Shopping Around For a New Car

Recently, I was discussing the option or occasion to try to get rid of my Jeep with my father's assistance. When you are shopping for your first car, even if you have driven a vehicle previously, driving a car for a long time doesn't qualify you as an expert in the process of actually purchasing a vehicle.

When I was first in the business of shopping around for a brand new car a couple of years ago, I made the first, most serious mistake of not going to the dealerships or enlisting the help of someone who knew what they were doing when it came to buying a car. Rather than ask my parents for the correct guidance and advice that I should have, I instead opted to go it alone- thinking that I would be able to make an informed decision after driving around to every single dealership in the area as well as reading a few website reviews. What I instead discovered was that I was looking at vehicles that I was attracted to because of the features that they offered. For example, my previous leased vehicle that my father had given me had a sunroof, premium sound and tinted windows.

Automatically and just because I had these particular features on my previous vehicle, I knew that whatever vehicle I was shopping around for needed to have the same features. I didn't feel that I could live without my sunroof, when truth be told, I had hardly ever used my sunroof. In fact, I was usually closing my sunroof so that it wasn't quite as hot in my car. It really is important to get someone other than yourself involved in the car buying experience if you can, especially if you are a young woman because sales people will take advantage of the lack of information that you are equipped with.

When you shop for a car, before you even step foot out of the door, you should be sure to make a list of all of the things that are important to you. After you have finished making the list, you should read each item out loud to yourself and/or a friend. This will help you determine whether you are already starting to make the wrong decision regarding your choice of vehicle. For example, if at the end of your list it begins to look like you are only interested in cars that are red, have manual shift and are flashy looking, you may be setting your sights too high or in the total wrong direction when you should perhaps be looking at a vehicle that is more economical or budget friendly. Also, including another person in your vehicle search will help to temper any rash decisions that you may or may not make regarding the purchase of your vehicle.

Often times, I have found that car sales people act like car buyin cheerleaders. They are there to be your best friend for however long you stay at the dealership. However, this friendship comes with caveats, the main one being that they want the end result of your visit to be you paying them for a brand new car.