 |
|||||||||
Important Information about Driscoll Motors - Selling Pre-Owned Cars in Austin, TexasPlease take some time to find out more about how we do business. If you plan on visiting our lot, please take a moment and read the "Sales Policies & Procedures" section, as it contains important information you'll need before coming to see us. Thank you.
Welcome!
IMPORTANT: Driscoll Motors is different than a typical used car dealer. If this is your first time here please read this information 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, 99% of the questions that we regularly receive have been answered here on this page). 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 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 :) After you finish reading this page you will understand why we requested that you do so. You should also have anyone else that will be involved in your automotive purchase decision (parent, spouse, etc) read this page.
Scroll down to the bottom of the page (disclaimer section) to see our business hours and holiday schedule.
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 and clear titles (see **NOTE at the bottom of the page).
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!!!
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. Don't assume that you can purchase one of our vehicles for a lower price than the price you see listed here. ABOUT US:
Founded in 1980 by Michael Driscoll, Driscoll Motors is a local family owned business located on a large 6-acre lot with a 13,000-sq/ft showroom facility at 10301 Burnet Road in Austin, Texas (13 blocks north of 183 or 3 blocks south of Braker Lane, 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 business, licensed by the State of Texas, and bonded for your protection. OUR PRICING:
Due to the primarily wholesale nature of Driscoll Motors' business, most of the vehicles listed on this website are priced at what we expect to get for our vehicles from other dealers (with some exceptions due to the severe used vehicle shortage and the high gas price's affect on the economy car market, 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. 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. Unlike most other dealers you will get direct and honest answers to your questions, we don't answer your questions with "closing questions" like most retail salespeople will do. 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! The prices listed on this website are SELLING prices, not asking prices. 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). You are going to find out that most of the dealers advertising their vehicles on the Internet at the lower end of the price scale (like ourselves) are "One Price" dealers and are advertising their lowest cash prices (IF they will ACTUALLY sell you their vehicle for the price they are advertising, see the *FYI section below). One-by-one many dealers are now going to a Non-Negotiable One Price Policy because of the Internet. Experts are predicting that the days of being able to negotiate a lower price on a vehicle will soon be over. Also, because of the severe used vehicle shortage, you are going to find that even the dealers that WILL negotiate are going to be very uncooperative about negotiating a significantly lower price (especially on lower priced cars and 4-cyl economy cars) unless you are looking at an undesirable vehicle that they have had for a while. 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 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 (drive-out) price, it is an excellent deal... BUY IT! But, you had better HURRY. If YOU don't buy it, someone else certainly will and you will miss out.
We do not offer special discounts to any group of people including (but not limited to) senior citizens, students, credit union members, single parents, 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. At Driscoll Motors EVERYONE receives the same low price regardless of group affiliation or individual negotiating skills!
BTW: If you come here and "nit pick" one of our vehicles over minor cosmetic or maintenance issues 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. The condition of our vehicles is taken into account when we price them. 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 our price, don't buy it.
*FYI: You may find this hard to believe but there are some dealers advertising vehicles that they don't actually have for prices they wouldn'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". Then they will proceed to try and sell you something else, usually for a MUCH higher price. This is the classic "lowball, bait, & switch game". This unscrupulous practice has been going on at some new car dealers for many years and now that used car shopping on the Internet has become so common, some dealers are now doing this on used vehicles as well. UPDATE: For several years we have been told by MANY customers living in the Houston and DFW metro areas that this is a fairly common practice where they live, but we are now seeing this dishonest sales tactic being practiced right here in Central Texas (the Austin climate has certainly changed). Buyer beware!
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 dollars (OR MORE) 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 or 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", and another dealer says this in their disclaimer..."Prices do not include TT&L, dealer installed options, pre-prep(?), additional fees, or certification fees". These statements pretty much tell you what you can expect from these dealers, you ARE going to pay a higher price than the dealer is advertising, but most of the other dealers that are tacking on deceptive fees do not display disclaimers like these. 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 consumer, 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 IMMEDIATELY!!! Before you take the time to visit a dealer you should visit the BBB.org website to find something out about the company you are thinking about doing business with.
