Thank you so much for your help! It was the best car buying experience I have ever had! We are very happy with the car. It is exactly what we were looking for! Shalom, Michael
- Pastor Michael Walker; Church in the City, Denver, Co
May 2011
I have sold & purchased several automobiles through Charlotte. In a difficult economy, she was able to sell my sports car and get a fair market value. As a busy professional, I have limited flexibility in my schedule. On several occasions, Charlotte has met me at my home and work place to show me cars. She is professional, knowledgable, hard working and well connected int he industry. Thanks!
- Deborah Stegner
June 2011, Denver, Co
When I found out about Charlotte and Women’s Automotive Solutions, I had nearly decided to put off buying a car. At the age of 25 I had never owned a car before, so I did not know all the “ins and outs”. Initially, I was working with an auto broker at a large company, but felt a lot of pressure to purchase something that was over my budget and not entirely what I wanted. I spoke to a friend of mine about my frustrations and she recommended Charlotte, saying that she had a way of easing the fears of women in the process. This renewed my hope! I contacted Charlotte right away. Within 3 days, I drove home in my brand new car! It was EXACTLY what I wanted and with in my price budget. In addition, she secured a good auto insurance policy for me. I cannot speak highly enough of Charlotte and Women’s Automotive Solutions!
- Julia Marinozzi
Denver, Co.
3/2011
Feeling shook up, sore & broken after my Pathfinder was totaled, I was lucky to have discovered Women’s Automotive Solutions! Running my Pet Sitting business, I had to replace my car immediately! Charlotte snapped into action and arranged demo drives for my targeted “next car” within days! She not only helped me find the car, but helped me reason through decisions at a time I was not thinking clearly. She also arranged financing for me all in a 2 week period!
I plan to use Women’s Automotive Solutions again and highly recommend Charlotte to anyone who has neither the time or interest in haggling with auto sales people. It’s great to have someone on your side knowledgable, when you are vulnerable after an accident.
- Barbara Himmelein
Charlotte NC 3/2011
Working with Charlotte was a simple process that took all the stress off our shoulders. All you do is tell her what you want and that’s it!…….it’s that easy. I am very satisfied with the outcome that Charlotte provided us. I would definitely recommend her services.
- Shaunn Roark
Denver, Co. 3/2011
Highly recommend Charlotte Spraggins for any of your car leasing or purchasing interests! She puts herself into finding the vehicle of your dreams. 110%! I recently had a difficult request for her. I had been shopping over a year to get out from under an “upside down” loan of a 6 + year old Benz. I did not want to loose the investment I had in it and needed to get a lower interest rate and payment. She got me into a much newer Benz, with awesome extended warranty, much lower rate adn saved me $355 a month! It’s simply the car of my dreams and was hand delivered to me in just 2 days! I did not have to spend the hours and stress of shopping, meeting dealers or test drive cars. She found it, told me it was the one and I took possession of it totally on her highly respected “trusted word” site unsceen. Charlotte goes above and beyond with only YOUR interests in mind!
Thank you Charlotte!
- Pam Bourdo
2011 Parker, Co
According to the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence, approximately 75% of all automotive maintenance decisions are made by women. Yet, many women are not comfortable making those decisions due to a lack of automotive knowledge and a general distrust of dealerships and service centers. Woodie’s and Women’s Automotive Solutions have partnered to create a seminar to better acquaint women with vehicle maintenance needs and to instill confidence in their ability to communicate effectively with their mechanic.
Women’s Automotive Solutions is a unique car buying service dedicated to helping women through the entire car selection and buying process, enabling them to save hundreds to thousands of dollars on a new or pre-owned vehicle. Co-owner and Chief Car Chick, LeeAnn Shattuck, is passionate about empowering women to make informed decisions about everything relating to their automobile. Shattuck is known as “The Car Chick” and co-hosts the weekly educational and entertaining automotive radio show, America’s Garage.
