My name is Tom Tofani and I’m here to tell you about a valuable service I have to offer you. I was born in Bellmawr, NJ, i.e., southern NJ, just a stone’s throw from Philadelphia. I attended Rider College, graduated with a B.A in Psychology, and later attended Trenton State College to go on and attain my Master’s in Education. I moved to southern Maine in ’85 and have remained here to this day.

My father was an auto mechanic back in the 60’s. I learned a little about basic auto repair back then. However, what I really learned most from him was how to buy & sell used cars. Yes, the manufacture and design of a vehicle was much different then; however, the basic principles of evaluating the condition of a used car, searching for one that is well maintained and negotiating a fair price have not changed, even to this day.  

My father helped his family and friends buy used vehicles over many years and he was especially gifted with the art of negotiation. I still fondly recall one instance when I accompanied him at a young age. I was very excited because he was in search of a new car for himself that day. There was a large well-known dealer in the area that constantly advertised on radio and newspaper. It was something like Jolly John, in southern Maine, if your recall him back in the 80’s. The pitch went like this: Hi, I’m Dave Masters and I’m told I must have a hole in my head to offer outrageous deals on new Chevy cars & trucks. Come in and check it out. You won’t be disappointed! If it was a newspaper advertisement, a sketch depicted Dave with a hole in his head. I can still recall when we walked into the showroom and my dad was looking over a brand new ’62 Chevy Impala. A beautiful classic in its’ time. I witnessed my father approach the sales person that morning. One hour 10 minutes and two salesmen later, the two men came within $50.00 of the listed retail price the car. I was exhausted from just the anticipation, waiting, standing and listening. Finally, the sales rep. stated that they were at an impasse. There was no way they would come to an agreement. He would not budge any further on the price. He did say he would request the Manager (actually the owner’s presence) but he doubted things could be resolved any further. So, to my amazement, in walks the Dave Masters, he introduces himself and within a few minutes of conversation, he re-affirmed they could not go any lower in price. My father says nothing but begins to slowly circle Dave to his left. Suddenly he displays a wide grin and says, feinting genuine surprise: I knew it, you don’t have a hole in your head! Even at the ripe age of eleven I was embarrassed for him and wanted to crawl away somewhere.

My last memory of this event was Dave Masters commenting to my father C’mon Mr. Tofani, you aren’t going to walk out of here over $50.00? My father’s last words were Watch me. And so it went that my father never bought a vehicle that day to my utter despair & disappointment.

That, ladies & gentlemen was a classic textbook moment in the art of negotiation and, essentially, that is just part of what I can offer you.

My goal is to be able to purchase a vehicle for you for the price of $6000.00 or less that you can drive to Florida and back!

Please see further information for full description of my service, terms and cost.