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 not be required to finance with us because we don't finance. The only additional charges added to our prices will be the TT&L fees that go to the state, and the traditional $50 documentary fee that all Texas dealers have always charged (NOTE: After Sept. 1st 2009 dealers have been allowed to charge whatever documentary fee that they want and many dealers have raised it WAY up! You should ask about this when you are talking bottom line drive-out 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). At only $50, we are charging the lowest doc fee in Central Texas!
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 perform routine maintenance on our vehicles when we receive them but on many of our vehicles maintenance was brought up-to-date by the dealers or rental companies that we purchased them from. 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 (some of which are unnecessary) 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 minor 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 many of our vehicles are as nice as any vehicle you will likely find anywhere, 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). Also, we do not replace missing/defective tire pressure transponders (quite common on vehicles over 3 years old or vehicles with non-oem rims). 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 through 2-year-old vehicles were program cars (program cars are primarily former rentals). 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. All program vehicles have been properly maintained and typically have had a relatively high percentage of highway use. For the most part you will find that these vehicles are in very good condition although you can expect that they will show above average physical wear (particularly inside), some of them may have had some cosmetic paint work (particularly the bumpers), and ALL of them WILL have been smoked-in at some point (this applies to ALL former rentals sold at EVERY dealer regardless of what a salesman tells you, if you can't live with this you should buy a new car).
FYI: Since we sell the majority of our vehicles "sight unseen", we try very hard to be as accurate as possible in our decriptions. 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. Like new will only be used to describe a current year model with very low miles that is LITERALLY "Like New". Very Nice is almost like new but older than a current year model, these will be relatively rare. Nice is better than Very Good, which means that it is better than above average or clean, other dealers would describe a vehicle like this as being in "Excellent Condition". We reserve Nice for a precious few really deserving vehicles. We also use the term "Exceptionally Nice" to describe an older vehicle that we consider to be in better than nice condition relative to it's age. Other descriptive terminologies that we use include; Very Good (above average or clean, a level of quality that most reasonable people would be very happy with), Good (average, statistically most used vehicles on the market fall into this category, it is what you should expect to see at EVERY dealer on MOST used vehicles), Fair (below average, has some minor flaws but is still fully serviceable), and Poor (rough, probably not worth messing with unless you can't afford anything better). Price wise, if you think that you will be able to purchase a Nice vehicle for the same price as a Good vehicle, think again! ALL dealers price their used vehicles relative to their condition.
Although we try very hard NOT to buy them, a small number of the vehicles that we have available will have accidents listed on their history reports. EVERY used car dealer has a few of them, during your shopping you will find that this is quite common. AutoCheck states that 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 or it has been to a body shop for some reason (like a scratch or dent repair). 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! AutoCheck and CarFax 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, they are NOT verified for accuracy, and in their disclaimers both companies disavow responsibility for any inaccuracies. We have even found vehicles that have obviously been involved in a collision and DO NOT have an accident listed on the history report. The bottom line is this, DO NOT BELIEVE EVERYTHING THAT YOU READ (or didn't read) ON AN AUTOCHECK OR CARFAX HISTORY REPORT! When we obtain a vehicle that shows an accident in it's history report, we inspect the vehicle to determine if a vehicle was damaged in a collision and to what extent, if we find that there was serious damage we send the vehicle straight to auction (when you come here to look at a vehicle that has an accident report, we can show you what we have found). 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.
NOTE: Carfax information noting an open recall DOES NOT ALWAYS mean that the recall repair has not as yet been performed. Accurate recall information can ONLY be obtained from a new car dealer. Recalls will ALWAYS be performed by the manufacturer free of charge for the life of the vehicle. We do not have any open recall repairs performed on a vehicle before it's sale unless the vehicle has to go to the new car dealer for another repair. SALES POLICIES and FAQs:
Terms, conditions, and answers to common & 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 used vehicles.
