We collect information from you when you register on our site or fill out a form. 

When ordering or registering on our site, as appropriate, you may be asked to enter your: name, e-mail address, mailing address, or phone number. You can, however, visit our site anonymously.

What do we use your information for? 

Any of the information we collect from you may be used in one of the following ways: 

• To personalize your experience (your information helps us to better respond to your individual needs)
• To improve our website (we continually strive to improve our website offerings based on the information and feedback we receive from you)
• To process transactions (your information, whether public or private, will not be sold, exchanged, transferred, or given to any other company for any reason whatsoever, without your consent, other than for the express purpose of delivering the purchased product or service requested)
• To administer a contest, promotion, survey or other site feature
• To send periodic emails (the email address you provide for order processing will be used only to send you information and updates pertaining to your order)

If you decide to opt-in to our mailing list, you will receive emails that may include company news, updates, related product or service information, etc.

If at any time you wish to unsubscribe from receiving future emails, we include detailed unsubscribe instructions at the bottom of each email.

How do we protect your information? 

We implement a variety of security measures to maintain the safety of your personal information when you place an order or access your personal information. 

We offer the use of a secure server. All supplied sensitive/credit information is transmitted via Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology and then encrypted into our Payment gateway provider’s database only to be accessible by those authorized with special access rights to such systems, and are required to keep the information confidential.

After a transaction, your private information (credit cards, social security numbers, financials, etc.) is not stored on our servers.

Do we use cookies? 

The Auto Mentors website uses cookies to make your browsing experience more enjoyable and to maintain the quality of its website. If you are unwilling to allow cookies to be stored on your computer, you must disable that capability in your browser or use your browser’s tools to clear cookies after visiting our site. 

Do we disclose any information to outside parties? 

We do not sell, trade, or otherwise transfer to outside parties your personally identifiable information. This does not include trusted third parties who assist us in operating our website, conducting our business, or servicing you, so long as those parties agree to keep this information confidential. We may also release your information when we believe release is appropriate to comply with the law, enforce our site policies, or protect ours or others’ rights, property, or safety. However, non-personally identifiable visitor information may be provided to other parties for marketing, advertising, or other uses.

Third party links 

Occasionally, at our discretion, we may include or offer third party products or services on our website. These third party sites have separate and independent privacy policies. We therefore have no responsibility or liability for the content and activities of these linked sites. Nonetheless, we seek to protect the integrity of our site and welcome any feedback about these sites.

Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act Compliance 

We are in compliance with the requirements of COPPA (Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act), we do not collect any information from anyone under 13 years of age. Our website, products and services are all directed to people who are at least 13 years old or older.

Terms and Conditions 

Please also visit our Terms and Conditions section establishing the use, disclaimers, and limitations of liability governing the use of our website at www.automentors.com

Your Consent 

By using our site, you consent to our privacy policy.

Changes to our Privacy Policy 

If we decide to change our privacy policy, we will post those changes on this page. 

This policy was last modified on 7-20-2009

Contacting Us 

If there are any questions regarding this privacy policy please contact us using the "Contact Us" link on the main menu. 

Your first step should be to evaluate your current car situation. Ask yourself these questions.

• Do you owe money on your car?
• Is it a "desirable" model?
• What the condition of your car?

If you do owe money on your car, call your bank for a payoff amount. This number is going to play a huge role in your decision making process going forward.

The term "desirable" varies depending on the current market. For instance, when gas is expensive and the economic market is in a downturn, hybrid or economical cars are desirable and gas guzzlers such as a Hummer are not. However, a few years ago, large cars were moving off dealership lots steadily and buyers were willing to spend more for a larger car.

Next, look at your car with objective eyes. Take note of dents, scrapes, windshield dings, paint, and cleanliness. But also take a deeper look. When did you last service it? Are the tires in need of replacement? Does it make funny noises? How about the condition of the brakes? How many miles are on the car in relation to years? Do you have documentation for services and repairs you have done? Has it ever been in an accident? Be prepared to answer all these questions and more regardless of which way you decide to sell it.

Depending on the part of the country you live in, there are different value guides used by the automotive professionals. The most common are Kelly Blue Book, NADA and Black Book. The values you’ll find are not written in stone and certainly you know that the only way the car is worth what’s listed is if someone is willing to pay it.

