"Hard at work on his next project"

It was about five years ago that auto broker David J. Buechel decided to write a book offering how-to advice for consumers on buying used cars. Although there were many titles already on this subject, Buechel found a niche with his book because its focus is on private-party sales. He claims that: "More and more consumers are buying used cars from private sellers because when you eliminate the middle-man you can save big bucks." As for buying cars "as is" without a warranty, Buechel recommends having the car checked out by mechanic as your safety net.

But realizing that private-parties sales are not for everyone, Buechel wrote another book which offers a wealth of information on buying from dealers and how to control the negotiation shake down.

When asked how he got the experience to write such books, Buechel reflects: "My experience goes back to my adolescence in the early '70's. I was the kid in the neighborhood who went around gathering up junked bicycles from garage sales or the dump and could produce one good bike from three broken ones. I just had a knack for taking things apart, fixing them, and then putting them back together. Then I turned into a real wheeler-dealer from selling bikes."

"I bought my first car in 1978 for $1,500 and, even though that was over twenty years ago, a $1,500 dollar car back then is just like a $1,500 dollar car is today - you are going to spend some time under the hood."

"During college, I started fixing up VW's because they were easy to work on and parts were inexpensive. Similar to my bicycle days, I would pick up a worn-out VW for next to nothing and recondition it. At one point I had a paint man, an upholstery man while I did the mechanical and detail work. I restored Bugs, Buses, Karmann Ghias to 'like new' condition and received top dollar for them. I was doing about one a month which kept me pretty busy considering I was still in school and worked another part time job."

After getting tired of always having grease under his finger nails, Buechel graduated to brokering which was less work and more money. He concentrated on Japanese trucks and sedans because they can rack up the miles and still hold their value. Just like in any other business he bought low and sold high. With this experience he soon realized that there were many people out there who were lacking knowledge in the area of car buying which prompted him to write on the subject.
Buechel's next book will be on auto maintenance. He has seen a lot of car neglect. "It's definitely an area which people need to be more educated in." he remarks. "Owner's manuals just don't cut it."
When it comes to writing for fun, Buechel's real love is screenwriting. He has written two screenplays which he is currently shopping around Hollywood. One story is a comedy drama about a blue collar worker who wins the lottery while the other is a romantic comedy which a producer did option, but was unable to find financing. With several independents currently looking at his scripts he says; "I'm just waiting for that call".

Although he has gotten his books into Barnes & Noble, Borders, and Hastings bookstores, the largest percentage of sales have been to libraries and internet sales.

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