Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.
Follow to get new release updates and improved recommendations
About Earl Stewart
Are you an author?
Help us improve our Author Pages by updating your bibliography and submitting a new or current image and biography.
Author Updates
-
-
Blog postSince the Covid-19 pandemic enveloped us, millions of Americans are either unemployed, furloughed, or working fewer hours for less pay. Banks and all lenders are raising their credit standards to buy vehicles. Lending institutions, themselves, are financially threatened by customers unable to make their car and home payments.
Almost counterintuitively, new and used car sales are surging back almost to pre-Covid times. Many car dealers have always taken advantage of buyers with bad c -
Blog postNope! Today, It's the Smart People Paying MSRP!
The most informative and “entertaining” part of my radio show, Earl on Cars, is the Mystery Shopping Report. Every week for about 20 years, I dispatch an undercover, pretend buyer of a new or used car, to a different car dealership. We report the unexpurgated results, live on the air every Saturday morning between 8 and 10 am, EST. [95.9 and 105.9 FM; www.FaceBook.com/EarlOnCars, www.YouTube.com/EarlOnCars]. De -
Blog postThe phrase “dealer fee” has become a generic term for all the hidden fees that car dealers have added to the advertised prices of their cars for the last 50 years. When I started in the car business with my father in 1968, Stewart Pontiac in West Palm Beach, FL charged a $6.50 fee named “doc fee”. I guess my father chose “doc fee” for this hidden profit because it sounds like an amount that would be charged for processing documents. I never gave this a second thought, because the fee was quite s
-
Blog postIt’s time to decide which 2022 new vehicle, make model and accessories, is best for you. You’re fortunate that you don’t have to buy a car today, because you understand that supply and demand conditions brought on by the microchip shortage and other COVID-precipitated factors has driven new car prices to record levels.
Choosing the right new car is relatively easy because there’s one source of accurate, unbiased information that you can bank on…Consumer Reports, the “Bible” of consu -
Blog postDid you hear the one about the 6-foot man who drowned while trying to wade across a river with an AVERAGE depth of 3 feet?
A recent Consumer Reports article reported that the average price (MSRP) of a new car has risen over $45,000 for the first time ever. The average transaction price has risen 7.7%. The interesting thing is that this 7.7% increase in the average price you pay represents more than a 300% PROFIT increase for the car dealer.
Of course, that $3,465 price -
Blog postThis column was prompted by a Facebook friend who reminded me yesterday that I’d sent her a post with my cell phone number included. She warned me not to display this in the social media. Certainly, conventional wisdom and most people feel the same way. I fully understand that I “march to the beat of a different drummer”.
I’ve had this cell phone number, 561 358-1474 before I formed “Stewart Cellular Communications Inc” in 1993, the first agent for Bell South Mobility in South Flori -
Blog postI’ve been a car dealer since 1968 and never dreamed that one day I’d be advising potential customers not to buy a new or used car right away. But, as you know, the COVID 19 Pandemic has changed everything in our lives, worldwide…most of it for the worst, but, counterintuitively, made a lot of money for some businesses…including auto manufacturers and car dealers.
This is the second column I’ve written on this subject and I’ve added a few more pointers for those people that believe t -
Blog postThe modern, high-tech remote keys for our vehicles are amazing. They can, not only start your car, but lock and unlock the doors, open the trunk, and help you find your car at the mall by flashing lights or blowing the horn. Some of us didn’t really want or need the extra “bells and whistles”, but you can’t buy a car today with an old-fashioned, inexpensive key that will “only” start your car.
The auto manufacturer executives must have been thrilled when they discovered a minicompu -
Blog postRegular readers of my column know I recommend that you don’t buy a new or used car until the last quarter of this year unless you must. This is because of the extreme, but temporary, spike in new and used car prices. This record increase in all vehicle prices emanates from the extreme shortage from the microchip shortage with simultaneous extreme demand from the booming economy. Of course, no one anticipated that such a thing would occur because of the global COVID-19 pandem
-
Blog postIf you’re a regular reader of this column and/or a listener to my radio show, thank you very much. Did you know that everything I’ve ever said for the past 20 years on my radio show and this column is available at www.EarlOnCars.com?
If you go to www.EarlOnCars.com, you can click on links or search for virtually everything we’ve ever explained or discussed on the radio show, written in newspaper columns, and posted on -
Blog postYou DON’T have to have your car serviced by the selling dealer. But you must have new car warranty work performed by a franchised dealer of the make car you own…it doesn’t have to be the dealer that sold you your car. Your warranty requires that you maintain your car according to your car manufacturer’sowner’s manual. Most car dealers will have an “enhanced” list of recommended maintenance which is designed to enhance their service department’s profits. A good rule of thumb is to ignore any serv
-
Blog postNew and used car prices have spiked and, in my opinion, peaked because of the surge in demand related to the Covid virus and the precipitous drop in auto inventories due to the microchip shortage. It’s almost certain, that new and used car prices will plummet in the 4th quarter of 2021, about the time the 2022 new models arrive. If you don’t need to buy a new or used car, you should wait.
