way, our prices and the quality of our vehicles speak for themselves. We do not employ traditional inexperienced commissioned sales people, pushy sales managers, or high-pressure business/finance managers. You won't be subjected to a "Tag Team" sales approach, you will be dealing with one experienced and knowledgeable person from start to finish and unlike most other dealers you will get direct and honest answers to your questions. We don't answer questions with "closing questions" like most other dealers. We may not give you the answer that you want to hear but it WILL be an honest answer. We don't "sell" vehicles here, we help people to buy them!
Please don't come here with the expectation that you can negotiate a discount off of our low no-haggle/no-hassle Internet cash prices. We don't play the ridiculous game of marking-up our vehicle's prices to discount them. If your budget is lower than the vehicle you are looking at, you need to look at a lower priced vehicle (keep in mind that TT&L will still need to be added to the price that you see). We WILL NOT "meet-or-beat" anyone else's price, we don't care what somebody else is supposedly selling their vehicle for (see the *FYI section below), every used vehicle is different. If you can find an equal or better vehicle than ours with a clean title at another dealer for a lower bottom line price...BUY IT!
We do not offer special discounts to any group of people including (but not limited to) senior citizens, students, or military personnel...sorry. To be in a position to offer special interest groups a discount means that we would be overcharging everyone else, we don't play favorites here.
BTW: If you come here and "nit pick" one of our vehicles in an attempt to justify trying to work us down on our price you will be wasting your time, we are well familiar with this negotiating technique. We sell our vehicles AS-IS and AS-SHOWN, if you don't like what you see and you don't think that it is worth the price don't buy it.
*FYI: You may find this hard to believe but there are some dealers who advertise vehicles that they don't actually have for prices they couldn't sell them for if they DID have them, this is far more common than you might think. What's worse, when you call them they will tell you that they have the vehicle available in-stock just to get you to come to their lot. When you get there they will tell you that the vehicle was "JUST SOLD" and proceed to try and "show" (sell) you something else (has this happened to you?). This is the classic "lowball, bait, & switch game". This dishonest practice has been standard operating procedure at some new car dealers for many years and since Internet used car shopping has become so popular within the past few years they have started doing this with used vehicles as well. Another even MORE common practice is that some dealers will not actually sell you their vehicles for the prices that they advertise on the Internet without tacking-on several hundred (OR MORE) dollars in additional/hidden charges unrelated to TT&L fees (and/or requiring you to finance with them at a high rate). You typically won't know about these additional charges (or financing requirements) until you go to the dealer in-person and often times you won't even know about these charges until the very end of the transaction when you get into the F&I/Business manager's office to finish-up the paperwork. We recently spotted the following statement in the disclaimer area of an AutoTrader vehicle listing from a dealer in our area known to be doing this..."advertised pricing information may be different from the actual dealer price, please check with dealer in-person for actual pricing"...this statement pretty much tells you what you can expect from this dealer but most of the other dealers that are doing this do not display this type of disclaimer (yet). This particular practice has now become so widespread and common that we no longer recognize ANY of the prices that other dealers are advertising on the Internet as being credible! As a buyer, you should not encourage/reward these dealers buy doing business with them, if you run into any of the dealers that are practicing these dishonest sales tactics you should WALK OUT IMEDIATELY!!! At Driscoll Motors the price you see is the price you pay. We DO NOT tack on...a reconditioning fee, a certification fee, an outrageous documentary fee, a warranty transfer fee, a protection package, a service/maintenance coupon book, or ANY OTHER BOGUS CHARGES over and above our advertised Internet prices and you will NEVER be required to finance with us. The only additional charges added to our prices are the TT&L fees which go to the state and the traditional $50 documentary fee that all Texas dealers have always charged (NOTE: After Sept. 1st 2009 dealers will be allowed to charge whatever documentary fee that they want and many dealers will be raising it WAY up! You should ask them about this when you are talking bottom line price with them but you can expect that sales people at the dealers who have raised their doc fee will be evasive when asked about it).
