Newton natives take hassle out of buying a car

By Patrick Golden
Tuesday, February 4, 2003

Christopher Burdick and Jason Summerfield want to take the hassle out of buying a car. They'll listen to what you want, hunt for the right match, take you for a test drive and haggle with the dealer for best price. They like to call themselves AutoHeroes. The Newton natives have tapped into the niche market of car sales assistants. They know purchasing a vehicle represents a significant obligation for most people.

Christopher Burdick, left, and Jason Summerfield have tapped into the niche market of car sales assistants. (Photo by Alex Borghi)

"Next to buying a house, it's the largest purchase a person is going to make in their life," said Burdick, a 30-year-old car enthusiast who has long helped family and friends hunt for the right set of wheels and pay the right price.

AutoHeroes is the product of the assistance he's long offered for sport.
He and Summerfield have operated the business part-time for the past year, but are about to make it a full-time endeavor.

"We basically want to make the process of buying a car easier for people," said Summerfield, 31, who lives in Waltham.

It's not all about saving car buyers money, either. It's also about handling the often taxing leg work that goes with hunting for the right car.

Burdick will talk with a customer about what he or she is looking for and then hunt for a match. If the right vehicle is found, he'll take the customer for a test drive -- without the salesperson, if the customer prefers.

If the customer wants the vehicle, Burdick goes to work negotiating a sales price.
"We'll shop around, if necessary, to get the best price possible," said Burdick.
He and Summerfield have established relationships with a handful of area dealers. Wellesley Toyota is among them.

The negotiation on a new vehicle begins with the Manufactures Suggested Retail Price, or sticker price. Burdick said a car buyer should never have to pay sticker price, but not less than is necessary to earn the dealer a reasonable profit on the vehicle.

AutoHeroes receives as a commission of one-third of the difference between the sticker price and the actual selling price. If their negotiations knock $1,800 off the sticker price, they get $600 and the customer essentially saves $1,200.

The commission agreement differs on used cars because manufacturers don't suggest a retail price for used cars. Burdick said Kelly Blue Book values, which are the industry standard for determining value on used vehicles, should be viewed more as a general guideline than a fixed price.

On used cars, AutoHeroes receives two percent of the selling price, with the stipulation the two percent is not less than $400.

They see the sale as a "triple win," meaning the customer saves money, and AutoHeroes and the dealer make money.

AutoHeroes will also help customers sell their used cars and receive good value on trade-ins.

"The most important thing we do is save the customer time. Saving money is almost secondary," said Summerfield.

AutoHeroes is online at www.autoheroes.com.
The phone number is 617-965-4839.