This post is sponsored by Capital OneⓇ, however, all opinions expressed here are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that help make this blog possible.
Accidents happen when you least expect it. In fact, that’s when they tend to occur. While we can’t anticipate unfortunate events, we can be ready with a Plan B.
One of my coworkers recently had an experience that offers a great lesson on how to ease the hassles that come in the wake of car accidents.
Whitney and her seven-year-old daughter were headed to church one Sunday morning when they collided with another car. While no one was injured in the wreck, Whitney’s BMW SUV
was totaled. When her insurance company told her that her policy provided only one week of car rental, the already-upset Whitney became even more stressed. She is a single mom and needed a car to get to work. How was she supposed to find a new vehicle in seven days while working and taking care of her daughter?
As soon as she described her problem, I was ready with an answer: Auto NavigatorⓇ by Capital One.
This powerful digital tool eases and simplifies the car-buying process by helping consumers find and finance a vehicle all in one place. Once they’ve settled on the perfect car, the buyer visits one of the nearly 13,000 participating dealerships to close the deal. Using Auto Navigator, Whitney was able to find, pre-qualify for financing and buy a car in – you heard correctly – about a week. In fact, she found her new ride on the same day the insurance company declared her BMW a total loss.
Whitney knew she wanted another SUV, something safe but with some style and punch. Using Auto Navigator’s numerous filters, including make and model, Vehicle Identification Number and local availability, she was able to narrow her choices to some pretty great cars. Her research was further informed by the auto histories provided for each of her options, and by information from Capital One’s Auto Learning Center, which features automotive reviews and articles on car buying and ownership.
Of course, Whitney’s new vehicle also needed to be budget-friendly. No problem. Auto Navigator allowed her to filter cars by monthly payment. What’s more, the tool allows customers to pre-qualify for financing without impacting their credit score and preview estimated financing terms before visiting a dealer.
Once she selected a car, Whitney used Auto Navigator to personalizing an offer by changing factors such as, down payment, loan-term length, and more. Pre-qualified and ready to shop, Whitney simply took her offer summary to a nearby participating Auto Navigator dealer, presented her offer, completed a credit application to finalize her financing, and took the keys to her new car, an Audi Q5.
I’m glad it all worked out for Whitney. She had enough going on in her life and needed to make an important, informed decision without expending a lot of time.
But isn’t that true for all of us? I’m a huge believer in leveraging technology to save time for the things we really need (and want) to do. As the wise man said, time is everyone’s most valuable possession; I hate wasting a minute.
One of the miracles of our modern age is how technology has freed us from so many odious chores. Thanks to Auto Navigator by Capital One, we can add car shopping to that list.