"Forget about buying a vehicle brand new!" This message comes straight from the used car guru, from his real-life experience of buying and selling used vehicles. His simple philosophy is this: "If you’re going to buy a new vehicle anyway, it might as well be six months to one year old, and you might as well save yourself $5,000 to $7,000 dollars." Jamie is North America’s leading expert on the topic of buying and selling used vehicles and one of the few to actually publish a book on the subject. Having bought and sold over 18 used vehicles for himself, family, and friends by the age of 25, and having done very well on every deal, Jamie’s honest, no-nonsense writing can enable any person to buy or sell a used vehicle quickly and easily. Jamie’s specialty is delivering his knowledge in such a way that a person with any background or knowledge base can understand and use it.

Jamie bought his first car in 1997; it was worth $700 and was over 20 years old. As Jamie’s knowledge of buying and selling used vehicles developed and his income increased, he was able to buy and sell newer and more expensive used vehicles. In 2006 he purchased his most expensive used car, at $27,000; it was less than one year old, had been driven 19,000 km, and retailed for over $35,000. The only money Jamie lost to repairs or depreciation over all these transactions was $2500. This loss was on a single vehicle—a motorcycle he purchased new in 2000 and sold a year later. It was after this devastating loss that Jamie began to evaluate, develop, and refine his methods of buying and selling used vehicles. The motorcycle was the first and the last brand new vehicle purchase Jamie ever made. His passion is now educating others on how to buy and sell used vehicles while saving thousands of dollars, as he does!

Jamie is the author of www.theusedcarguru.com and numerous magazine and newsprint articles about buying and selling used vehicles. Having learned how to quickly and easily buy and sell used vehicles, Jamie now shares everything he has learned and experienced in his literary works.

"You have options!" It is Jamie’s personal mission to inform and educate everyone that they can save thousands of dollars by buying and selling used vehicles privately.

In today’s world of booming economies, 0 percent financing, and cash back give-aways, it’s no wonder that the majority of people are buying new vehicles. This increase in new vehicle purchases means a much lower demand for great used vehicles, most of them only 1–3 years old! The owners of these used vehicles are paying a high premium to advertise their used vehicles for sale and are having a very low success rate. Many sellers are therefore resorting to accepting much lower offers than their vehicles are actually worth!

For example, right now anyone could buy a 2005 Acura RSX type S with around 25,000 km for under $27,000 (they retail for over $35,000 new!) The car is still be in prefect condition and would still be under full factory warranty. You could drive that car for one year (about 20,000 km) and sell it for $26,500 to $27,000, providing you maintain it and keep all the records. Once you sell that car you could do the same thing over again, enabling you to drive a new car every year, losing almost zero dollars to depreciation and spending next to nothing on maintenance. Between 10,000 and 50,000 km, most vehicles require very little maintenance or repairs! I have done this, with this exact vehicle, and the best part is anyone could do it.

When you’re at the dealership and caught up in the excitement of owning a new vehicle, it’s easy to understand why most people do not consider that immediately after driving off the lot the new car they have just purchased will be considered used. The last thing on their minds is that their vehicle is going to lose 10 to 20 percent of its original value in six months to one year after purchase, depending on its condition and mileage.

What is the single largest expense of owning a new vehicle? It’s not insurance, gas, or repairs. It’s not maintenance, parking, or replacing parts like tires or windshields, it’s depreciation! So even if you are getting a 0 percent interest rate on the financing of your new vehicle, cash back, or some other too–good-to-be-true deal the fact remains that there is something much more important to consider than all these gimmicks, and that something is depreciation.

Some may argue that depreciation does not matter if you intend to keep the vehicle until it’s miled-out and ready to be dragged off to be turned into scrap metal. I would have to agree. BUT why would you consider driving a vehicle until it’s so old that it’s no longer reliable, current, or fun, and you have to start repairing it? Is it really worth driving a vehicle that’s so old all your friends make jokes about it in order to justify its original purchase when you don’t have to? There is a much more logical way to avoid depreciation and that’s simply to buy a slightly used vehicle in the first place. You can drive a nearly new vehicle every year if you buy slightly used, and the best part is you can sell at any time and lose next to nothing compared to what you will lose if you buy new.

