No luck finding what we wanted so used a broker a friend recommended. We told the broker what we wanted. In about a month (I think) he found cheaper, lower mileage and in better shape than anything we'd found in weeks. About 7 years old at the time and barely used by a business to take clients to/from the airport. It was shipped from a few states away and still cheaper than anything we found by a few $1000 (plus in better shape). It's been 10 years and still running well.

The broker was an LLC but did it as a second job from his house. I think he was so good because he loved cars and finding good deals and had been doing it for friends for years. He also knew mechanics to check out cars in dozens of cities to ensure they are good so could cover a pretty big area for what his clients wanted.

I am perfectly capable of doing it myself!

The cars were both lease returns. I'm still driving the second one, a 2001 Camry. Both were good experiences.

Lease-return cars are the way to go.

We were moving out of state; I had a not yet two year old; I didn't have time to car shop. I wanted a new Jeep to drive out of town
for our move. I got exactly what I wanted (I think I remember he found the car down in Orange County somewhere) for a good price and I drove it for
almost 10 years before I sold it myself by putting an ad in the paper.

My husband found the car broker and I don't remember how he got his name. I suspect it came from someone he knew who had previously used him
and recommended him.

And I haven't had a "new" car since. Everything I bought after the Jeep was certified pre-owned. My current car was 2 years old with 14,000 miles on it when I found it myself on the internet--in Cincinnati--flew up and drove it home from the dealer 7 years ago to Chapel Hill, NC.

We would tell him what we needed, and he would find it. He has retired now. My husband went to a dealer for his current new/used truck. That was okay, but we liked the broker more.

Does that count?