Woodie’s Auto Service is a local, family-owned automotive repair and service company that has served the Charlotte community since 1962. Woodie’s has seven automotive repair and service centers in and around the Uptown Charlotte area. Their new, flagship service center opened January 5, 2012 near the corner of Carmel Road and Hwy 51. “Woodie’s dedication to honest customer communication and quality automotive service made them the perfect partner for this ‘knowledge is power’ car care seminar”, said Shattuck.
The seminar, entitled “My Car Needs a New WHAT?#$!”, is for women only and will be held on Saturday, January 28, 2012 from 10am – 11:30am at Woodie’s Auto Service new location at 6625 Carmel Road in south Charlotte. The cost is $5 per participant, and all proceeds will be donated to United Family Services to benefit the Shelter for Battered Women.
I am grateful to Charlotte for helping me find the perfect car. Being a first time buyer, I had no clue what I was doing. She took care of everything from start to finish, explaining the process and keeping me informed along the way. She even took me for test drives and kept an eye on things as I signed the paperwork. She removed the stress and with such skill! She clearly has the respect of all of the car salesman and management we met. I would not ever buy a car another way! I will give her name to everyone I know. Thanks Charlotte!
Amanda Schuster Jan. 04 2010
Lakewood, Co.
I have always dreaded the car-buying process, but after my experience with Charlotte & Women’s Automotive Solutions, I just might look FORWARD to my next car purchase! I will be excited to recommend you to anyone that I know is in the market for a vehicle. You were able to find the car I wanted in record time and negotiated more for my trade that I expected. Really, what more could I ask for??!!
Thank you!
Mark Boyer Dec. 29, 2010
Charlotte, NC
I knew what I wanted, but I did not have the patience to negotiate and shop with dealers. The time that Charlotte saved me from that having to play games with the dealers allowed me to work, play & enjoy the experience of buying a new car. I felt confident I got a good price an in a reasonable amount of time. I will be recommending to all my friends!
Thanks again Charlotte
Ben Wilson Dec. 2010
Charlotte, NC
Women’s Automotive Solutions co-owner, LeeAnn Shattuck (a.k.a. The Car Chick), was quoted in a recent article on Bankrate.com, the internet arm of the Wall Street Journal, about end-of-year car buying. The article gives great tips for car buyers looking to make a purchase this winter.
Women’s Automotive Solutions isn’t one of those impersonal car buying services. We are a team of automotive consultants who are passionate about helping people make smart car buying decisions. The Car Chick helped Wisebread, a national financial blog, write this article about the safest cars for teen drivers.
The Car Chick, co-owner of Women’s Automotive Solutions and co-host of the America’s Garage radio show, talks with Fox News about holiday car shopping. Are YOU leaving money on the table?
The Car Chick talks with Fox News about Holiday Car Shopping
What’s wrong with this picture? I’m in an SUV, but the roof is missing. At the same time, I’m in a convertible, but I’m really high off the ground. Weird.
Indeed, the 2011 Nissan Murano Cross-Cabriolet is a weird car. It’s a two-door Murano SUV with a ragtop and a coupe-like trunk. This radical concept comes from the same folks at Nissan who brought us the Cube and the Juke. Of course, Nissan has also designed some of the best sports cars, like the Z and the GT-R, as well as solid sedans like the Altima and the Maxima. Either the Nissan design team is schizophrenic, or they have a mad scientist division made up of engineers who have watched too many episodes of Top Gear while stoned.
That being said, the CrossCab is not a bad car. It’s actually quite comfortable. You won’t find this much legroom in the backseat of any other convertible except the half-million dollar Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe. The doors are ginormous, making it easy to get in and out of the vehicle – except in the grocery store parking lot. The truck is comparable to that of a medium-sized sedan, even with the top down, so you should be able to squeeze in a couple of sets of golf clubs. You also get that commanding view of the road that is a top selling point of SUVs. It’s also very well equipped, with luxury options like leather, heated seats, a backup camera and navigation as standard features.