OUR VEHICLES:
Please be advised that generally speaking we do very little in the way of reconditioning our vehicles, we leave much of the reconditioning (if needed) to the dealers that purchase them from us. We do not have our own mechanics, detail personnel, or body shop...we have to pay retail prices for these services just like you. We frequently purchase vehicles off of other retail dealer's front lines, these vehicles are typically fully reconditioned (and some of them were even "certified") but you will also see many of our vehicles just the way they were traded-in (not covered-up and made-over) and as a result, you can better judge how well a vehicle was cared-for and you will also save on much of the reconditioning costs that are passed on to YOU. You can expect that many of our vehicles will show signs of normal use such as minor parking lot dings/scratches and some soiling of the interiors (etc.). Please don't come here with unrealistic expectations or if you are an obsessively picky person. We sell USED vehicles here and even though most of our vehicles are very nice, EVERY used vehicle no matter how nice will have flaws. Even new vehicles have flaws, that's why the manufacturers provide warranties and new car dealers have service departments! Don't bother coming here if you are inclined to reject a vehicle ONLY because...it has not been thoroughly cleaned and is a little dirty, it needs some routine maintenance, it has a handful of minor parking lot dings/scratches/paint chips, or it has had paint work to repair minor/cosmetic/superficial body damage (like a scratch, dent, or bumper cover. NOTE: bumper covers on today's vehicles are EXTREMELY fragile and VERY easily damaged).
If you are looking for a PERFECT vehicle
BUY A NEW ONE!
The bottom line is this...if you come here with reasonable expectations you won't be disappointed with the quality of our vehicles.
BTW: Most of our current year model and 1-year-old vehicles were factory program cars. These vehicles came from the same sources and are the same vehicles that you will find on the franchised GM, Ford, Chrysler, Toyota, Nissan, and Hyundai/Kia dealer's retail used car lots. For the most part you will find that these vehicles are in nice condition although you can expect that the interiors will show a little higher than average wear, some of them may have had cosmetic paint work, and most of them will have been smoked-in (not just here, on program cars sold at EVERY dealer).
FYI: We consider "Excellent Condition" to be an over-used and overly-broad term to describe a vehicle's condition, we don't use it. On our website we have broken-down "Excellent Condition" into three categories; Like New, Very Nice, and Nice. We also use the term "Exceptionally Nice" to describe a vehicle that we consider to be in better than very nice condition for it's age (but not like new because it is more than a couple of years old).
FYI: Some of the vehicles that Driscoll Motors and ALL other used car dealers offer will have acccidents listed on their history reports (we disclose this in our vehicle descriptions, NO other dealer does this). During your shopping you will find that this is VERY common, over 35% of the used vehicles on the market have accidents listed on their history reports (a higher percentage than this on older vehicles and a lower percentage on newer vehicles). Just because the AutoCheck or CarFax history report shows an accident does NOT always mean that a vehicle was actually involved in a collision, it just means that the vehicle's VIN# shows-up in a police report. AutoCheck admits this by saying the following (in very fine print)..."Reported accidents are a result of vehicle collisions or other non-collision incidents such as vandalism or theft", CarFax has a similar statement buried deep in their website. If for example something is stolen out of a vehicle and the police are called, that vehicle's VIN# will be put on a police report and will show-up with an "accident" listed on it's history report! Frankly, we feel that this is very unfair to the person that owns this car because they are victimized twice! Both of them can and do provide useful additional information about most used vehicles but in some cases we have found that they are almost as inaccurate as they are accurate. All of the many tens of millions of records that they receive monthly from all of the different sources that they use are processed ENTIRELY by computers, humans DO NOT review these records and they are NOT verified for accuracy. The bottom line is this, DO NOT BELIEVE EVERYTHING THAT YOU READ ON AN AUTOCHECK OR CARFAX HISTORY REPORT! Regardless, we recommend that any vehicle showing an accident on it's history report be professionally inspected. Even if a vehicle was actually involved in a collision does not mean that it is a bad vehicle, it depends on the severity of the collision and the quality of repairs performed. Minor superficial body damage will NOT affect the integrity, safety, reliability, or life expectancy of a vehicle! A professional inspection should be able to determine if the vehicle was actually involved in a collision and if so, the severity and repair quality. BTW, vehicles that don't have accidents listed on their history reports are beginning to command premium prices in the market place.
