Jon Hubner
Hubner, Inc.
10951 Old US Hwy 52
Otterbein, IN 47970
Otterbein is just 8 miles west of West Lafayette, IN on Highway 52.
765-404-9392
jonhubner.com@fpnmail.com
Please click on my Available Vehicles above for a complete listing
(and pictures) of my current inventory.
Please don't overlook my page on Collision Detection.I guarantee no flood damage, no frame damage or no salvaged titles. I give full disclosure on all vehicles; mechanical and structural. I also encourage you to do your due diligence. Check my information by using a mechanical specialist of your own chosing.
I show my cars by appointment only, this allows me maximum efficiency of my time, which helps me to sell vehicles cheaper. Please call my cell number listed above, as I am not always at the dealership.
I am available to take calls from 5:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
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| I believe that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior as well as yours. We are saved by Grace alone. I hope that my website and my business reflect my personal mission of serving Jesus. We are members of St. James Lutheran Church, Lafayette, IN, a Missouri Synod Lutheran church. I would like to take the opportunity to welcome you to our church. We also have Sunday morning classes that explain what we believe. Because our dealership is located close to Purdue University we have the opportunity to meet many international students and faculty. Another Lutheran church on campus is University Lutheran. It has a mission program that focuses on international students from China and everyone is welcome. |
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I have been involved in different aspects of the car retail business for the last 18 years. I sold new cars in Illinois (GM and Cadillac) for one year. I moved to Indiana in 1993 to run a small car lot for one year, I then worked for Subaru from 1994-1999 and learned many aspects of the manufacturing of automobiles. Since 2001 I have been self-employed in the car business working through two other dealerships and I have opened my own dealership in Otterbein, IN on September, 2008. My wife Barb has been employed by Purdue University for 17 years and maintains my website and much more. Our son Adam is employed by CAT Logistics and our son Aaron is recently discharged from the US Navy after serving for over 6 years. He is currently enrolled in college in San Diego. Aaron's wife, Brianne, is also US Navy and continues to serve in San Diego.
I have a page on collision detection that I feel is very important. It's easy to analyze whether a vehicle has been in an accident once you have been shown and learn a few basic tips. I feel it is very important for customers to learn how to qualify a car for a previous accident because Car-Fax and Autocheck often do not have the information on accidents on their reports. In other words, I've seen cars that have been in major accidents but the accidents are not documented on Car-Fax or Auto-Check. These services are still a bargain for a private car buyer because they cost very little and have much information, just don't trust them completely. AutoCheck and Car-Fax are two sources of information, but the best source is a visual inspection of the vehicle including the use of a paint thickness gauge, which I talk about on my website. I think it's important to use every tool available to qualify potential buys and I would love to have the opportunity to walk you around the vehicle and show you what I look for. A car is not a great deal if it's been in a previous accident, fixed and you are not aware of it. Often, the only way I get beat on price is when my competition is selling previously damaged cars and you don't realize it.
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This is one brand of paint meters, there are many more. You can buy one of these for approximately $330.00. I never know what the paint specifications are from the manufacturer, so I use this meter on every panel of a vehicle to look for consistency in paint thickness. For example, most cars will have about a 5 mil paint thickness on each panel. So when I see a panel that has 10 mils of thickness, I have a pretty good idea that the panels has an extra layer of paint. Someone with a really good eye probably doesn't need this meter, but on rainy, frosty or snowy days I consider it a very helpful tool. I realize the cost is too much for most people and for that reason I will allow you to use it on my vehicles or rent it to you to use to check out my competition.
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This picture indicates where the VIN stickers are located on the bumper of a 2009 Hyundai Sonata. Please go to my page on Collision Detection Tips to see where all the VIN stickers are located on a 2009 Hyundai Sonata and other cars.
