Car salespeople of earth,

I want to buy a car from you. I will spend up to $15,000. I want a late model (1997 or newer) small car — something like a Honda Civic, Mazda Protege, or Ford Focus will do fine. It needs to have air conditioning. I would prefer an automatic transmission. I want something that can be maintained locally, and where parts aren’t exorbitantly priced. I want something that offers good crash protection. After that, I’m pretty flexible.

You folks who sell cars aren’t making this an easy process for me. Websites for new cars (Honda, Toyota, Ford) are somewhat helpful. Websites for used cars (Capital Honda, Fair Isle Ford) aren’t updated regularly or have incomplete information. None of your websites, in the end, make buying a car that much easier.

More annoyingly, you’re not open to talk to me when I’m open to talk to you: on weeknights. Sure, I can walk the lot and kick the tires. But I’ve got the time to buy a car once I’m done work for the day, and by that time you’ve locked up shop.

I can buy a fridge, television site, even a small family home after 5:00 p.m., but not an automobile.

I know that margins in the car business are razor thin, but despite that (or maybe because of it), you’d think that somebody within 100 km of my house would come up with a sensible way to sell cars.

If you are that someone, please email me at cars@reinvented.net. If you are an idiot, please don’t respond: I’m looking for honest people with a good product to sell who will stand behind what they sell me.

Thank you for your time.