Unfortunately, it also comes standard with a $47,000 sticker price. With only one trim level, you also get automatic xenon headlights, foglights, heated mirrors, a fully powered soft top and keyless ignition/entry, automatic dual-zone climate control, cruise control, power/memory seats, Bluetooth, and a seven-speaker Bose sound system with an iPod interface, CD player, satellite radio and 9.3GB of digital music storage space. You are also stuck with the ridiculous 20” rims and the mostly pointless AWD.
The 2011 Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet is powered by a 3.5-liter V6 that produces 265 horsepower and 248 pound-feet of torque. This means that despite it’s heavier weight, the CrossCab has just about as much “umph” as the regular Murano, and Nissan’s CVT transmission does a good job of keeping you in the ideal powerband. We clocked a naught to 60 time in just over 8 seconds, which isn’t too shabby for an SUV. The CrossCab also stopped from 60 mph in less than 130 feet, which is also respectable.
Handling is very similar to that of the regular Murano, with appropriately tight steering and decent feedback to the driver. The reinforced structure of the topless CrossCab combined with the overkill 20” rims make for a slightly bumpier ride. Yet, despite the stiffer suspension, the CrossCab corners with the grace and elegance of an inebriated elephant. And you certainly won’t be taking it off-road.
Safety-wise, the as-yet-unrated CrossCab comes standard with antilock brakes, traction and stability control, pop-up roll bars, and a cocoon of airbags mounted in every nook and crannie. Fuel economy is unsurprisingly mediocre at 17 mpg city/22 mpg highway, and it drinks premium gas.
The new Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet is definitely different. If you want a convertible, but you still need to haul four adults and two golf bags, then buy this car. If you want the neighbors to gaze into your driveway and say, “what the #$%&?”, then go for it. It’s a nice car, pleasant to drive, and certainly the most practical convertible on the market. But, should a convertible be practical? Isn’t that the point of having a mid-life crisis? Nissan is trying to do too much with one vehicle and at too high a price point. For $50,000, you can buy a small SUV AND a nice, used convertible. Nissan doesn’t break out the Cross-Cab sales from its overall Murano sales numbers, so we don’t know how many have sold so far. The fact that Nissan has dropped the sticker price by nearly $2,000 for the 2012 model year tells us that they are not exactly flying off the lots. And what happens when the novelty wears off? Well, ask Chevy about their short-lived SSR convertible pickup truck idea.
My business partner, Michelle Lundy, spent over 20 years running car dealerships before she started Women’s Automotive Solutions. She watched hundreds of smart, successful women walk into her dealerships to buy cars. These women were doctors, lawyers, bankers, and business owners. They owned homes, managed their family finances, and negotiated business deals. Yet, most of them felt like they needed to bring a man with them to buy a $30,000 car. But why?
If you ask a random sampling of women how they feel about car shopping, most would rank it right up there with a root canal. Many women say that the dealers “take advantage” of them or don’t treat them with respect. Others are uncomfortable with the high-pressure negotiating process.
Research shows that women pay $500 – $1,000 more for cars then men. In fact, women pay 46% more for goods and services in general than men. (Similar statistics are true for Blacks and Hispanics.) Think about it. We pay more for hair cuts. We pay more for clothes. We pay more for dry cleaning. And, we pay more for cars. Why? Because we allow it! We DON’T ASK for a better deal.