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I buy and sell all my own vehicles. This allows me to know lots more about the vehicles that I have purchased because I know the mechanical and structural condition of the vehicle. Often, sales people on car lots really don't know a lot about the vehicles they are selling. I specialize in a few cars and know a lot about these vehicles. For instance; two cars that I think a lot of right now are Honda Accord because of it's quality rating and the Hyundai Sonata because of the inexpensive price. I buy these cars with 4 cylinders, because of their 34 and 33 mpg fuel efficiency.
On Tuesday I am in Indianapolis and on Wednesday and Thursday I am in Chicago. I'm available to show cars any evening after 4:30 and all day on Monday, Friday and Saturday. I'm very happy to take your calls anytime Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, but from 9 a.m. to 12 noon my cell phone may go to my voice mail as I am watching cars sell. Please leave me a message
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Mechanical inspections welcomed...we will deliver to a mechanic of your choice
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My current favorite car is the 2006 thru 2011 Hyundai Sonata because of it's many safety features, the longer bumper to bumper warranty, but most importantly, I can buy them cheaper than an Accord or Camry of the same year. Again, they will have more warranty, more options, more safety features and considerably cheaper priced. Tghe 2001 Hyundai Sonata led the industry by getting 35 mpg highway. Unfortunately, they are costing me $17,000 with 15,000 miles and you can buy this car for $19,000 brand new, not a bargain by the time I add $800.00 for expenses and profit. You might as well buy it new. I also like the Mitsubishi Galant for the same reasons that I like the Sonata. I also like the 2011 Elantra (40 mpg) because of the gas mileage and more, but no deals on them yet. So you might as well buy the Elantra new as well.
Many people don't realize that Hyundai has been leading the car industry for several years. They led the way to longer bumper to bumper warranties and power train warranties. They also led with Electronic Stability Control in 2006 on the Sonata. Honda made it standard, I believe, in 2008. American manufacturers and Honda improved their power train warranties in 2006, they still have not improved their bumper to bumper warranties. You may not have been paying attention to Hyundai, but I am convinced that Honda has been paying attention to Hyundai.
The Hyundai Sonatas have side airbags and side air curtains and ABS and electronic stability control standard on all their 2006 models or newer along with tilt wheel, cruise control, power windows, power locks, cloth interior, CD players.
Current wholesale prices;
2011 Sonata - 15,000 miles - $17,000
2010 Sonata - 50,000 miles - $11,000
2010 Elantra - 30,000 miles - $12,000
2010 Corolla LE - 45,000 miles - $11,300
2011 Impala LT - 20,000 miles - $16,000
2008 Accord LX - 30,000 miles - $13,500
2008 Civic LX - 30,000 miles - $12,000
Honda products are in low supply this fall and are higher than normal.
The Toyota Camry LE is my favorite car as far as its ride. 2010 rentals with 50,000 miles are costing me $13,000. None of these are a great deal right now as you can buy them new for $21,000. But, this same car was bringing $15,000 all summer. So, the prices are finally starting to get a little bit more reasonable. I probably won't stock any of these right now, but I would be glad to fill your order if you want one. Honda products are the same scenerio. They sell so high with low miles, you might as well buy them new.
For six years I specialized in late model, low mileage, one owner Ford Taurus and Mercury Sables. Because of high fuel prices, for the last several years I have been buying 4 cylinder full size and compact cars almost exclusively. Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan with 4 cylinders are so popular and their prices are high enough that I don't feel that they are as great a value as the Ford Taurus was a few years ago. Ford's aggressive advertising campaign (sponsor of American Idol) might be part of the reason that used Fusion and Milan prices are higher right now. I feel the Hyundai Sonata has more options, more safety features and a better warranty for the same amount of money, on their base model cars. I also think the Ford Fusion is too close to Honda Accord prices and would rather go with the Honda Accord, a proven winner. Between Indianapolis, Chicago and Milwaukee I look at approximately 6000 cars and trucks each week. The cost of advertising, transportation and overhead averages $500.00 per car and I currently operate on a profit margin per car of $500.00. This is not set in stone, I occasionally get a real deal and try to make a $1500.00 profit, but I often sell cars at cost or lower if I had them for more than three months. As my business grows it is my goal to continually lower or improve my costs. An example of this is; I advertise on Craigs List and Cars.Com, very inexpensive. I stopped advertising in our local paper. The reason is, most newspaper classified ads are grossly overpriced by today's standards (obsolete) and many dealers are spending huge amounts of money on newspaper advertising. Although it still sells cars for them, it is grossly inefficient and passed on to the buyer. A dealer spends approximately $57.00 per week for a four line ad in a paper such as the Indianapolis Star. This can give you an idea of why a large car store needs to charge so much as they often run full page ads. Although, I think my profit margins are modest right now, I want to have the ability to continually lower my profit margin as my business grows by referrals. I'll sell each car for less, but I'll make more money by doing a larger volume business. I consider myself a student of Sam Walton, always lower prices with a focus on improvement will keep me competitive in the future.
