Testarossa Motors • League City, TX

What I Learned From Buying 18,000 Used Cars

By Deborah Wedemeyer, Founder of Testarossa Motors

Most people know me as a car seller, but I am a car buyer first and foremost. This article explains my perspective and introduces my Lessons Learned series on buying used cars in Texas.

Since 1995, I have successfully and independently bought more than 18,000 used vehicles. That is far more buying experience than most people can gain on their own.

I share how I assess a vehicle’s condition, risks and trade-offs before I commit. I want my customers—and people who may never visit our League City lot—to benefit from that perspective. I also want you to learn from my mistakes.

Why I Share My Experience

Who am I?

I’m Deborah Wedemeyer. I founded Testarossa Motors, an independent, women-owned used-car dealership in League City, Texas, in 1995. We buy and sell used cars, trucks and SUVs for people in the Greater Houston area. Buying well has kept my independent business going for more than 30 years.

We make our money buying vehicles well and selling them. We do not earn it by selling warranties or from financing itself. We are not a buy-here-pay-here dealership, and we do not finance vehicles ourselves. We can help customers explore financing through lenders, but that does not erase a bad buying decision on my part. Before I can be good at selling a car, I have to be good at buying it.

I have bought thousands of vehicles, and not every decision has been perfect. I have learned from the ones I got wrong. When I share my thinking, I want you to see both what has worked and what I wish I had caught sooner.

Why do I share my buying experience?

I talk with shoppers every day. Some arrive knowing what they need. Others arrive with one rule: never trust a used-car dealer. I understand the caution. You should ask questions and verify what you are told. But distrust alone does not help you judge a car or decide which compromises fit your budget.

A customer with a buying strategy helps me do a better job. If you know what matters to you, we can talk about the car in front of us. We can address its condition, the cost of any known work and the trade-offs your budget requires. That is a more useful conversation than trying to overcome a general fear of dealers.

I share this perspective for people beyond our lot, too. I buy in the Greater Houston market, but the questions I have learned to ask can help someone shopping elsewhere. You do not need to buy from us to use what I have learned.

Why do I want to find problems before a sale?

When I buy a used vehicle, I take on its problems. There is no simple do-over if I missed something. I have to deal with the car I bought. That is why I want to find concerns early, while there is still time to understand them and make a sound decision.

The same idea applies when you shop with us. A customer may spot a noise, warning light or detail we should examine. Please tell us before the sale. Finding an issue does not automatically end the conversation. We can investigate it, discuss what we know and decide whether the car still fits. That is easier for everyone than discovering it after the paperwork is done.

I hope that willingness to look at problems openly tells you something about how we work. It is not a promise that an older car will have no issues. It is a commitment to have the harder conversation at the time it can do the most good.

We are a dealership, and we want to sell cars. You do not have to ignore that interest or take my word for everything. Ask what we checked and what we have not checked. Test-drive the vehicle, review its paperwork and seek an independent inspection if you want another opinion. My experience should help you ask better questions, not replace your judgment.

What do I hope you take from me?

I want you to arrive with a clearer picture of your needs, your budget and the risks you can live with. A buyer who asks direct questions can help us identify a concern before it becomes a surprise. We can also say plainly when a particular car cannot meet every expectation at a given price.

If you visit us in League City, bring those questions to the lot. You can look at our current inventory and ask us to explain how we think about a particular vehicle. If you live elsewhere, take the same approach to the people and cars near you.

I share my buying experience because it makes for better conversations with my customers and more informed decisions for anyone willing to use it. The point is not that Testarossa Motors is above scrutiny. The point is that I have done this work for decades, I know it carries risk, and I am willing to talk about what I have learned.

FAQ

One last thing

I buy cars before I sell them. That makes me accountable for what I overlooked as a buyer. If sharing what I have learned helps you find a concern early—even on one of our cars—that is a better place for the conversation to start.

— Deborah Wedemeyer, Testarossa Motors