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Jim Brooks owns Approved Autos Bakersfield, California. It’s a used car business, a constantly changing segment of the automotive landscape.
Brooks worked as a new salesman at a dealership for two years. But he didn’t like the sales practices and decided his own business was a better option.
Fifteen years later, Brooks has witnessed lots of industry changes, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Brooks is this week’s guest on The Weekly Driver Podcast.
The used cars sales market has changed
Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia talk with Brooks about all aspects of buying and selling used cars, live and online auctions to financing, price negotiations to paperwork.
Brooks also discusses some of the unusual vehicles he’s bought and sold. We also talk about thr influx of national companies selling new and used vehicles online and without a customer “kicking the tires” of a vehicle before it’s purchased.
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The podcast is in its third year, and we’ve had a diverse collection of guests — famous athletes, vintage car collectors, manufacturer CEOs, automotive book authors, industry analysts, a movie stuntman and episodes from auto shows and car auctions.
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Article Last Updated: December 29, 2020.
- About the Author
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A sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004.
In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and monthly auto review and wellness columns for Gulfshore Business, a magazine in Southwest Florida.
An author and contributor to many newspapers, magazines and online publications, co-hosted The Weekly Driver Podcast from 2017 to 2024.