Disclosure: This is a sponsored post, however as always, all opinions are my own.
Until the birth of my first child, I was never much of a car person. Never picky on colour, make or model (although my father is a staunch Chevy supporter, so that brand loyalty was somewhat bred into me), so long as it started up and got me from A to B, I was happy.
Adding a tiny passenger to the back seat changed the way I looked at vehicles. Reliability still reigned supreme, however factors like crash test rating, space and added safety features were now on the list of wants. Choosing a vehicle in a market saturated with variety and resources can be a daunting process, so here’s my list of 3 tips to make car buying easy.
Get in the know
Research, research, research. Using a site like cars.com can be a great one-stop-shop to help you learn about your upcoming purchase. Car reviews, dealer search, payment estimations and service & repair information are just a few of the educational tools available on the site to help get you in the know. Knowing what you want will prepare you for your search, but also minimize the likelihood of being taken advantage of.
Shop around
Unlike a doctor or dentist, you don’t want to have only one car dealer. With a large number of cars on the market, shopping around will not only give you a good idea of what is available, but it will also give you a good idea of what you should be paying for what you want based on the market.
Get a second opinion
Social media has made crowd sourcing a quick and easy process. Ask your friends what car they love and why, or better yet, ask about what they don’t love. Take someone with you when you’re car shopping as it’s easy to get distracted when there’s something new and shiny in your way. This will also help to make sure that you’re asking all the right questions and looking for all the right things.
Thanks for sharing Sarah. I’d also add that you should DRIVE the car regardless if you’re buying new or used. Make sure it feels right before you make a final decision