Deals on wheels

After sitting in a car dealership and waiting 10 minutes for a salesperson to accept or reject her offer, Ioanna Manolopoulou acted on a tip from a Duke Credit Union class.

"They said that if a dealer takes too long to respond to an offer, we should just leave," said Manolopoulou, a visiting assistant statistics professor from Greece.

As soon as she and her boyfriend, Oliver Ratmann, turned to leave the dealership, "someone came out and said 'wait, wait, we'll make you a better offer,' " Ratmann said.

Walking out was one tip Manolopoulou picked up during the recent seminar, "Take the Wheel: Get the Best Car Deal." She also left with tools for researching prices and safety, information about payment options and a checklist for evaluating used cars.

Most people who take the credit union class have fears and concerns about choosing and paying for a car, said Cassandra Taylor, the credit union financial guidance counselor who facilitated the class.

"We try to get people to focus on why they are buying a car, how much car they can afford, and how to do research before buying," she said. "That lessens the chances for unpleasant surprises."

Two weeks after the class, Manolopoulou and Ratmann spent a Saturday putting the tips from the seminar to the test. They visited three car dealerships and drove 15 cars. "After car five, I was fed up," Manolopoulou said. "But we kept at it because it gave us a good idea of what to look for in a car."

Ratmann, a postdoctoral associate in biology, found a checklist Manolopoulou brought home about used car shopping particularly helpful when they found a black 2008 Nissan Versa being sold privately.

"We felt empowered," he said. "The amount of information we had made us feel that we could assess the situation, even though we aren't mechanics. And so far, we're very pleased with the Versa."