But even if you think you need to buy another car, but are a low-mileage driver, you should re -
Blog postOr, Any Business That Doesn’t Fulfill Their Promises
I’ve owned and operated many car dealerships for more than a half-century. I’ve also been a consumer advocate, advising car buyers and owner for past 25 years. It’s safe to say that I’ve personally heard and responded to more car buyers’ and owners’ complaints than almost anybody. Of course, like you, I’m also a consumer who has had to complain about bad treatment by businesses. If you don’t know about me, just Google “Earl Stewart” or c -
Blog postFive Rules to Save You from Paying Sticker Price +
Most folks aren’t even sure what a “microchip” is. The Oxford dictionary defines a microchip as “A tiny wafer of semiconducting material used to make an integrated circuit”. Unless you’re a physicist, this probably doesn’t help you understand any better. In lay terms, a microchip is a fundamental part of all electronics and computers manufactured today. They replaced vacuum tubes which, if you’re old enough to remember the ear -
Blog postQuote from J.D. Power in May 31, 2021 issue of Automotive News:
“Dealers are exceptionally profitable right now”, said Tyson Jominy, vice president of data and analytics at J.D. Power. He pointed to figures released Friday, May 28, that show total car dealer profit per vehicle, including grosses and F&I income, is on pace to reach an all-time high of $3,245—more than DOUBLE the $1,567 earned a year earlier. Vehicle gross profits have exceeded $2,000 for nine of the last 10 mont -
Blog postDear Elon,
I’m a new customer of yours and Tesla, having recently purchased a new 2021 “Model S Plaid”, and I’m anxiously looking forward to taking delivery this next month. I’m also a long-time fan and follower of your incredible technological and business accomplishments. You’ve never heard of me, but I’m a car dealer and a consumer advocate. You can Google me or check me out at www.EarlOnCars.com, www.YouTube.com/EarlStewart or read my book, Confessions of a Recovering Car Dealer, avail -
Blog postOne of the biggest unexpected and unintended consequences from the Covid pandemic and the resulting economic impact are record used car prices. It’s very important for you to know and understand this if you’re thinking of selling your car, trading it in, or if you’re currently driving a leased car.
Selling your car today will be the first time you’ve ever been able to sell a car today for more than it was worth over a year ago. Yes, your car didn’t depreciate last year, i -
Blog postwww.AintGonnaHappen.com
Chances are, since you’re reading this, you’re not very likely to visit a new car dealership, believing you can buy any new (or used) car for only $99 per month. Sadly, lots and lots of people aren’t as savvy as you and do believe it.
Since I’m largely “preaching to the choir” because most readers of my blog and column are educated consumers, why do I write about this? It’s because most of the large volume dealers do resort to this, almost obscene, form -
Blog postShame on Florida’s regulators and legislators for aiding and abetting Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices by 99.9% of all Florida car dealers. Almost every auto dealer in Florida adds hidden, extra charges to their advertised and quoted prices for autos and even service. The Attorney Generals have all “looked the other way” on this for many years. Our lawmakers in Tallahassee have done the same. Why? Without car dealers, their associations and Political Action Committee contributions, nobody ca
-
Blog postI’m proud that my car dealership was featured last week on the NBC Today Show (View the video at www.EarlStewartCovidRescueTeam.com). Thus far, we’ve made Covid vaccination online appointment for over 200 senior citizens, unable to navigate the process themselves.
This inspired me to form a similar team of online-savvy, educated car-buyers to assist our very large elderly population in buying their next car online. If you’re a regular reader of this column, newspaper columns, -
Blog postCar dealers make much more money financing your car than they do selling or leasing it to you. Most buyers concentrate on the price they pay or the monthly lease payment, but you should focus and concentrate even more if you’re thinking about letting the dealer “arrange” your financing. Most people do this and they shouldn’t. First, the good news about dealer financing. If you’re buying a new vehicle, most manufacturers offer very low interest rates to induce you to buy…often as low as 0%.
-
Blog postYou may have noticed that almost all new car advertising today focuses on leasing. A few years ago, leasing a car was rare…less than 10% of total sales, and usually done by businesses. Businesses lease often because of tax deduction and balance sheet considerations. Business leases virtually never required a down payment. Following are the reasons that retail auto leasing to individuals has surged to more than one-third of all car sales. Some dealers are leasing over half of all their sales.
-
Blog postA new car dealership is a franchise unlike any other. Most franchised businesses are rigidly controlled by the parent company like Marriott, McDonalds, Ace Hardware, Century 21, Midas Muffler, H&R Block, and Tire Kingdom. New car dealers are more independent and able to do business the way they want to than any other franchised business.
This is important for you to know and understand, because what a car dealer tells you and how he treats you isn’t always the way his manufactur -
Blog postYou might think you do, but you’re probably wrong. You think you paid the advertised price, or the one quoted you by your salesperson, but you paid a lot more. No, I’m not talking about added sales tax and the license plate which you expected to be added to the advertised price. I’m talking about hidden, additional profit to the dealer disguised as government fees and added accessories that you didn’t ask for or even know about. If you bought your car in Florida, you probably paid between $1,00
-
Blog postSalesperson Says: “I’ll give you the price only if you’ll commit to buy today.”
Your answer: I’ll ask you once more for your best price. There are 3 car dealerships that sell this same make within a half-hour drive of here. If I don’t get your best price right now, I’ll walk out of your showroom and you’ll never see me again.
Salesperson Says: “I’m sorry, but we just sold that car we advertised, but we have others just like it”.
Your answer: I know
Titles By Earl Stewart
Confessions of a Recovering Car Dealer
Aug 14, 2012
by
Earl Stewart
$19.95
Only 7 left in stock (more on the way).
More Buying Choices
$2.46
(19 Used & New offers)
