When I got the news from Adam that Shift.com wanted us to try out their used car buying service, I browsed through their site and thought to myself, this is just going to be just another Carmax experience. Boy was I wrong.

Choosing to buy a used car is usually the soundest thing to do with your money. It saves you from the instant depreciation once you drive off the lot, though you can’t help but think if the car your buying might have some problems with it.

If you don’t know what you’re doing, used car buying can be scary.

Generally, folks choose between three popular options when buying a used car. The most common would be to head over to your local used car dealership where there is a chance you might get screwed over on financing or end up with a lemon. Then there’s Craigslist, as you know I have been very familiar with. This option can be sketchy if you’re clueless.

You might meet up with someone untrustworthy that “forgets” to tell you the issues about the car. You might also get a chance to test drive and purchase a potentially stolen vehicle. Worst of all, there is a high-risk chance of buying a lemon, which actually happened to me in my latest Will It Flip project.

You’ll have to wait for that story.

Lastly, there is Carmax. This is a popular one. The place has warranties, no-haggle pricing, and pretty good customer service. But all three of those options have one big inconvenience: You’re going to spend a good chunk of your day to see the car.

What if I told you there is a much better and easier way? Shift is a new used car buying service that is unlike any other I’ve experienced. I will break down for you. I was told that I could test-drive any used car I desired on their site. Of course to me this meant either finding the most expensive car, one with the most horsepower, or both. Upon first browsing their current stock, I narrowed my choices down between a 911 Carrera S or a Hellcat Challenger, I went with the latter since I’ve actually never driven a muscle car before and also because, c’mon man, Hellcat.

Now what’s game-changing about booking a drive through Shift.com is that you can actually choose the meeting location of your test drive. That means you can summon the car you’re interested in to your house, your job, your ex’s place, or anywhere you want. Aside from the obvious choice of choosing the Hellcat, I figured it would make sense to have the car delivered to an inconvenient location; some random beach in Malibu close to Neptune’s Net.

Within minutes of completing the booking form, I received a call from a real life person from Shift.com verifying and confirming my drive. This is also the part where they would ask to verify your credit score. This is to make sure you can actually afford the car you booked and you’re not just some kid like myself who wants to take some fancy car out for a drive. Following this call, I received an email confirming the date, time, location, and the phone number of the delivery guy or as they call it, “car enthusiast”, who will be delivering the car to you, my guy’s name was Colston.

The morning of the drive I received a call from Colston to verify that it was still a go. He also called me again when he was on the way to the location and when had arrived. If calls were inconvenient, you can also request for a text conversation instead. This transparency in communication opens up the ability for you to request a different time or location depending on how your day goes. They are flexible will pretty much work within your schedule to your convenience. Like I said, this is a used car buying experience unlike anything I’ve ever heard of. When he arrived, I was actually expecting someone in uniform to show up with a car on a trailer, because that’s what you usually get when you’re buying a used car from a company. Instead Colston drove the car to the location himself and was dressed in vans and casual attire with a Shift branded jacket. I dig this because I believe that casual attires always give off a more personable vibe.

He gave me a detailed rundown about the company, the car, and the buying process. I also received a 200-point inspection report, brief about the car, and the Carfax history report. With the inspection report, you are shown all of the issues with the car if it has any. If there is anything that needs attention, Shift will pay for it on behalf of the original seller, that way you will never get a lemon from them. You get about 45 minutes to test-drive the car and maybe even more if their day is not packed with clients. During that time you have the ability to drive it as if you had already owned the car. That meant you could have it delivered to your home in the morning and drive it to work, vice versa, drive it to your friends and family members’ place for their approval, see how it sits in your drive way, or even fit test a baby seat you already own. I chose to take the hellcat down PCH to feel all 707 horses.

Another interesting point about the experience was that Colston was not at all pushy about selling it during our time together. Instead he would show off features and facts about the car. The reason behind this is because Colston is not a salesman; instead he is more of a car concierge, Shift is not a dealership but more of a liaison between the actual owner of the car and you. You decide if you want the car or not, the buyer is in complete control of the whole experience.

After driving around in the Hellcat on a wide-open part of PCH doing the speed limit, we went back to the parking lot and he explained the process if one were to move forward in buying it. As a buyer, you have the option to purchase the car up front with cash or check and if you don’t have stacks of money to shell out, they have several financing options to choose from. Two of which you can get on the spot. If you’re not ready to purchase for whatever reason but want the car, you have the option to hold it for three days with a $95 deposit. Shift will take care of the registration and all the paperwork making the buying process as easy for you as possible. If you took the chance to click the link and visit the site during this review you might have noticed that they have pretty competitive prices. That is because the company is a liaison between the seller and buyer. It is like having all the benefits of personal interaction from buying through craigslist without the sketchiness and the ease of mind from buying through a dealership without the haggle or hassle.

I can honestly say if I were to ever buy a newer used car in the future, I would seriously consider looking at Shift.com first. It is the ultimate VIP experience for buying used cars. The process of booking, driving, and buying a car is purely catered to the customer. Maybe the fact that I drove a Hellcat made me a little biased but if I were to compare the customer service experience to how the Hellcat drives on a straight, I’d have to say it’s on par if not better. Thanks to shift.com, the future of buying used cars is very bright.

Photos: @reu.j and @theblownbulb

The post Shift.com is a Revolutionary Used Car Buying Service appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

The last three months of last year was one rough ride for me. I left my stable job for a new exciting career path that is relevant to one of my passions…only to comprehend a month in that it was a toxic work environment with a dead end future. To top it off, I soiled some friendships over unnecessary issues,made minimal significant progress to meeting my end of the year life goals, and bought a totally wrong tire size for my 1990 Nissan 240sx project car. Nearing the end of December I realize that I was far from happy and would be ending the year on an all time personal low.