SALES POLICIES and FAQs:
Answers to common and frequently asked questions. Please read this entire section.
All of our vehicles are sold on a first-come-first-served basis,
WE DO NOT HOLD VEHICLES!!!
All vehicles will remain "For Sale" until they are "Paid-In-Full".
This is the ONLY way to extend fair and equal treatment to ALL of our customers.
This is NOT an unusual practice in the car business, most dealers will not hold vehicles.
Prices listed do not include TT&L (taxes, license, title, inspection, temp tag, documentary, and other applicable statuatory fees). We are required BY LAW to collect these fees (unless you are licensing the vehicle outside of Texas), YOU are responsible for paying them, and they are NOT negotiable.
We DO accept trade-ins. After you have settled on a vehicle that you would like to purchase from us, trade-ins with clean titles (no salvaged/reconditioned or flood titles) that run & drive are welcome and evaluated at wholesale market value IN-PERSON ONLY (we will not give "Ball Park" figures by phone, e-mail, or without visually inspecting the vehicle in question...sorry). If you choose not to accept our trade-in offer on the spot, we reserve the right to change or retract our offer at any time. If you still owe a loan balance on your trade-in you will need to bring us an exact up-to-date "Net 10-Day Payoff" and your loan account information when you visit.
We DO accept TCEQ Aircheck Texas Assistance Program trade-in vouchers subject to the following conditions: DO NOT visit or call us until you are in ACTUAL PHYSICAL POSSESSION of the TCEQ voucher,
and you are pre-approved for your own outside financing (or paying cash),
and you have chosen a specific vehicle in our inventory priced within your budget that is a 2007 or newer car (2008 or newer truck, 2009 or newer Hybrid) listed on TCEQ's approved vehicle list here:
http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/assets/public/implementation/air/ms/IM/tier2_bin5_cleaner_master.pdf.
If you have had the voucher for several weeks check to make sure that it has not expired. Also, be aware that the name(s) on the voucher is(are) the EXACT name(s) that MUST appear on the title of the vehicle you are purchasing, check with your lender to make sure that this is OK with them. After you have met these requirements we handle TCEQ transactions on weekdays (M-F) only. Please bring your TCEQ documents and title with you when you visit.
We DO NOT have in-house (buy & pay here) financing.
Also, we DO NOT have second-chance/sub-prime/high-risk (bad credit) outside financing for individuals who are credit challenged. If you are credit challenged DO NOT COME HERE without having your own outside financing lined-up, pre-approved, and ready to go!
As a convenience for people that don't have their own resources, we have OUTSIDE financing available for qualified employed individuals with very good credit living in the Austin area on vehicles newer than 7 years old with under 100000 miles (credit applications are taken in-person only)...but...unlike retail dealers we are not at all concerned about where you get your financing. FYI: 99% of the time you can get a lower interest rate on a used vehicle loan if you secure your own Credit Union financing (not just here, at ANY dealer on used cars).
Our lender does not offer a first time buyer program, if you don't have previous car credit you will need a qualified co-signer (MOST lenders will require this). We will not participate in a "straw purchase" through our lender.
NOTE: A co-signer will NOT overcome bad credit, only a lack of credit.
Payment options...
WE DO ACCEPT UFCU, USAA (official check or blank buyer's check), Velocity, GEFCU, Telco, A+, PECU, CCU, TruWest, Wells Fargo, Randolph-Brooks, Security Service, Amplify (drafting instructions), United Heritage (conditionally), and most other bank or credit union drafting instructions and loan (buyer's) checks. We also accept LOCAL (Travis & Williamson county) personal checks with verification of funds, wire transfers, and CASH.