Prices listed on our vehicles DO NOT include TT&L (6.25% state sales tax, 0.2% county ad-valorem tax, $33 title transfer, $69.25 license/registration & temporary tag, $28.75 state safety/smog inspection if needed, $50 documentary fee, plus any other applicable statutory fee required by the state of Texas at the time of sale). YOU are responsible for paying these fees, they are NOT negotiable, and we are REQUIRED BY TEXAS LAW to collect them (unless you are licensing and titling the vehicle outside of Texas, then you will only have to pay the 0.2% county ad-valorem tax and $50 documentary fee on top of our selling price). FYI: NOBODY lists prices that include TT&L!
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, AKA "branded" 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 still owe a loan balance on your trade-in you will need to call your lender and get an exact up-to-date "Net 10-Day Payoff". Bring your net payoff amount and your loan account information with you when you visit. Please note, 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 do not owe a loan balance on your trade-in you should locate your title and bring it with you when you go out car shopping. You CAN NOT trade-in your vehicle if can't produce a title for it!
We DO accept TCEQ AirCheckTexas Drive a Clean Machine assistance program trade-in vouchers issued by Travis & Williamson Counties subject to the following conditions: DO NOT visit or call us until you are in ACTUAL PHYSICAL POSSESSION of the AirCheckTexas 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 at under $35000 with under 70000 miles that is a 2010 or newer car/van/suv/hybrid, a 2011 or newer truck, and listed on TCEQ's approved vehicle list here:
http://www.tceq.texas.gov/assets/public/implementation/air/ms/2010a_tier2bin5_vehicles.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) between 10am and 6pm 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 and we DO NOT accept Roadloans financing. If you are credit challenged DO NOT COME HERE unless you have YOUR OWN outside financing pre-approved and ready to go (read the "Payment Options" section below), we can NOT help you with financing!
FYI: 99.9% 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 used car dealer). All of the experts will tell you that you should always get your financing from a source other than a car dealer and you should get pre-approved for financing BEFORE you go out car shopping. Also, you should know that if you don't have previous car credit you will almost always need a qualified co-signer (MOST lenders will require this). A co-signer will NOT overcome bad credit, only a lack of credit. This is going to be the case with ALL legitimate financing institutions.
For additional information about financing see the "FYI regarding the current financing/credit situation" section at the bottom of this page.
Payment options...
WE DO ACCEPT... UFCU, Randolph-Brooks, Velocity, GEFCU, A+, PECU, CCU, TruWest, GTFCU, Security Service, Telco, Amplify (drafting instructions), United Heritage (conditionally), USAA (see below), Wells Fargo, Chase, and most other bank or credit union drafting instructions and loan (buyer's) drafts/checks. We also accept LOCAL personal checks (Travis & Williamson counties ONLY) with verification of funds, local cashier's checks (out-of-area cashier's checks are acceptable but there will be a minimum 7-day title hold because of all the fake/fraudulent cashier's checks that are being circulated), bank wire transfers, and CASH.
WE DO NOT ACCEPT... any credit cards, pre-approval letters as vehicle payment, dealer electronic checks as vehicle payment, out-of-area personal checks, 3rd party checks, PayPal, Western Union or Moneygram wire transfers, and we do NOT accept financing through... Roadloans (Santander), Auto Credit Express, Loan.com, Capitol One (neither e-loan or bank financing), Bank of America, or Citibank. FYI: If you MUST get your financing through one of these lenders, you will HAVE to purchase a vehicle from one of the dealers included in their dealer network (listed on their website). You should also know that these lenders charge the dealers in their network VERY high fees to finance a vehicle with them. These fees are passed on to the buyer through a higher purchase price on the vehicle that you buy. If you have good credit and want to purchase a vehicle from us (or anyone else not included their network) and you also want to avoid paying WAY too much for a used vehicle and for the loan interest rate, do yourself a BIG favor, join a Credit Union.
