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Car shopping..love it or hate it? I haven’t always loved the process but the end result is always worth it if you do it right. I love my car but while it’s only a few years old, it has almost 150,000 miles on it. I drive a LOT. My last two cars have been Toyota SUVs. I’ve loved them! But my needs are changing and this time I’m looking for something different.
Tip #1 – Define your wants, needs, and desires
Ask yourself these questions
- What kind of car do you see yourself driving?
- Is this the only car for your family?
- How do you use your car?
Do you commute daily? short or long distance? are your commutes congested traffic or smooth highway driving?
How many people are usually in your car? just yourself, driving the kids to school, or carpooling the entire team to practice.
If this is the only car for your household, you may want a larger car to transport larger purchases.
Weekend getaways? To resorts, you may want a comfortable drive and great gas mileage. If it’s camping or mountain biking, then something that can haul all your gear, get dirty and go off road.
Tip #2 Do your research. Read reviews, compare features. Not only will this help to narrow do your choices, being educated when go to purchase gives you an advantage in the negotiation. Cars.com is an excellent resource for car buying research. There are many safe used cars on the market as well as brand new cars. Do your research from the comfort of home before heading out to the car lots. We knew we wanted to look at SUV\’s so at least we had a starting point for our research!
Tip #3 Test drive. With such a large purchase and something, you will be spending this much time in, make sure you feel comfortable. Does it fit your body size – does the steering wheel fit well with your body type. Is there enough headroom. Can you easily see your surroundings without blind spots?
Tip #4 Shop around. Don’t just go to one dealer. Shop around, compare deals and options included. Now that you know what you want this will help you to get that and at the best deal.
Why is this all so important? Two reasons:
- You’ll save money
- You’ll be happier with your purchase
Do you have any new car buying tips to add to my list?