Buying Cars Ain’t Easy

About the Book

This entertaining book is a collection of personal stories and observations experienced by the author over the past 60 years, from working as a part-time car salesman during college to his personal purchases of more than 50 cars.

The content helps the reader better understand the techniques used by car dealers to encourage you to buy, and what you should look for in a test drive. He explains trade-in values, and his own recent experience of buying a used car, sight unseen over the internet. This collection includes humorous anecdote’s, industry criticisms, and a healthy dose of sarcasm, plus examples of auto dealerships that went the extra mile, and conversely, some that treated their customers with disdain.

As a retired C.E.O., Charles adds his own executive perspective on customer service and brand loyalty, using real-life examples of why so many sales and service people seem to do such a poor job at what should be an easy and pleasurable experience. The book includes his reflections on ineffective T.V. commercials and poor Auto show marketing decisions.

Auto enthusiasts will thoroughly enjoy this book!

About the Author

Charles O’Donnell got interested in cars when his grandfather taught him the name of every car on the road when he was just three years old. In those days, there were very few foreign cars, but there were many more domestic cars. Hudson, Packard, Nash, Studebaker, Rambler, Willy’s, Kaiser, DeSoto, and Crosley, were just a few of the common makes still on the road in 1948. By the time he was 16, he was establishing himself as a skilled mechanic, drag racer, and avid old-car enthusiast. In 1961, at the age of 16, Charles joined the T-Timers, the Worlds’ largest car club. In 1962 he was selected as a co-driver in the Mobil Oil Youth Economy Run where he won the Grand Sweepstakes award for the most Ton Miles Per Gallon in a 1962 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88. In 1964, he attended the Chrysler Training Center in Buena Park, California, where he got to learn about, and drive the experimental Chrysler Turbine car. In 1965, he attended the General Motors Training Center in Burbank, California In 1966 he set a class record for the AA/SA class at Irwindale Raceway in a 1965 Oldsmobile Delta 88. In 1969 he went to work for a Dodge dealer as a part-time sales person while attending college. His intent was to be a high school Auto Shop teacher, but many of the schools were phasing out the Manual Arts classes, so even though he continued to race cars, restore cars, and repair cars, he was never able to put his car knowledge or skills to use as a profession, but went on to excel in the Grocery industry. In 1980, He developed one of the first college-accredited Retail Grocery Management training classes During the 1970’s, 1980’s and 1990’s he worked in both Wholesale and Retail Operations, and received numerous corporate awards. He was President and C.E.O. of a regional Retailer from 1985 to 1995. In 2010, he was working for the State of Washington where he was nominated for Washington State Manager of the Year. He retired in 2011. He has owned more than 50 cars.