Attention active & retired military personnel: Regardless of where you buy a used vehicle, a local Credit Union (like UFCU, Randolph-Brooks, or your own local credit union) is going to be your BEST choice for obtaining used vehicle financing at the lowest possible rate (typically quite a bit lower than USAA) and you can take immediate delivery of one of our vehicles. We accept but do not recommend USAA unless they have mailed you a blank buyer's check (sight draft), otherwise they will only do a "dealer electronic check" which eventually results in an ACH wire transfer to us, this can take several days (regardless of what they tell you). This is acceptable to us but keep in mind... we do not accept a dealer electronic check as vehicle payment and we do not hold vehicles. Also, if you are coming here from out of town you should be aware that this will require TWO trips! We also accept but do not recommend Army/Navy, Navy, or Naval Federal Credit Unions since they are not local credit unions and they are way too slow to send payment, it can take up to 7 days for them to send us a check (they only send cashier's checks by snail mail, remember again, we do not hold vehicles).
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). YOU are responsible for determining the quality/condition of the vehicle that you are looking at. We will allow you to take all the time that you want to evaluate a vehicle and since we do not have mechanical inspections performed on our vehicles ourselves, professional inspections during normal business hours are welcome/encouraged (and recommended on vehicles that are out of new car warranty at ANY dealer, even on so-called "certified" vehicles). We have provided FREE CarFax and Experian's AutoCheck history reports on every vehicle, just click on the logo below the picture in each vehicle description to see it's history reports. A bumper-to-bumper coverage service contract (AKA extended warranty) from a large reputable insurance company (Mercury Insurance) is available on most of our vehicles for a very reasonable price.
After you have found a specific vehicle in OUR inventory that you are interested in purchasing, test drives are available for licensed drivers 21 or older in most of our vehicles (conditionally/restricted on very expensive, high performance, and/or collector vehicles) during regular business hours ONLY. Taking a vehicle overnight is NOT permitted. We will NOT allow a manual transmission vehicle to be test driven by someone who doesn't know how to drive one (or even by someone who CAN drive a stick shift for the purpose of teaching someone else who can't, got it parents?). You will need to present a valid driver's license and proof of insurance so be sure to bring them with you. Parents, we will NOT allow your teen to test drive one of our vehicles unless they hold a VALID driver's license (a learner's permit doesn't count) and you MUST go with them. You do not need to make an appointment but arrive at least 20 minutes before closing if you want to take a test drive.
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. Arranging your own shipping is very easy, there are literally hundreds of vehicle shipping companies advertising on the internet that will be happy to give you a quote. We regularly sell vehicles to people all around the world so we know how to handle this type of transaction, but payment of any and all fees (such as shipping, delivery, taxes, duties, license, title, broker, agent, export company, or escrow service) on an out of state or country transaction will be 100% YOUR RESPONSIBILITY ON YOUR END. On any out of state or country cash sale 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 (remember, we do not hold vehicles). Because of our small staff, we won't be able to pick you up at the airport, sorry.
We do not fill-up fuel tanks.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to the wholesale nature of our business, we do not have state safety/emissions 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 and licensed in Texas. Because of our small staff, immediate delivery may not be possible on any vehicle requiring a state 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. It doesn't matter who you talk to when you call or come here since we do not work on a traditional commission basis. Our phone number is 512-454-5800 (Fax 512-821-3844) 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 until you demand that they stop). We respect your peace and privacy.
Note: We will not respond to any e-mails asking for a discount, making us an offer, or asking for a "sight unseen" trade-in value...sorry.
Because of the wholesale nature of Driscoll Motors' business our inventory turnover rate is very high (2 to 3 times higher than the average retail used car dealer), 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! This is especially true at the present time because of the used vehicle shortage.
FYI: The vehicles on our website tagged with a yellow "PENDING" are (99% of the time) already sold. Also, if a vehicle is missing from our website it is gone from our lot.
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. Also, we occasionally have to send vehicles out to have warranty work and other repairs performed. These vehicles are removed from our website when they are gone and they will reappear on our website if/when they return.