In her book, “Women Don’t Ask”, author and economist, Linda Babcock, reveals some interesting statistics:
2.5 times more women than men said they feel “a great deal of apprehension” about negotiating
Men initiate negotiations about four times as often as women
When asked to pick metaphors for the process of negotiating, men picked “winning a ballgame”, while women picked “going to the dentist”
Women will pay as much as $1,353 to avoid negotiating the price of a car
So, why don’t women like to negotiate? Are we just wired differently than men, or is negotiating an acquired skill? According to experts, it’s a little of both. Women are more relationship-based than men. When we spend time with someone, even a car dealer, we think that a relationship has been established. We feel guilty if we don’t give them our business. Men are better able to separate the relationship from the negotiation. A male customer and a salesman may get to know each other during the negotiations, but if the numbers don’t work out, the male customer walks away from the deal - guilt-free.
Babcock believes that society is to blame for teaching women that it is not appropriate or “lady like” to be assertive. We are supposed to put the needs of others before our own. Young girls are encouraged to play “house” and other cooperative, compliant games while boys are encouraged to compete and to “win”. When a man displays initiative, he is considered a “go-getter”. A woman displaying the same behavior is considered “pushy” and “aggressive”.
Does this mean that women are less capable negotiators than men? Hardly. Women simply take a different approach, one that is more “collaborative” than “competitive”. Women are more likely than men to listen to the needs and concerns of all parties involved and look for a win-win scenario. This approach allows women to develop long-term relationships without burning as many bridges as men, who tend to focus on short-term gains.
Unfortunately, this collaborative approach does not always serve us well in the car buying process, which is short-term and adversarial by design. What can we do to be better car negotiators? Stay tuned for our next article, “5 Tips for Tough Negotiating”.
Of course, we must be careful not to make too many generalizations. Not all women are intimidated by the negotiation process. (We car chicks obviously don’t mind it!) Nor do all men enjoy haggling. After all, 60% of Women’s Automotive Solutions clients are men!
If you don’t like to negotiate, that’s ok!!! You don’t have to. You have “people” to do these unpleasant things for you. Just call Women’s Automotive Solutions, and we’ll do all the haggling and get you the best deal. We make car buying easy!
Redesigned for 2009, the Subaru Forester has become more like an SUV, but it still retains much of the charm of the old, beloved wagon. Still based on the same platform as the compct Impreza, the 2009 Forester has a slightly longer wheelbase, is an inch taller, and has more ground clearance than last year’s model. It still has its car-like handling, but with more legroom and cargo space.
The new Forester is powered by a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 170 horsepower and 170 pound-feet of torque. A turbocharged version is also available that puts out 224 hp and 226 lb-ft of torque. Most Foresters come with an automatic transmission, but some trims are available with a 5-speed manual. The Forester comes standard with Subaru’s famous AWD, and it gets an estimated 20 mpg city/26 mpg highway (19 city/24 highway for the turbo). The Forester also keeps your family safe with standard antilock brakes with brake assist, traction/stability control, front seat side airbags as well as front and rear side curtain airbags.
The 2009 Subaru Forester is available in five trim levels: 2.5X, 2.5X Premium, 2.5X Limited, 2.5XT and 2.5XT Limited. The base 2.5X is comes standard with 16-inch steel wheels, keyless entry, cruise control, power windows/locks and a four-speaker CD audio system with an auxiliary audio jack. The Premium package adds 17-inch alloy wheels, roof rails, a power sunroof and a reclining rear seatback. The 2.5XT model gives you 17-inch alloy wheels, a sunroof and rear spoiler, fog lights, roof rails, a telescoping steering wheel with audio controls, reclining rear seats and a six-speaker / six-CD audio system. The 2.5XT Limited adds heated mirrors, automatic climate control, a power driver seat, heated front seats, and full leather. A navigation system is optional on both Limited models.
The improvements to the Subaru Forester earned it the 2009 Motor Trend SUV of the Year award. Combine that with Subaru’s solid reliability history and commitment to “green” manufacturing practices, and you have truly a unique and special family vehicle.