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Vehicles will often have clean Car-Faxes, but if you check with www.auto-check.com they can show up frame damaged. The frame damage can be very minor and I believe they can be good cars for someone trying to be conservative if the vehicle has been repaired properly and has a considerable discount on the cost. However, frame damage could be very major also. I suggest that the frame be checked by an auto body shop. These are also the kind of cars that many dealers are trying to sell and do not acknowledge they have frame damage. Please check my page on Collision Detection Tips.
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"Better a little with righteousness than much gain with injustice." Proverbs 16:8
Many people have really low opinions of car dealers and the process of buying cars. I believe this proverb would be a great part of any car dealer' mission statement.
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I believe that living in the United States is a golden opportunity. I love the free enterprise system and I believe those that continually strive to improve and offer more product for less money are futuristic and will continue to help make the United States a better place to live.
I would consider it a wonderful opportunity to meet you by phone, on-line or in person. I would like to help you in any way purchase a pre-owned vehicle.
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The most important things in order to help you with a purchase is to pick the type of vehicle you desire, then shop and compare often. Be patient, take your time, some dealers may say that this deal won't last long, but the truth is that cars almost always go down in value and it is almost always a buyer's market. Don't be afraid to leave your name, phone number and politely leave a low offer with the seller, but remember some dealers have a high mark-up and this is what they are looking for. Again, the way you can know the true value of a particular car is by doing much shopping and comparing by new and used car dealerships, private sales and on-line sales.
Once you have found that really fair deal, check with the manufacturer's dealership service department to validate the remaining warranty and ask them if they have any information on-line on that particular car. A $50.00 mechanical inspection costs very little when you are considering purchasing a $8,000.00 vehicle. If the deal seems to good to be true, even though you are at a well respected dealer, please take the time to have a vehicle inspection by a car body re-builder to verify that a vehicle has not been in an accident.
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I sell most of my vehicles for $500 over my costs. Occasionally I make $1,000 or $1,500 but rarely. I have an average of $500 overhead costs, plus parts needed for the vehicle after I purchase. My $500 overhead is much less than most dealers. My 1.5 acres in Otterbein, IN is worth approximately $100,000. If the property was located on one of the main streets in Lafayette, it would be $100,000 plus. If it was on one of the nicer streets of Indy of surrounding suburb, it would easily be worth several million.
Because of my low overhead cost and no employees I am able to keep my overhead low. I imagine that most large dealers wish they could keep their overhead costs down to $500.
I will show any potential customer all my costs and profits on any vehicle they are interested in purchasing. I realize this not a normal business practice, but so many customers are wary because of used car salesmen reputation for dishonesty. I would like to show you how hard competitive dealers are working for their money.
There might be a few dealers that are making $5,000 to $10,000 profit per car, but I am certain they are not making it off of intelligent buyers that shop around and do their homework.
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Please see my pages on information on my current inventory, wholesale prices of other cars, collision detection tips and financing.
Thank you very much for visiting my website. Please contact me at 765-404-9392. If my phone goes to voice mail please leave your name and number and I will contact you as soon as I can.
You may also contact me by e-mail. My e-mail address is jonhubner.com@fpnmail.com
Thanks
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