WE DO NOT ACCEPT Capitol One Auto Finance e-loan checks (neither the green or blue checks) or bank financing, Bank of America financing, Citibank financing (most "big box banks" are not used to doing consumer loans and are hard to do business with, do yourself a favor, join a Credit Union), RoadLoans checks, pre-approval letters as vehicle payment, dealer electronic checks as vehicle payment, out-of-town personal checks, 3rd party checks, or ANY credit cards...sorry.
All of our vehicles are sold AS-IS and AS-SHOWN but many of our vehicles are still covered by the factory new car warranty, professional inspections during normal business hours are welcome/encouraged, Experian's AutoCheck vehicle history reports with BuyBack Protection are available (we no-longer use CarFax, AutoCheck has 2x more reported accidents than CarFax), and you can purchase a bumper-to-bumper extended warranty (on most of our vehicles) from a reputable insurance company for a reasonable price.
Test drives are available for licensed drivers 21 or older in most of our vehicles (conditionally/restricted on very expensive and/or high performance vehicles) during regular business hours ONLY. You will need to present a valid driver's license and proof of insurance so be sure to bring them with you. You do not need to make an appointment but arrive at least 20 minutes before closing if you want to take a test drive. Taking a vehicle overnight is NOT permitted.
Extra keys, remotes, owner's manuals, nav discs, headphones, floor mats, or other accessory items may not be available for every vehicle. You get what we get.
We do not ship or deliver vehicles, you will have to arrange (and pay-for) your own shipping/delivery. FYI: We regularly sell vehicles to people all over the world so we know how to handle this type of transaction, but payment of any and all fees (shipping/delivery/taxes/duties/license/title/broker/agent) on an out of state or country transaction will be 100% your responsibility ON YOUR END. On any out of state or country transaction, payment MUST be made in the EXACT amount by wire transfer of funds into our business bank account (we do not deal with Western Union or Moneygram) or cash in-person (if you can get here with cash before the vehicle is sold to someone else).
We do not fill-up fuel tanks.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to the wholesale nature of our business we do not have state inspections performed on our vehicles as they arrive but up-to-date state inspections are required by law on any vehicle sold to the public. Because of our small staff immediate delivery may not be possible on any vehicle requiring a state safety/smog inspection (especially late in the day or on Saturday afternoon), sorry.
All Sales Are Final.
CONTACT US:
Just before coming here be sure to contact Fred Riscen or Wade Greco to check on the current availability of the vehicle you are interested in. Our phone number is 512-454-5800 (Fax 512-821-3844), our Skype user name is driscoll.motors, or you can email using
driscoll@austin.rr.com. Be sure to list your CORRECT e-mail address for a prompt response. BTW: We DO NOT sell our e-mail or customer lists and you WILL NOT get any spam or annoying phone calls from us, EVER! Other dealers will pester you NON STOP after you visit them. We respect you, your peace, and your privacy.
Because of the wholesale nature of Driscoll Motors' business our inventory turnover rate is very high, especially on the most highly sought-after vehicles! The only real disadvantage to doing business with us is that quite often you won't have very much time to "think about it". If you take too long to visit us or make up your mind, don't be surprised if the vehicle you want is gone when you decide to purchase it!
FYI: The vehicles on our website tagged with a yellow "PENDING" are (99% of the time) already sold.
We don't currently have any vehicles available that aren't listed here on our website (but our inventory changes daily). We never know in advance what we have coming-in and we do not locate vehicles to fill special requests...sorry. Vehicles that are missing from our website are gone from our lot (when we have to take a vehicle in for warranty work, for example). We regularly send a portion of our vehicles to auction, as a wholesale broker selling vehicles at auction is one of the things that we do as a function of our normal business activity. These vehicles are removed from our website when they are sent to the auction and if they are not sold they will reappear on our website when they return.
Before visiting us please pick out AT LEAST ONE vehicle that you are genuinely interested in considering for purchase. We will not usually have time to walk you around our lot and show you every vehicle that we have available or concentrate on trying to "sell" you something. You are certainly welcome to come here and browse but be advised that you will usually be on your own.