What do you consider a new vehicle? Could you agree that a vehicle that smells, drives, looks, and performs exactly like a new vehicle basically is a new vehicle? Think about the difference between a vehicle that is 1–24 months old with under 30,000 km and a brand new vehicle with 0 km. The only difference is you will pay $30,000 for the new one and probably $22,000 for the used vehicle. The used vehicle has experienced a drastic drop in value due to depreciation and the new vehicle is in a fancy showroom and maybe your friends haven’t seen one like it yet. How much is that novelty worth to you? Can you agree that you could probably find more enjoyable ways to spend $5,000 to $8,000?

Did you know that right now is the best time there has ever been to buy a used vehicle? You may not be aware of it but what you don’t know about buying vehicles is costing you thousands of dollars. It is a relatively unconsidered or ignored fact that depreciation is the single largest expense of owning a used vehicle. The majority of people who purchase new vehicles do not consider that as soon as they drive their "new" car it will become a "used" car and they will immediately lose a minimum of 15 percent of the amount that they just paid for it! If that isn’t enough to make you sit up and take notice, also consider that after the first year of ownership that very same vehicle will lose another 5–20 percent of its original value! This means that if you bought a $30,000 vehicle it is worth around $25,500 almost the second you drive it off the lot, and less than $24,000 after the first year of ownership. These are some of the most expensive kilometers you will ever travel! What if during the first or second year you decide you like the status and feeling of owning a new vehicle and want to trade it in for another? What if the payments on your new vehicle are cutting into the other areas of your life and you decide that the new car is not worth the cost? You have a big surprise in store when you go to sell and find the used vehicle market saturated with vehicles just like yours, as most people are buying new just like you did!

In today’s world of booming economies, cash back giveaways, and 0 percent dealer financing that anyone can get approved for, it’s no wonder that the majority of people are buying new vehicles without considering the long term consequences. The harsh reality is that some will want or need to sell their vehicle after only 1–2 years of ownership, and they will have no choice but to sell for many thousands of dollars less than they paid. In addition, they will face two problems:

1. The majority of people are still buying new, so selling is more difficult.
2. Many people in the same situation are also trying to sell.

The laws of supply and demand are against them now. There is a large supply of great used vehicles, but no demand for them. This very situation exists in most of North America right now!

The evidence to support these facts is all around us. Think of the last time you heard of a dealership closing down or saw one that looked like it was not making money. Take a look at the majority of used vehicles for sale—most of them are 1–3 years old! Another thing you will notice is that 80 percent of these 1–3 year old vehicles are being advertised for sale by dealerships; this suggests that people have traded them in or sold them back to the dealership for much less money than they could have made in private sales.

And don’t think the dealership that sold you the new vehicle will help you out now. You are their bread and butter. They feed on people who need to sell a used vehicle fast. That salesman that was your best friend when you bought the new vehicle will smile apologetically and pat you on the back as he takes the keys to your vehicle and hands you a check for three quarters the amount you paid him months ago. Then as you solemnly walk away he will do a silent victory yell in his mind as he thinks about what he is going to list your vehicle for the minute you leave. Do yourself a favor and don’t even ask.

So what can you do to fight back and keep all of your hard earned money but still drive new reliable vehicles? Buy yourself a slightly used vehicle and save yourself thousands of dollars! There truly has never been a better time to buy a used vehicle, the chips are stacked in the buyer’s favor.

I educate people on the hows and whys of buying used vehicles. A used vehicle purchase is the smartest most logical choice both financially and principally. I have been saving myself thousands of dollars on used vehicles every year and I can educate anyone who is interested in doing the same quickly and easily. Visit my website www.TheUsedCarGuru.com to read my free buying and selling guides or to contact me.

Buying out another person’s lease can be the absolute best deal on a used vehicle that you will ever find. If you know anyone who is nearing the end of a vehicle lease-term, and you offer to pay their buyout, you are almost guaranteed a great deal. Some people just give the vehicle back to the dealership when the lease is up without considering that they may be able to sell the vehicle privately for much more! I personally benefited from this situation. I paid a $10,000 lease buyout on a four year-old, 2000 Honda Civic when similar vehicles were selling for well over $14,000. I drove that car for two years and put 45,000 kilometers on it before selling it for $9,800. It only cost me $200 to drive a reliable vehicle for two years!

If you find a lease that is not near the end of term, but the lessee wants to be rid of the payment, you can swoop in and pay the buyout which can be very low depending on how much the lessee put down. Spend five minutes doing the math beforehand; in most cases you will find this kind of lease buyout to be a great deal.