BEFORE STARTING YOUR CAR BUYING SEARCH

Before you begin shopping for your new or used car, you want to prepare yourself. Here are some questions you might want to ask yourself:

• How soon will I need a car?
• What type of car do I want? What type of car do I need?
• What can I afford?
• What's the best way to go about finding a car?
• What strategies shall I employ?

The worst thing you can do is to find yourself on the side of the road without a car or a plan. You may be buying out of need or you may be buying out of want, but make sure you have a plan of action before getting started.

Research - The more educated you are about the process, the better off you'll be. Research is important to starting your car search because it gives you perspective. Research helps you clarify a few things like: What type of car do I want, what's the value, selling price, good and bad qualities, etc. One thing we've learned is that cars, like people, have flaws. It doesn't matter whether you're buying new or used, there will be some great selling points and some negative ones. We suggest you find out as much as you can about your car of choice, what people like and what they don't like. For most of us pricing is an important factor, so have some ideas before you start shopping around. If you go into a dealer, let them know that you know something. Arm yourself with information so you're not at a disadvantage and end up feeling taking advantage of.

Shop around - Who buys the very first home they look at? Most people don't. And when you consider that a car is the 2nd largest purchase you'll make you need to make sure you have what you want. Shopping these days has gotten a lot easier. You can shop for cars online. You can visit various dealerships (and trust us, visiting without any pressure feels a lot different than if you're desperate). Take a friend and make a day of it. Drive those cars around, talk to the sales force, and then go back and do more research if you have to.

Get Organized - Finding a car is not always an easy process. Most people on average spend a few months before they find the car they want. The previous steps are all part of the organization process, but take it a step further so that once you begin looking at the cars, you'll have everything in order. To help you organize and plan your car buying experience, purchase a copy of our Auto Purchasing Planner.