Are you on the hunt for a new-to-you car?  We talked a little bit yesterday about the reasons that I prefer to not shop for a brand new car, but we need cars, right?  That means that sometimes we need to shop for one. So, what tips do you follow when you are shopping for a new-to-you car?

Here are 5 tips to follow when shopping for a used car:

1. Set your budget.  Whether you are paying in cash or financing it, you need to know exactly how much you can afford.  Set these parameters when you are doing your shopping online. This will help you to not fall in love with a car that you can’t really afford.
2. Get pre-approved.  If you are planning to finance the vehicle, be sure to get pre-approved before you do your shopping.  This makes it so much easier and much quicker if you are buying from a car lot.
3. Research values.  While you already know what you can afford, you still don’t want to overpay for the specific car that you are buying.  Be sure to go on to Kelly Blue Book, Edmunds or another car value website to learn what the value of the vehicle actually is.
4. Get a carfax report.  Carfax is a great way to learn whether or not your prospective vehicle has ever been in an accident.
5. Have a mechanic inspect it.  For a nominal fee, you can hire a mechanic to inspect the vehicle before you buy it.  I highly recommend doing this as you don’t want to buy a piece of junk car that you are going to need to work on right away.

What tips do you follow when you are shopping for a new-to-you car?  

Are you on the hunt for a new-to-you car?  We talked a little bit yesterday about the reasons that I prefer to not shop for a brand new car, but we need cars, right?  That means that sometimes we need to shop for one. So, what tips do you follow when you are shopping for a new-to-you car?

Here are 5 tips to follow when shopping for a used car:

1. Set your budget.  Whether you are paying in cash or financing it, you need to know exactly how much you can afford.  Set these parameters when you are doing your shopping online. This will help you to not fall in love with a car that you can’t really afford.
2. Get pre-approved.  If you are planning to finance the vehicle, be sure to get pre-approved before you do your shopping.  This makes it so much easier and much quicker if you are buying from a car lot.
3. Research values.  While you already know what you can afford, you still don’t want to overpay for the specific car that you are buying.  Be sure to go on to Kelly Blue Book, Edmunds or another car value website to learn what the value of the vehicle actually is.
4. Get a carfax report.  Carfax is a great way to learn whether or not your prospective vehicle has ever been in an accident.
5. Have a mechanic inspect it.  For a nominal fee, you can hire a mechanic to inspect the vehicle before you buy it.  I highly recommend doing this as you don’t want to buy a piece of junk car that you are going to need to work on right away.

What tips do you follow when you are shopping for a new-to-you car?  

Are you on the hunt for a new-to-you car?  We talked a little bit yesterday about the reasons that I prefer to not shop for a brand new car, but we need cars, right?  That means that sometimes we need to shop for one. So, what tips do you follow when you are shopping for a new-to-you car?

Here are 5 tips to follow when shopping for a used car:

1. Set your budget.  Whether you are paying in cash or financing it, you need to know exactly how much you can afford.  Set these parameters when you are doing your shopping online. This will help you to not fall in love with a car that you can’t really afford.
2. Get pre-approved.  If you are planning to finance the vehicle, be sure to get pre-approved before you do your shopping.  This makes it so much easier and much quicker if you are buying from a car lot.
3. Research values.  While you already know what you can afford, you still don’t want to overpay for the specific car that you are buying.  Be sure to go on to Kelly Blue Book, Edmunds or another car value website to learn what the value of the vehicle actually is.
4. Get a carfax report.  Carfax is a great way to learn whether or not your prospective vehicle has ever been in an accident.
5. Have a mechanic inspect it.  For a nominal fee, you can hire a mechanic to inspect the vehicle before you buy it.  I highly recommend doing this as you don’t want to buy a piece of junk car that you are going to need to work on right away.

What tips do you follow when you are shopping for a new-to-you car?  