When you come to visit please don't get upset if you are not immediately waited-on (particularly on Saturday after 12pm), we have a very small staff and we are often times VERY busy. If you are not greeted outside on our lot, please come inside and make your presence known to our receptionist. Also, be advised that we will not interupt you while you are talking to someone on your cell phone. Please don't come here if you will be in a big hurry, you need to be prepared to be patient! Do not come here on Saturday after 12pm with the intention if purchasing a vehicle and taking it home with you unless you have made arrangements with us in advance.
Attention Parents: If you are unable (or unwilling) to have your young children sit quietly for 20-30 minutes while we conduct business, do us both a favor and leave them with a baby sitter for a couple of hours when you come here. Please don't be offended by this request (we have families too), car dealerships can be very busy and dangerous places to bring over-active children.
If you are buying a vehicle for your son or daughter or if you are a student, before coming here please pick out at least one specific vehicle priced within your budget that you are genuinely interested in considering for purchase and that this vehicle, it's equipment, and it's color are acceptable. You are about to find out that buying a descent used car for a student in the Austin area for a reasonable price can be a REAL challenge given the current used car shortage and competetive demand from the large number of students living in the area. Take the extra time to read the "Market Info" section below before you go out car shopping, it will give you some insight into what you are up against. You should find it informative and helpful.
NOTE: If you visit our lot when we are closed, not being able to find the vehicle that you are looking-for doesn't necessarily mean that we don't have it!
We realize that the way we do business will not appeal to everyone. Some people actually look forward to the "negotiation battle" and the satisfaction that they have achieved some sort of "conquest" over a dealer. Many of these people like to brag to everyone about how they "outsmarted the dealer" on the last vehicle that they bought (and will typically lie about what they paid for it). If you ARE this type of person PLEASE DON'T COME HERE! Also, if you know a person like this please don't bring them with you! Anybody who actually believes that they can beat a car dealer at their own game is delusional, the average car dealer sells more vehicles in a week (or two) than most people buy in a lifetime!
If you are the type of person that has a problem with people that "Tell-It-Like-It-Is" (like this homepage does) then you probably won't like us, but if you would rather have a tooth pulled than have to deal with the false/deceptive advertising, the lowball & bait & switch games (see *FYI above), evasiveness, back-and-forth to the sales manager routine, and high-pressure tactics that typically accompany shopping for a vehicle...then we think that you will enjoy doing business with us. After reading our home page you will know EXACTLY what to expect when you come here. Most people find this refreshing and very reassuring, especially after they have been to a couple of super-aggressive retail dealers. In person you will find that we are very easy people to do business with as long as you don't attempt to circumvent the way that we do things or try to play games with us.
We apologize to those of you who feel that the tone of this homepage is too harsh or abrasive. This page has been deliberately written this way to get your attention and drive home the message that we don't have the time or patience to deal with any game playing or foolishness. You don't HAVE to like or agree with everything that you have read here, it's a free country and everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but even if you don't like what you have read here you'll have to admit that it takes a lot of guts for a car dealer to lay all of their cards on the table in writing on the Internet for the whole world to see, you won't find another dealer that does this!
To those of you that we have offended...We're sorry that you wasted your time reading this and wish you the best of luck in your vehicle purchase pursuit.
To everyone else...Thank you for visiting and taking the time to read this, we hope to see you soon!
Check back on our website regularly for new inventory arriving daily (tomorrow we may have the vehicle that you are looking for), description/specification updates, and occasional market (price) adjustments (if we have to spend any money on a vehicle we will have to raise the price). Our website is updated on a real-time basis but it can take up to 5 days for any changes to propagate to the other websites that carry our vehicles (such as AutoTrader.com, Cars.com, Yahoo Autos, Vast.com, Lemonfree.com, Edmunds, KBB, NADA, MSN, EasyAutoSales.com, Statesman Classifieds, AutoExtra.com, Automotive.com, Motor Trend, HowStuffWorks, Autoguide, ConsumerGuide, Craigslist, eBay, etc. etc.).
