Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 29, 1990 TAG: 9003290644
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: A13 EDITION: EVENING
SOURCE: Cox News Service
DATELINE: LENGTH: Short
The Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports, opened a hot line this week to help people decide how much to pay or ask for when buying and selling used cars.
"It gives them an accurate price of the used car they're interested in, and it gives it to the consumer immediately," said Marnie Goodman, a spokesman for Consumers Union, a non-profit advocacy group.
"When you're buying a used car, often you don't have a lot of time to think about it, especially if it's a car that's much in demand," she said. "This way you can get the information at just the touch of the phone."
Consumers can call the hot line at (900) 258-2886 from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily. Calls cost $1.50 per minute, and the average inquiry lasts about five minutes.
The NADA Official Used Car Guide or the Kelly Blue Book are the traditional guidelines for used-car prices, but Consumers Union says they often are outdated by the time they are available.
Art Johnson, owner of M&T Auto Sales in Delray Beach, Fla., said the hot line will confuse people.
"It's just like me trying to describe to you over the phone how good a car is," he said. "But until you see and drive it, it's just a ballpark figure.
"You ever try to get a dentist to solve a toothache over the phone? They're a guide. I think it's going to make a harder sell for a lot of dealers. It's going to alienate people from used-car dealers."
Johnson also said the service is flawed because "any time a guy trades a car in, he doesn't tell you what's wrong with it."
by CNB