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We plan to purchase a new (to us) car sometime this fall or winter. We are a single-vehicle household which I realize sounds crazy to most but with us both working from home and not having children it’s rare that we both need to go in different directions at the same time. It saves us a lot of money! Anyway, we only have one vehicle at the moment and it was purchased way back in December of 2007! We’ve gotten extremely lucky that it’s been a very dependable car. Naturally, we are hoping that our upcoming vehicle purchase will work out just as well. Yet, the stress of finding the right car to meet our needs within our price range is a little stressful to say the least.
Cars.com is a website that can make the car buying process a little less stressful. They have a detailed search function so that you can narrow down your search based on the features that you are requiring in your future car. A little-known feature about Cars.com is their videos and reviews features. This way you can get a heads-up about any common problems for certain makes and models, and see details of the vehicle model that you’re considering purchasing.
It’s always a good idea to look at a wide range of purchasing options instead of sticking with just one dealer. I often hear stories of how one person got a great deal on their car from a certain dealer. It may well be true that the person found the best deal possible for their make and model at that dealership, but they may be overpricing vehicles of other makes and models. So, get quotes from several dealerships so that you can get an idea of what the true price range really is! Just like the grocery store or any other business, many dealerships will say a car is on sale or discounted but in reality it may be even cheaper NOT on sale somewhere else. Simply seeing the word “sale” doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s truly a better price than the next dealership.
My last piece of advice is to bring along a knowledgeable friend. We are blessed in that we know a mechanic. When we are close to committing to buying a car we will have Ryan’s brother who is a mechanic come with us to drive and listen to the car just to make sure nothing jumps out at him as risky or problematic that wasn’t obvious to us.
What advice do you have for car shopping? Share in the comments!
Hi there! I am Emily Evert, the owner of Emily Reviews. I am 28 and live in a small town in Michigan with my boyfriend Ryan and our two pugs. I have a large family and I adore my nieces and nephews. I love reading memoirs, and learning about child development and psychology. I love watching The Game of Thrones, Teen Mom, Sister Wives and Veep. I like listening to Jason Isbell, John Prine, and other alt-country or Americana music. I created Emily Reviews as a creative outlet to share my life and the products that I love with others.
This post currently has 3 responses.
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Lauryn R
Car shopping is definitely a stressful and overwhelming process! I bought a new (to me) car back in 2011 all by myself. Did I get ripped off by the dealership becausebecause of this? Most likely, lol. Since then I havery had two more kids and had to get a bigger vehicle. Luckily, my dad did it for me and got a way better deal. And you’re right, having mechanic with you would be so helpful! 🙂
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ellen beck
I have seen the ads for this company but have yet to use something like it. I think if you were in the market for anothre car this would be one way to go. It is important to have a car checked out no matter where it comes from as some things can be masked for a short drive.
We bought two cars in one day (after waiting 12 years!). One purchase was a nightmare and the other like a dream. I won’t trash the first company, but the second was the Subaru, and I love that car!