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). We do not locate vehicles to fill special requests...sorry.
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. Besides, it is not our place to try and tell you what you like or what to buy. 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 interrupt 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 (we know that this can be difficult), do yourself and us favor by leaving 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.
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 honestly 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 empowering, 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 consumer friendly and 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, abrasive, or condescending. 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 nonsense or game playing. 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. 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 Cars.com, CarGurus.com, AutoTrader.com, Yahoo Autos, Carsforsale.com, Edmunds, KBB, NADA, MSN, EasyAutoSales.com, Vast.com, CentralTexasAutos.com, CarsMagazine.com, Automotive.com, Motor Trend, HowStuffWorks, Pickuptrucks.com, Autoguide, ConsumerGuide, CarSmarts, 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 experiencing a severe supply shortage, and because of this, late model used vehicle prices have gone way up! 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 slight economic downturn here has actually INCREASED used vehicle demand and there is always a VERY 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 supply side, the reason that there is a used vehicle supply shortage is because there was a "BLOOD BATH" in the new car industry from 2008 to 2011. Vehicles have to be built and sold new to begin with in order for them to be 4 or 5 year old used vehicles in 4 or 5 years. In 2008, new vehicle sales were down almost 50% from 2007, this means that there is a 50% smaller pool of 2008 used vehicles available today. Take away 50% of the supply of ANY commodity and there will be a shortage of that commodity! 2009 new vehicle sales were down yet another 20% from 2008 sales and the industry only produced and sold just over 8 million new vehicles (the lowest total number of vehicles produced and sold since the late 1940's). 2009 is when GM and Chrysler filed for bankruptcy and several auto manufacturers ceased to exist. 2010 new vehicle sales rebounded a little, up about 20% over 2009 sales, but still WAY DOWN from 2007 and earlier sales levels. 2011 new vehicle sales went back down to 2009 levels because of the Japanese and Thailand disasters. Some auto manufacturers like Toyota and Honda did not produce ANY vehicles for up to 6 months in 2011, and even some US manufacturers were shut down for a time for lack of parts (US manufacturers also get parts from Japan and Thailand). Finally, in 2012, new vehicle sales were back up to slightly above 2008 new vehicle levels due to pent-up demand. This is GREAT news, but sales were still 20% lower than 2007 and earlier sales levels, and this increase won't begin to have any noticable affect on the used vehicle supply situation for at least another year or so. Because of the shortage of 2008 through 2011 used vehicles the prices for them have gone way up, and because of these higher prices some people have been forced down into 2006 and 2007 models, creating a shortage of the nicer and lower mileage 2006 and 2007 models (and driving up their prices as well).
On the demand side, most people who NEED vehicles are buying used instead of new. New vehicles have gone way up in price and late model used vehicles are a MUCH BETTER VALUE because the total cost of ownership is markedly lower. Savvy/educated shoppers know this and even though some of these people may have bought new vehicles in the past, the majority are not doing so now!
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 (and color) that you might consider purchasing, especially if you NEED a vehicle right away. If you are looking for a "better deal" on a specific make and model vehicle, everything else being equal, the less popular colors will usually be priced lower because the demand is lower. For example, you will usually be able to purchase a red sedan for less money than a white sedan. Also, if you are lucky enough to find an acceptable vehicle right away DO NOT DAWDLE, buy it imediately or someone else WILL beat you to it! If you are tempted to wait for something better to come along or for the prices to go down, there is a very high likelyhood that you will be disappointed and frustrated when it doesn't happen and you are still without a car weeks (or even months) later.
Regardless of the economic environment or fuel prices, 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 or Mazda3s) and good reliable economy cars for under $5000 are almost non-existent (we rarely have anything worth selling in this price range). Vehicles that fit this description don't exist on dealer lots in or near a big city with well over 100000 college & licensed high school students living in the area (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, unsettled fuel prices, 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. FYI: Finding a descent used economy car for a student in the Austin area for a reasonable price is going to be a REAL CHALLENGE given the current used car shortage and competitive demand from the large number of students living in the area (most of whom are looking for the same cars that you are).