USED VEHICLE MARKET INFO (interesting optional reading):
NOTE: This section is frequently updated to reflect changes in used vehicle market conditions.
If you haven't already noticed, the USED vehicle industry is currently experiencing a SEVERE SUPPLY SHORTAGE! The USED vehicle business is NOT NEARLY AS BAD as the media would have you believe. If you listen very carefully to what the media is saying you will hear that used vehicle SALES are down, which is technically correct, but it is NOT due to low demand it is due to a lack of supply. For one thing, Central Texas has not suffered from the economic downturn to the same extent that much of the country has. In fact, the very slight economic downturn here has actually INCREASED used vehicle demand and there is ALWAYS a healthy demand generated by the large number of students living in the area. The demand for USED vehicles in Central Texas is VERY STRONG and we are not having any problem whatsoever selling our vehicles. Our biggest problem is OBTAINING enough nice used vehicles to sell!
On the demand side, Most people who NEED vehicles are buying used instead of new. Late model used vehicles are a MUCH BETTER VALUE, plain and simple. Savvy/educated shoppers know this and even though some of these people may have bought new in the past, the majority are not doing so now!
On the supply side, understand that there is no such thing as a used vehicle factory. We can't just pick-up the phone and order as many used vehicles as we want just the way we want them. Used vehicles have to come from some place, people have to trade them in somewhere and very few people are trading-in nice late model low mile vehicles right now, they are hanging on to them. Many new car models are also in very short supply right now which magnifies the problem because a lack of new cars means a lack of new car sales and a lack of new car trade-ins. As a result, the supply of the kind of used vehicles that most of us want to buy has become EXTREMELY limited.
It is a well known fact that NEW vehicles have not been selling well, it has been headline news nearly every day for more than a year! The CARS aka "Cash for Clunkers" program has definately helped to sell more new vehicles but has not helped at all with the used vehicle shortage. In fact, the "Cash for Clunkers" and "Aircheck Texas" programs have virtually wiped-out the supply of affordable student/commuter cars. Also, since new vehicle inventories have been depleated by the CARS program, the new car dealers have been trying to buy used vehicles to fill their lots so they have something to sell (they still have bills to pay), and since they don't have many new vehicles to sell they aren't getting many trade-ins. This has reduced the available used vehicle supply still further and driven prices up even higher in rescent weeks. You might have also noticed that some dealers are advertising..."We will buy your late model trade-in and give you top dollar for it even if you don't buy a vehicle from us". They are doing this because they need vehicles to sell and they may not have anything that you want to buy from them. BTW, we also buy clean low mile late model used vehicles from the public.
If you are waiting around for used vehicle prices to fall due to the economy, this just isn't going to happen any time soon. Combined with the fact that so many people are holding on to their late model low mile vehicles, the big manufacturers completely stopped their leasing programs over a year ago and the rental car companies have decided to hold on to their cars longer, so very few late model low mile "program cars" are coming to the marketplace. Yet another problem affecting used vehicle availability on a LONG TERM basis is the fact that new vehicle sales have been down 30 to 60% (depending on the make & model) for over a year. Used vehicles have to have been sold new to begin with in order to become used! In 2 years there will be a 30 to 60% shortage of 2-year-old used vehicles available (in 3-years a shortage of 3-year-old vehicles, etc, etc). All of these issues combined are going to create HUGE supply problems for the used car industry over the next few years and will result in MUCH HIGHER used vehicle prices for all of us! When you are out shopping you should notice the used vehicle shortage and the higher prices. Our inventory for example is currently down to a FRACTION of the 180 to 200 vehicles that we normally stock, the prices we are having to pay (and charge) are higher than they were last year for the same vehicles, and the overall quality of available vehicles has deteriorated. This situation is not likely to improve as long as the media continues to disseminate "Doom & Gloom" every day.