No job is worth your self-confidence consistently shot down to the point where you start questioning your self worth. Nor is any job worth trading your morals and what you stand for the sake of fitting in. With red flags flying everywhere, foreseeing no growth despite working over fifty hours a week, and almost forgetting how I really am outside of work, I called it quits on the last week of December.

I found it amusing that right when I thought I had post grad life figured out, I started off the New Year without a full time job and no definite future plan. As a person who finds relief in an organized and outlined future, I was frustrated and lost. I found myself in a state that many people consider necessary in your 20’s. Uncomfortable.

A few weeks into January, a family friend of mine told me she needed a ride to Berkeley. Being that I live in Los Angeles, I seized this as an opportunity clear my mind and reflect on the past couple months during the solo drive back home. The day before we left, I raised all four coilovers about an inch and a half to clear my new but overly huge 245/45R17 Yokohama S Drive tires. I’ve driven to the Bay several times in the past few years taking the usual routes but since life doesn’t always go as planned, I took it as an opportunity to try something new. Get there and back with minimal GPS usage, instinct, and take the roads less traveled.

On the way up, I knew I wanted to take Route 33 from Ojai and Route 198, zigzagging between the 101 Freeway and the 5. Although getting there took about twice as long, every mile was absolutely worth it. Route 33 rewarded us with never ending curvy corners and even snow at the peak of the mountain, a beautiful sight considering that California has been experiencing severe drought. Once at the top we were fortunate to catch golden hour. Amazing photographs ensued.

For the solo drive back down, it was a no brainer to take PCH from Monterey and figure my way back to LA using just road signs. I wanted to take it back to the old days, the days even before the Thomas Guide. When taking the Bay to LA via PCH, stops are a given. Being that I’ve done this trip once in the past, I took the opportunity stray away from the typical Bixby Bridge and Big Sur stops and just find places on the fly instead.

On the foggy morning of my drive back home, I set my phone on airplane mode and vowed to only use my phone for wide-angle shots as I only brought a 50mm lens with me. Taking a road trip with a friend is one story, but if you love your car and you happen to own a sporty one, taking a fourteen-hour trip down PCH alone is a whole different experience.

As the first 90-degree corner approached after a long straight, I down shifted and rev matched all the way to second gear. My bucket seat held me in place as the fresh tires gripped the apex of my lane. I stepped down on the accelerator and let my throttle open. At 4k rpm, I hear my intake, followed by the uproar of my aftermarket exhaust as I crept to redline. My Beirut album was playing low enough that I can hear the waves crashing down the cliff. I shifted up, and smiled. I had become lost in the moment. I felt free. It was then that I had a genuine glimpse of my inner peace again.

As the sun was setting, I took a random turn east bound in hopes to eventually find my way back to the 101. Although I felt lost, I insisted to not turn on my GPS. I was content with that…eventually I became lost in my thoughts. I concluded that when you pursue certain goals or career paths, things might not work out the first time around, or the second, or the third. But you know what? That’s okay, because life doesn’t always work like that. Sometimes things go south and occasionally it can be beyond your control. Sometimes it is under your control and you made a huge mistake and find difficulty coping with it. What’s important is the ability to thoroughly learn from the mistakes and quickly adapt to unplanned challenges. After about an hour of following what seemed like following mainstream traffic through isolated cities, I eventually saw the sign for the 101 south towards Los Angeles.

Although the last few months of last year were rough for me, I wouldn’t trade my hardships for anything less. To truly understand and appreciate what is good, you have to experience what is bad. Ultimately understanding these concepts are gentle reminder that you are trying to improve yourself every day. Similar to the routes I took to go up to the Bay and back, I decided to try an unconventional road for my career goals. Last month I managed to snag several awesome relevant part time jobs that left me with enough time to pursue my personal passion projects. Will I last taking the less traveled path? I don’t know, but one thing for sure is that my drive will.

One of my first victories after this trip? Being able to get a refund on those oversized tires.  

You can follow my photography @alvidee

The post California: The Road Less Traveled appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

Day 5

Santa Barbara to Carmel is a drive that everyone must make once in their life. Note that I didn’t say “at least once,” but once. It’s a beautiful and fun drive, but also long and miserable. I’m not talking the quickest route here, but up California’s coastal highway 1.

Google projects the 244 mile drive at five hours, but thanks to uber cautious drivers it’s more like six. Although having done it, caution is not something that should be thrown into the wind off the Pacific. Hairpin turns, narrow lanes, and loose gravel on the road make the drive one of the most harrowing ones I’ve done to date, but it didn’t stop me from enjoying it. Given a straight I was punching the gas and breaking hard into the turns, making others on the road put the passing zones to good use by pulling over.

We hit Carmel nearing sunset and checked into a quaint motel, Carmel is not a young person’s town, and headed to the beach before dark. I popped my shoes off and walked to the ocean only to be greeted by freezing cold water. It was at that point I realized everything in California was trying to kill me. The sun was out to burn me, the water to freeze me and the sand to drive me insane.

After the very anti-climactic beach trip (the only time I’d touch sand or water the whole time) it was time to eat. I knew Carmel to be composed of people in much higher tax brackets, but I didn’t think that meant the whole area around us would be art galleries, expensive restaurants, and old women clothing stores. However, the plan all along was to use this stop as a rest day before continuing to San Jose the next day, so nothing was really lost by the lack of life in Carmel.

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