Are you contemplating the purchase of a vehicle?  I know that all of the bells and whistles of a new car sound like it would be so great, but there are some pretty solid reasons why you should stick to buying just used cars.

Here are 5 reasons you should never buy a brand new car:

1. They are expensive.  Yeah, that’s obvious, but brand new cars are expensive. Did you know that the average new car loan is $30,000?  That is a lot of money. You are going to save a significant amount of money if you buy a used version of the car you are looking for.  
2. Depreciation.  New cars lose a lot of their value once you drive it off of that lot.  Like a lot. The average new car loses 20% of its value in the first year, some cars can lose up to half of their value!  This is a great reason to reconsider your idea to buy a new car.
3. Interest payment.  This goes along with how expensive they are, but the more expensive a car is, the more interest you will be paying on it.
4. Higher insurance rates.  New cars will cost you more to insure it.  Because they have a higher payout, the insurance companies will charge you more.  A leading insurance company has released the numbers and have acknowledged that you will save, on average, over $700 per year when you buy a new car.
5. Door dings happen a lot.  I know that this one is a materialistic view, but it is worth considering.  When you drive around and park in busy parking lot, you are likely to get door dings a lot.  This is far more frustrating when you have a beautiful, shiny new car. If you buy a used car, you still don’t want to get dents and dings of course, but it’s less stressful.

Are you contemplating the purchase of a vehicle?  I know that all of the bells and whistles of a new car sound like it would be so great, but there are some pretty solid reasons why you should stick to buying just used cars.

Here are 5 reasons you should never buy a brand new car:

1. They are expensive.  Yeah, that’s obvious, but brand new cars are expensive. Did you know that the average new car loan is $30,000?  That is a lot of money. You are going to save a significant amount of money if you buy a used version of the car you are looking for.  
2. Depreciation.  New cars lose a lot of their value once you drive it off of that lot.  Like a lot. The average new car loses 20% of its value in the first year, some cars can lose up to half of their value!  This is a great reason to reconsider your idea to buy a new car.
3. Interest payment.  This goes along with how expensive they are, but the more expensive a car is, the more interest you will be paying on it.
4. Higher insurance rates.  New cars will cost you more to insure it.  Because they have a higher payout, the insurance companies will charge you more.  A leading insurance company has released the numbers and have acknowledged that you will save, on average, over $700 per year when you buy a new car.
5. Door dings happen a lot.  I know that this one is a materialistic view, but it is worth considering.  When you drive around and park in busy parking lot, you are likely to get door dings a lot.  This is far more frustrating when you have a beautiful, shiny new car. If you buy a used car, you still don’t want to get dents and dings of course, but it’s less stressful.

Are you contemplating the purchase of a vehicle?  I know that all of the bells and whistles of a new car sound like it would be so great, but there are some pretty solid reasons why you should stick to buying just used cars.

Here are 5 reasons you should never buy a brand new car:

1. They are expensive.  Yeah, that’s obvious, but brand new cars are expensive. Did you know that the average new car loan is $30,000?  That is a lot of money. You are going to save a significant amount of money if you buy a used version of the car you are looking for.  
2. Depreciation.  New cars lose a lot of their value once you drive it off of that lot.  Like a lot. The average new car loses 20% of its value in the first year, some cars can lose up to half of their value!  This is a great reason to reconsider your idea to buy a new car.
3. Interest payment.  This goes along with how expensive they are, but the more expensive a car is, the more interest you will be paying on it.
4. Higher insurance rates.  New cars will cost you more to insure it.  Because they have a higher payout, the insurance companies will charge you more.  A leading insurance company has released the numbers and have acknowledged that you will save, on average, over $700 per year when you buy a new car.
5. Door dings happen a lot.  I know that this one is a materialistic view, but it is worth considering.  When you drive around and park in busy parking lot, you are likely to get door dings a lot.  This is far more frustrating when you have a beautiful, shiny new car. If you buy a used car, you still don’t want to get dents and dings of course, but it’s less stressful.