What all of this means to YOU is that you may not be able to find the EXACT late model low mile used vehicle that you are looking for at a reasonable price. If you need to stay within a tight budget it would be wise to be a little bit more flexible and open minded about the vehicle that you might consider purchasing, especially if you NEED a vehicle right away. FYI, American cars are not nearly as unreliable as they used to be and you can usually get quite a bit more car for your money if you "Buy American".
Regardless of the economic environment, Austin Texas and Driscoll Motors are NOT among the best places to find nice, clean, wreck-free, late model, low mile, well equipped Japanese economy vehicles with automatic transmissions for WHOLESALE prices under $10000 (particularly Honda Civics). Vehicles that fit this description don't exist on dealer lots in or near a big city with over 100000 college & licensed high school students (particularly during the May-June graduation, July-September back-to-school, and December holiday periods), a very large Asian community, TCEQ voucher buyers from two counties, and the nations largest ARMY base only 75 miles to our north (when the solders are rotating-in from overseas they come back in fairly large numbers and over 75% of them buy a vehicle within 30 days of their return). These high demand vehicles are nearly impossible for brokers like ourselves to purchase on the open wholesale market for reasonable prices and resell for very much (if anything) under full "retail book" prices and still make a little profit.
BUYER BEWARE! Because of the large number of students living in the area there are a couple of dealers in central Texas that specialize in selling Hondas (and also Toyotas, Scions, Nissans, and Mazdas) for what seems like bargain prices and they usually have quite a few of them available. Their vehicles have SALVAGED/RECONDITIONED TITLES (cars that have been rebuilt after being totaled in a wreck) and are UNSAFE! In addition to being unsafe these particular vehicles will also tend to be VERY UNRELIABLE! None of us here would consider for even one second purchasing one of these dangerous vehicles for our children or spouse to drive (or ride in). Even though they appear to be good deals on paper, they are really only worth a fraction of what they are selling for, lending institutions won't finance them, and many reputable dealers (like ourselves) would never knowingly buy one and won't even take one of them as a trade-in. In addition to these area dealers (who ARE in fact "up front" about the salvaged vehicles they are selling when you go to their lot), there are a large number of "private individuals" curbstoning salvaged/reconditioned and flood damaged vehicles. Quite often this will be a person who is working with a salvage yard or clandesine/backyard bodyshop (reputable bodyshops won't touch these vehicles). Fact is that MOST of these substandard vehicles are offered for sale by "private individuals", not dealers. Licensed Texas dealers are required BY LAW to disclose that they are selling salvaged/reconditioned or flood damaged vehicles, "private individuals" are not and you are "on your own". You will generally find these vehicles sitting on a corner parking lot or along the side of the road with a "for sale" sign in them and/or advertised on Craig's List, eBay, in circulars (like the Green Sheet), through local news paper classifieds, or as private listings on Cars.com and AutoTrader. Be especially wary of any advertised vehicle that does not include a VIN# in the listing so you can check it out with AutoCheck or CarFax. When considering a vehicle from a "private individual" do not depend exclusively on a vehicle history report, insist upon having the vehicle profesionally inspected and NEVER buy a used vehicle off the side of a road. Also, if you focus too strongly on purchasing a used Honda or Toyota and finding the lowest possible price, you will be leaving yourself wide open to getting screwed by an unscrupulous seller who will take advantage of your obsession!
Something else to keep in mind while you are car shopping... "Books" don't buy or sell vehicles! Neither the KBB or NADA have ever sold us a vehicle or written us a check for one. The "books" have been an almost useless value guide over the past year or so because of the effects that unsettled fuel prices, economic uncertainty, volatile/unpredictable demand, AutoCheck/CarFax history reports, and the supply situation are having on the used vehicle market. In fact, the books have been SO FAR OFF that dealers don't dare refer to them, only lending institutions and insurance companies are really using them these days.
