So recently I brought my 5th car…. lol trust me 5 cars in ten years is a lot, but I’m thankful for the experience on how to proactively negotiate the best deal for me when it comes to getting what I want.
As a woman period, car sales men see you as prey when you first walk into a dealership. So it is best to be armed with the below tips to stay firm in your decisions and choice when it comes to make and model of whatever car you want.
- Budget – this is uber important. Be mindful of what your budget is for a car if you plan on paying monthly. Some things to take into consideration is insurance costs, APR, total price of the car as well additional cost for overall maintenance. If you’re going luxury, keep in mind that having a warranty is the best way to go. Foreign car parts are not cheap so a warranty will cover you for any repairs/maintenance.
- CarFax/Car Report – If you are going used, it’s best to get the history of the car. Has it been in any accidents? Has it been used as a rental? (This could explain high mileage) What state is it from? This could determine what type of roads or if it was mostly city mileage. (Recently cars from disaster areas (Hurricane Sandy or Katrina for example) were being sold to unsuspecting buyers. Cars had extensive flood damage etc, so its always best to always know what you going into. A quick VIN check is a good way to check a car out.
- Value of Car vs Selling Price- This is another great way to determine if you are paying too much for a car that’s not worth it. A good reference website to get values of cars is KBB.com You can put in the make, model, mileage and zip code to determine what is the fair market value for a trade or sell.
Overall I am happy with my selection. I went to CarMax which coincidently I brought my very first car from at 18. CarMax provides everything from title, hard tag, registration, servicing and extended warranty.
I purchased a 2014 Acura ILX. See Photos below!
