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Car Buying Tips

Can Buying A Car Be A Good Experience?

This guide might help with the nightmares.

The Toyota Corolla is one of the best cars on the market. You'd be hard pressed to discover a better value on a vehicle with such a great reputation. Or would you? With a little research you'll find that for some years people who shell out Corolla-sized cash could save thousands by looking at the comparable, yet much less expensive, Dodge Neon. How do you find values like that? One of the best new and used car research sites is http://edmunds.com.

But, honestly, who wants a Prism? That's the danger in car shopping. Your wants overshadow your actual needs.

You want what has most recently piqued your interest. We're all vulnerable to the marketing and the promises of a certain car making our lives a much better place. But a car is a huge investment and nothing leads to buyer's remorse like a twenty thousand-dollar impulse buy.

Car shopping can be a fairly easy process. However, buying a car can't be like just another errand, unless of course your wealth far exceeds your wisdom, then go crazy. A little--and all takes it is 'a little'--time and you'll save money, time and trouble.

First, think of your needs. If you commute a lot you'll want to shop for efficiency. However, maybe you need great gas mileage and room for a family. There are plenty of sedans and sport utilities that do both quite well. Ford even has the smaller, sportier Escape XUV. Saturn offers the Vue and the Subaru Outback is nearly the standard for roomy, efficient vehicles. But after looking at prices for the new XUV, you might realize budget is another need rearing its homely head. Here's where Edmunds and the Kelley Blue Book will save the day.

What information is used to calculate your credit score?
A: Your average credit history from the previous year
B: The information that appears on your credit report the day your score is calculated
C: Information contained on your credit reports from the last three months
D: Your credit report and bank statements

After going to the Edmund's site you can click on the used car page. Enter your zip code and you'll find the entire list of popular vehicles. The 'luxury' button may be tempting, but remember, for the sake of this article we're going for budget. Find the type of vehicle you want and let the clicking do its magical Internet thing. We went to the 'midsize' page and selected the year 2000. Here's the Edmund's lineup for that search.

Another excellent way to find the right car for you is the Kelley Blue Book Perfect Car Finder. During our Edmund's search we found a 2000 Toyota Four-Runner that is supposed to retail from $14,874 - $21,714. The Blue Book will help you further narrow the price range, and according to what we found, you'll save more than a thousand dollars. At Kelley's a 2000 4-Runner with 60,000 miles and many of the extras goes for $13,300.

When you finally go looking, make sure to have some specific ideas in mind. This way, before you even leave the house you can get most of your car shopping done over the phone. Call prospective dealerships and ask if they have any of the vehicles you've selected. After your initial phone contacts you can make a list of which dealer can offer what you want.

The first time you see the car you want you may want to take it home. But it's important to visit every dealership you have in mind. Your best advantage is dealerships competing for your business. Don't worry, for the most part you won't have to be a master negotiator. All you need to be able to do is know what you need. Many people approach car lots with only a vague idea of the car they need, and often settle for a large investment they are hardly sure they ever wanted anything to do with. When you are focused it's much easier to keep you and the dealer salesperson looking for what's right for you, saving you much time and hassle.

EDMUNDS.COM USED CAR CHECKLIST

Vin Inspection (emissions, service & recall, VIN code issues, etc.)

Road Testing (automatic transmission shift points/slippage, drive axle; clutch; steering; brakes/ABS, gauge operation)

Body Exterior (frame damage, accident repair)
Interior (airbag, dash light operation, smoker car?)

Powertrain (fluid leakages, water in oil, cylinder compression reading, timing belt)

Fuel System (fuel pump, fuel lines, oil pressure)
Suspension/Steering (control arms, ball joints, tie rods, tire wear, alignment)

Brakes (calipers/cylinders, rotor, hydraulics, etc.)

When your first test drive is finished, it's important to leave the lot and test drive your next potential car at others. You may quickly find that the first car you drove had some noises or handling issues that you would not have noticed had you not tried another.

After visiting the dealerships that offer what you're looking for, and test driving each vehicle, all you're left with doing is purchasing the best deal. Easy, eh? With a little preparation car buying isn't bad at all.

And it gets easier with the advent of what's called No Haggle Pricing. When you have prices from other dealers, simply bring in the lowest and No Haggle dealers often guarantee to match it.

DEALER DIVULGING

Worry Free buying means that you don't have to worry and wonder about the condition of the used vehicles that you're buying. Every used vehicle should come with at least a 3-day, 150-mile money back guarantee, a 99-day warranty, and a full vehicle inspection and history report.