Some of our vehicle's prices may not appear to be "great deals" relative to their "book" values and some of our vehicle's prices will look like they are "too good to be true". This is typically due to real time local market conditions (current supply & demand in central Texas), rapidly changing fuel prices, the relative rarity/scarcity (or lack thereof) of a specific model vehicle sometimes in a specific color or with hard-to-find equipment, and/or the extremely high or low demand for certain types of vehicles at certain times of the year. The demand can be particularly high for Hondas, Mazdas, Toyotas & Nissans or almost any reasonably priced economy car in nice condition during certain times of the year in a college town (May-June graduation, July-September back-to-school, and December holiday periods). "Book" values do not reflect these (and other) variable/volatile market conditions and NEVER reflect short-term market trends or localized supply and demand issues. In fact, right now some of the most desireable Japanese economy cars, 6/7 passenger mid-sized SUVs, minivans (YES, minivans! They are IN again BIG TIME!), loaded late model full-sized SUVs, and ALL pickup trucks are actually selling for very close to (and in some cases even OVER) full "retail book" prices to other dealers at the wholesale auctions! Even though some of our vehicles may not seem like "great deals" relative to their "book" values (and frankly some them are priced at retail because we couldn't buy them cheap enough to offer them at a "book" wholesale price), when you shop and compare you will find that they are still comparatively good values at our Driscoll Motors prices and because of their high quality.
One last thing...please don't come here (or go anywhere else) with unrealistic expectations about the trade-in value of an old and/or high mile vehicle, particularly if it is a gas hog, has mechanical/electrical issues, has body/hail damage, has been in an accident and repaired, or has an accident listed on it's history report. Understand that you aren't the only person trying to get rid of one of these unwanted vehicles, they've been coming like a FLOOD lately and their resale value has been negatively impacted in a VERY BIG WAY by unsettled fuel prices, the popularity of CarFax/AutoCheck history reports, the glut of these vehicles coming into the market, and the extremely low retail demand.
FYI regarding the current financing/credit situation: Unless a person has outstanding credit and a good working relationship with a lender (usually a Credit Union), no money down loans are almost non-existent these days and negative equity loans are not happening at all (this is one of the primary reasons why new cars are not selling well). Depending on your lender and your debt-to-income ratio, unless you have an A+ credit rating (above 730) you should be prepared to come up with at least the TT&L fees. In some cases with lower B & C credit ratings you may need to come up with as much as 20% to 30% down with some lenders (in cash and/or trade-in equity). Also, some lenders who are offering very low interest rate auto loans will require at least 20% down regardless of how good a person's credit rating is. Individuals with a D or lower credit rating (under 600) will be lucky to get financing anywhere except a Buy Here & Pay Here "We Finance, No Credit Check" in-house note lot.
DISCLAIMER:
All prices and specifications are subject to change without notice and we will not guarantee that our current prices will be honored beyond today's close of business. All listed vehicles are subject to prior sale. Listed odometer mileage may vary due to demo drives. Quoted MPG ratings are EPA Highway Estimates. The information provided on our vehicles is deemed reliable but not guaranteed, we will not be held liable for errors or omissions in the data contained on this website, please verify information prior to purchase (we take pride in the accuracy and completeness of our listings, please excuse us for any unintentional inaccuracies). Driscoll Motors provides no warranty of our own either expressed or implied nor do we accept any responsibility for unknown defects in, or prior/hidden damage to, the vehicles that we offer. Driscoll Motors does not guarantee the manufacturer's warranty status on any of our vehicles, it is the buyer's responsibility to verify the warranty status with a franchised new car dealer prior to purchase. All add-on accessory items and upgrades purchased through Driscoll Motors (such as leather, seat heaters, sunroof/moonroof, rear spoiler, DVD system, cruise control, power door locks, keyless entry, bed liner, aftermarket wheels, nerfs/running boards, window tint film, etc) are installed by outside vendors, these outside vendors and the accessory manufacturers are 100% responsible and solely liable for any installation, safety, and warranty issues on accessory items or upgrades. Driscoll Motors reserves the right to refuse to sell a vehicle to anybody for any reason. All sales are final.