If you owe money on your car and the amount you owe is more than the value you determined, that is most commonly called being "up side down". If you have the cash to make up the difference, then you are in the driver’s seat. If not, your decision whether to trade or sell privately really has just been made for you. The only way to make up the difference if you don’t have the cash is to trade the car and let the dealer add the negative equity to your next purchase. This isn’t the best scenario, but unfortunately very common.

On the other hand, if you have the cash or you have equity in your car, you may consider selling privately. It is possible to get more money for your car in a private party sale since you are taking the middle man (dealer) out of the equation. You do need to realize, however, that if faced with the exact same car, with the same price, a buyer is more likely to go to a dealer to purchase than to you.

Therefore, it needs to be beneficial to the buyer to buy from you. You could offer an extended warranty (you can buy it from a dealer or transfer your existing one), offer a great price, or even an incentive like a free gas card. You want to be priced at the lower end of your competition to get buyers interested in your car.

In addition, selling to a private party can be a hassle and downright dangerous. Be sure you are aware that strangers will be calling you at all times and coming to see your car. Have plenty of pictures and a great description of the car. It’s always an option to try to privately sell and if it’s not working out then you could decide to trade.

When trading your car in, you will probably get less for your car. The up side is that you won’t have to hassle with the selling process, go to DMV, get your car smog tested (if necessary), answer the phone and meet to negotiate with strangers.

Still undecided? Take your car to a couple of dealers and ask them what they would pay you for it. Go to dealerships that carry the brand you are selling. Also try the dealership where you want to purchase your new car. You will know after going to at least three what the average value to a dealer will be.

The bottom line is this: there is no right or wrong answer to the question of whether to sell privately or trade your car to a dealership. Making an informed decision is the key to making the right one.

If you buy a new car you’ll be covered by the factory warranty against any major defects or repairs for a while. You may decide to purchase an extended warranty as well. That decision may also depend on what your maintenance and repair costs will be. So how do you know?

According to Consumer Reports data received from 675,000 subscribers who responded to their 2007 Annual Car Reliability Survey, maintenance and repair costs made up 4% of total ownership costs over five years on average. Other ownership costs include 46% for depreciation, 26% for fuel, 12% for interest, 10% for insurance, and 3% for taxes.

Maintenance and repair costs vary depending on the make, model, and year of the car. A good place to start estimating the costs is the maintenance schedule in the user’s manual. There you will find the manufacturer’s recommended service at certain mileage intervals. If you prefer to take your car to the dealer to have it serviced, you can get quotes for each recommended service interval. You can quote prices for the same services at your mechanic’s shop or wherever you take your car for oil and filter changes, tire rotation, and other routine maintenance.

In general, cars need some type of maintenance every few thousand miles. This maintenance may include an oil change, filter change, wiper fluid refill, brake check, tire rotation and more. You can estimate costs using the estimated information below:

Oil and filter change – $20-$50

Brake pad replacement – $125-$225

Coolant flush – $70-$100

Transmission fluid flush – $125-$150

Tire rotation – $25-$50

You could also calculate cents per mile to estimate your maintenance and repair costs. In its 2008 edition of Your Driving Costs, AAA indicates that maintenance costs average 3.98 cents per mile for a small sedan, 4.67 for a medium sedan, and 5.07 for a large sedan.

Safety recalls and technical service bulletins from the car manufacturer are another factor to take into account. According to the carjunky.com, a recall can be issued for a minor glitch or a real safety hazard. As the owner of the car, you will receive a notice when there is a recall and the necessary repairs for a safety recall are free of charge. But work that is done under a technical service bulletin is not free unless your car is still under warranty. Visit safercar.gov for recall information.

We’ll make it easy for you. Without Auto Mentors the auto-buying process has become very complicated. There is a lot of turmoil in the car market with car companies filing for bankruptcy and dealerships going out of business. Have you ever wondered why you have to play so many games just to spend your hard earned money? Well, you don’t have to play games any more. Let Auto Mentors help you buy your next car. We know your time is valuable. We understand the car market. We can help you navigate through the process and assist you with every aspect of buying a car.