You Are What You Drive; In Search of a New Ride
A sudden life change means I'm moving from New York City back to my hometown of Tucson, AZ, and I need to buy a car—fast. My brother offered to find a car for me, but after having built a successful magazine career out of shopping, I want to do my own edit. After all, Tucson is a city with a car culture.…what kind of car do I want to wear?
“Jen,” said Meredith Barnett, Editorial Director of The Inside Source, “a passenger car is sold every minute on eBay, why don't you start there?" Hmmmm. I had been hearing about eBay Motors from friends, but was skeptical. Is it reliable to buy a car off the Internet? Would I find any options to fit my budget? Meredith suggested that I direct my questions towards, Danny Chang, Senior Manager, Buyer Experience at eBay Motors. Fine. First things first: I need a pre-owned car that I can purchase outright, and I want to spend around $7500. Would I find any options on the site?
“Buying used represents 70 percent of transactions on eBay Motors,” Danny said. And since In Q3-09, the worldwide annualized Gross Merchandise Volume for the Vehicles category at eBAy was a whopping $9.6 billion, I was pretty much guaranteed to find more than my fair shares of options. (Hey, that sure beats choosing between the white car or the blue car at the used car lot.) Since I anticipate city driving, lots of road trips, and considerable time spent on Arizona’s unpaved roads, I want decent gas mileage and a durable, reliable car. Kid-friendly wouldn’t hurt, either. I am curious about a hybrid, but can I afford it? “Everything is a trade-off,” Danny told. “Value is not necessarily a price point.”
Fair enough, but I still had more questions for Danny: What if I had my eye on a car from out of state—who would kick the tires for me? What if I bought a lemon? Could I get a second opinion? “Do your homework,” Danny stressed, “especially when buying a car online.” He sent me to the customer support center on the eBay Motors site, where I found detailed information on everything from how to decode a vehicle listing to strategies for bidding. Then I started browsing, where I shopped for cars using three different selling formats: auctions, Buy It Now, and local listings. All I had to do was click on the different tabs on the search page to choose how I wanted to shop.
It turns out that eBay Motors offers familiar user reviews, seller feedback scores, and Paypal payment options, plus information on purchase precautions, Kelley Blue Book listings, vehicle history reports, financing, and up to $50,000 coverage through eBay’s Vehicle Purchase Protection program. A variety of shipping options are available as well as roadside assistance for those special collector cars. eBay Motors even recommends an independent vehicle inspection company; l can literally have someone in another state kick the tires for me and send me photographs and detailed report—within 24 hours. So sorry, Bro, even though I love you, I am going to do what I love to do, even with a tricky purchase—do the shopping for myself.
Now it’s time to make decisions. I love the idea of a Mini Cooper or a Jeep; my ten-year-old son asks me for a Mustang at every turn. (Turns out he’s not the only Mustang fan; one of those is sold every 38 minutes on the eBay Motors site.) After some serious time spent browsing and studying up, here’s how I’ve narrowed my search:
2002 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport (buy it now price, $7995; above, left): To me, a Subaru Outback is the cool mom’s ride. It ‘s nice, compact, and I can fit at least three extra ten year olds and their gear. The hatchback makes it great for tailgating at University of Arizona football games.
2001 Volvo V70 (buy it now price, $5499; above, center): I could do a safety dance around this car—it has one of the most consistent ratings of any car out there. Like the Subara, the Volvo is a reputable, go anywhere, do-anything family car. And Volvo’s are supposed to last forever, which is great for me. I love how the luxe European interior will get better with age.
2001 Jeep Wrangler 4.0L Sport (buy it now price, $7999; above, right): Wranglers are among the top 20 cars sold on eBay, and cruising Tucson’s Speedway in a Jeep is how I envision my homecoming after years of big city life. A little tougher, I hope a little cooler, definitely a little older, a Wrangler is practical, but cute and tough. The Wrangler is a perfect mix for city driving and low-key four wheeling on Arizona dirt roads. Now if I can talk my son out of his Mustang obsession….
1983 Mercedes-Benz SL Class (buy it now price, $4995; above, left): The class act sporty dream car. I was looking for late 70’s to 80’s designer lines, but could I afford one of these European classics? Surprisingly, I found one not out-of –control number. This Mercedes Grand Dame, because of the turbo diesel, is my type of vintage eco-chic. Danny informed me that 75% of vehicles sold on ebay Motors are interstate transactions, which to me is amazing. But this car is already in Arizona , so I could skip that step.
2005 Mini Mini Cooper SS (buy it now price, $9,900; above, second from left): Chrysler’s British-inspired takeoff is an American car with a European idea. And it’s super cute. It’s great for city driving as well as the highway—I love a car with a nice low clearance. Back roads might be difficult for me to maneuver in a Mini. Definitely something I need to keep in mind before committing to one.
1968 Ford Mustang (buy it now price, $7500; above, second from right): Turn some heads with this cherry bomb. According to ebay, a Ford Mustang is sold every 38 minutes on their site. Danny informed me that ebay sells a significant number of collectible cars. The site finds itself in a niche position because most car collectors understand the issues involved with a vintage vehicle, and ebay Motors makes it easy to navigate those. I think I’ll wait till my son is 15 or 16 and buy him a fixer-upper and parts—all available on ebay Motors.
2002 Toyota Prius 4 DR SDN (NAT(buy it now price, $7597.00): A Japanese hybrid is a logical choice for many people. I know, I know…it’s a great bang for your buck. Call me a fashion snob or vain even—but let’s face it, the Prius “ain’t” pretty. If the environment is more important to you and you are more PC than I, then go for it. Mama prefers going green with a styling turbo diesel.
A freeelance editor based in New York, Jen Smith was recently the Fashion Director at Cookie. Before that, she was the Senior Fashion Editor at Lucky.