One of the most important jobs you have as a parent is keeping your child safe when riding in a vehicle. Yet, each year thousands of young children are killed or injured in car crashes and other vehicle-related incidents. Here are eight tips for keeping your little ones safe in the car:
1. Buy a Safe Car - Selecting a safe vehicle is one of the most important things you can do to protect your family. Seems like a no-brainer, right? Surprisingly, most people put safety very low on their priority list when shopping for a car. Don’t automatically assume that SUVs are safe, as large vehicles are difficult to control and are more prone to rollover. A small SUV, wagon or sedan may be a better choice. If you are considering an SUV, look for one with a low rollover risk. Look for a vehicle with five star safety ratings for both front and side-impact crashes, and make sure it comes equipped with front and side curtain airbags (for all seats), anti-lock breaks, stability control, independent suspension, and a tire pressure monitoring system. Still not sure what to buy? Women’s Automotive Solutions can help you pick the perfect vehicle and get a great deal!
2. Maintain Your Vehicle - Keeping your car in good mechanical condition is essential for avoiding accidents and other mishaps that could endanger your children. Have your brakes (rotors and pads) inspected regularly by a qualified technician. Good tires are just as important as good brakes, so select quality tires and replace them when the “tread wear bars” become flush with the tire’s tread. Finally, keep your windows and mirrors clean to maximize visibility.
3. Be Prepared - Keep emergency supplies in your car in the event of an accident or breakdown. The Department of Homeland Security recommends stashing a supply of bottled water, a flashlight, flares, blankets, gloves, non-perishable snacks, and a first aid kit in your trunk. If you find yourself on the side of the road, keep your children locked inside the car until the situation is resolved so they don’t wander into traffic.
4. Manage Distractions – Nearly 80 percent of car accidents or near-accidents are caused by distracted drivers, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Avoid using your cell phone while driving, even if it’s hands-free. Reduce child-related distractions by keep the kids entertained with books, games or movies. Remind them that Mommy (or Daddy) needs to watch the road, and then reward them for good behavior. (Bribery is perfectly acceptable here.)
5. Just Breathe - When the kids are fighting, you’re running late, and the person in front of you is going 10 miles under the speed limit, it’s pretty easy to lose your cool. Road rage leads to tailgating, abrupt lane changes, and slamming on the brakes, which endanger children and teach bad driving habits. Elaine Masters of http://www.DrivetimeYoga.com suggests using Yoga-based breathing and small stretching exercises for reducing stress behind the wheel.
6. Select the Right Car Seat - Car safety seats reduce the risk of death by 71% for infants and by 54% for children ages one to four years. All current car seats (6 years old or newer) pass government safety standards, so the safest seat is one that fits your child, fits your vehicle, and one you will use correctly every time. Be wary of used car seats that may have been in a crash, that show any cracks or damage, or are missing labels, model number, manufacturing date, instructions or parts. Never put thick towels or any compressible material under a car seat, as this can reduce the safety of your installation.
7. A Snug Fit is Best - Car seat harnesses should fit snugly with no space between the child and the straps. Winter coats and blankets underneath safety restraints are dangerous because they compress in a crash, creating slack. This extra space can cause a baby or toddler to slip through the straps during a crash. If you need to keep your child warm, try a Baby Bloak™! Invented by “mompreneur” and TheCarMommy.com blogger, Jennifer Albin, the Baby Bloak is a snuggly, hooded blanket designed to fit over a car seat’s safety restraints. Check it out at http://www.TheBabyBloak.com!
8. Don’t Forget Your Kid - Accidentally leaving your baby in the car seems so unimaginable, most of us think, “How could any parent do that?” Tragically, over 300 children have died from heat exhaustion in the United States over the last 10 years after being left in a hot vehicle for several hours. Kidsandcars.org, an advocacy group for child vehicle safety, suggests always putting something you’ll need for work, such as a cell phone, handbag, or employee badge on the floor of the back seat, near the child. Or, you can purchase the Cars-N-Kids Car Seat Monitor (around $40), which turns on when it senses a child’s weight and sounds a lullaby when the car has stopped.
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