SHIFT | Meet Sir Alistair Bartholomew Kenzington Cornelius the Third

It came time to give up Ginger Lynne, the jeep. But I did not know what else I wanted. A friend suggested a MINI, but I wanted to test drive one before really considering it, but I hate dealerships and could not fathom going to one and being beat up and abused as dealerships do to prospective car-buyers. Obviously the industry needs to change.

So I discovered Shift (through, ironically, facebook serving me ads based on the fact that I had spent a substantial amount of time browsing their competitor Beepi), a middleman or dealership that essentially buys cars from private parties, holds them, and sells them, never actually taking ownership. The website has extremely detailed photos of the inside, outside, and all defects, and cars go through their mechanics’ inspection.

But the absolute best and coolest part is that they bring the car to you to test drive. 

Wherever you are. They brought my future (big) MINI to my office from LA, and we cruised around.

The specialist told me all about the car, gave me the complete CARFAX, and was prepared in case I wanted to buy it on the spot. I didn’t, but I committed that night—they have no-haggle pricing that’s fair, so there’s no painful negotiating—and a delivery guy (enthusiast in training) brought me the (big) MINI the next day. We signed paperwork on an iPad, I gave him a personal check for the purchase amount (I didn’t finance through them, though they have partners that do that), and he Uber-ed on home to LA.

The on-demand economy is awesome.

Then, I had 7 days to return it, no questions asked. After the time elapses, they register the car for you with the DMV. Minimum hassles, maximum happiness.

If you’re in the market for a newer-model used car, give Shift a shot. I had an amazingly easy experience that I’d recommend to anyone. I love that the company is changing the nature of used-car-buying.

I also love my new (big) MINI, Sir Alistair Bartholomew Kenzington Cornelius the Third. He’s British.

You can call him Sir the Third for short.