Something else to keep in mind while you are car shopping... The "blue books" don't buy or sell vehicles! Neither KBB or NADA have ever sold us a vehicle or written us a check for one. In the real automotive world, a vehicle is REALLY worth what someone is willing to pay for it, NOT what some "book" tells you it is supposed to be worth. The books have have been an almost useless value guide over the past 5 years because of the effects that unsettled fuel prices, the very poor supply situation, economic uncertainty, volatile/unpredictable demand, and AutoCheck/CarFax history reports are having on the used vehicle market. In fact, the books have been SO FAR OFF that dealers don't dare use them, only lending institutions and insurance companies are really using them these days. As far as most dealers are concerned the books have become irrelevant.
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 specific 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 good 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 desirable Japanese economy cars (and for that matter almost ANY economy car in good condition with reasonable miles), Sienna & Odyssey minivans (YES MINIVANS, they are IN AGAIN because of the high gas prices and are now considered "COOL"), and reasonably priced crew cab 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 "blue book" values (and frankly some them are priced at "retail book" prices because we couldn't buy them cheap enough to offer them at "wholesale book" prices), 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 or European vehicle, has mechanical/electrical problems, has paint/body/hail damage, or has been in an accident. The resale value of these unwanted vehicles has been negatively impacted in a VERY BIG WAY by the inability to obtain financing, poor reliability and high repair costs (due to old age, high miles, and country of origin), unsettled fuel prices, CarFax/AutoCheck history reports that show accidents, the glut of these vehicles already on the market, and the extremely low retail demand as a result of these factors.
FYI regarding the current financing/credit situation: In most cases, unless a person has outstanding ESTABLISHED car 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 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 (a credit score 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 or if you don't have established car credit 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 very lucky to get financing anywhere except a Buy Here & Pay Here "We Finance, No Credit Check" in-house note lot and you will need a SUBSTANTIAL down payment if you want to buy a half-way decent vehicle.
**NOTE: In car business language, "clean title" and "clear title" mean two entirely different things! When you are car shopping you should know the difference. Having a "clean title" means that the vehicle DOES NOT have a salvaged/reconditioned, flood damaged, or manufacturer buy-back lemon law title (these are also known as "branded" titles) and can be financed. Having a "clear title" only means that the title does not have a lien on it (or that any previous lien has been released) and the title is negotiable. A vehicle can not be legally sold unless it has a clear title. Some scammers advertise a clear title on a vehicle that DOES NOT have a clean title! You will frequently see this on Craig's List ads. ALL of our vehicles ALWAYS have clean and clear titles.
Business Hours:
9am to 7pm Weekdays, 9am to 2pm Saturday,
Closed Sunday.
Phone 512/454-5800, Fax 512/821-3844, E-mail driscoll@austin.rr.com
DISCLAIMER:
All prices and specifications are subject to change without notice (we reserve the right to raise or lower our prices at any time in response to current/changing market conditions, the prices that you see advertised here today will only be guaranteed until today's close of business). Listed odometer mileage may vary due to demo drives. Quoted MPG ratings are EPA Highway Estimates in effect at time of manufacture. The information provided on our vehicles is deemed reliable but is 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 great pride in the accuracy of our listings, please excuse us for any unintentional mistakes). 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. The buyer is solely responsible for determining the quality of the vehicle that they purchase. 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, sunroof/moonroof, DVD system, seat heaters, rear spoiler, sound system, cruise control, power door locks, keyless entry, bed liner, aftermarket wheels, nerfs or running boards, window tint film, etc) are installed by outside vendors. The accessory manufacturers and outside vendors who install them are 100% responsible and solely liable for any installation, safety, and warranty issues involving accessories and upgrades. Driscoll Motors DOES NOT offer a money back guarantee on the vehicles that we sell, all sales are final. Driscoll Motors reserves the right to refuse to sell a vehicle to anybody for any reason.
|
|||||||||
 |