I’ve decided that if you were to create a Venn Diagram that compares people who love going to the dentist and people who actually enjoy buying a car, you would end up with a perfectly overlapping circle with approximately four masochists inside. Recently I found myself at the mercy of the automotive industry completely alone for the first time in my life. For some reason, my perfectly functioning (fairly new) car decided to become possessed by satan’s army within weeks of exiting my marital home. I found myself stranded and driving loaner cars enough times that I was forced to face the music and buy a new car, which is the worst. Post-divorce, it felt important to me to go about this task solo to prove to myself that I could sing Independent Women by Beyonce without irony. It was somewhat harrowing, but I escaped mostly unscathed and with a car and financial deal that both I and my financial advisor could live with. Below are some tips that I found to be pretty useful.
Before you go…
- Gather your documents – Where is your title and registration? Is your car insurance up to date? Are you the sole owner of your car? Do you have court documents such as a name change agreement or marital separation agreement? I became so overwhelmed post-divorce with mountains of paper, that I finally broke down and created a giant binder with all of my important documents. This came in very handy during times like this, because it’s mobile. It’s not a bad idea to bring any and everything. I had to use some documents that I didn’t think would be necessary.
- Analyze Your Finances – What can you realistically afford right now? Whatever that number is, round down. On top of car payments, you will also be potentially looking at an increase in insurance and property tax. If possible, pay cash or put down a sizable down payment to cut down on interest fees. Don’t forget to add in a bubble of around $3000 for sales tax, processing/dealer/license fees, etc.
- Go shopping when you aren’t desperate – My procrastinating self almost messed up on this one, because I like to drive cars until they beg for a mercy kill. However, this time I went in to the process with a fully functioning car, so I knew that they needed me more than I needed them. That changed the game during negotiation.
- Research cars and narrow down to your top 3 – If you stress out with too many options, do yourself a favor and limit your choices. Ask your friends what they like and dislike about their car. Check out reviews online and think about what actually matters to you. If you’re living the single life, reliability is pretty important because there is no second car or human to help out when your car has yet another recall. Reliability brought me to three companies – Subaru, Honda, and Toyota.
- Get a trade-in quote from CarMax within 7 days – CarMax will give you a free trade-in quote, and you can even look at a few cars while you wait. Take this with you when you go shopping for a new car, but don’t show it to the dealership until they have given you a quote on your trade-in. If it is any lower, bring this out and say that you’ll be happy to sell your car directly to CarMax instead. This gave me an additional $2000.
Day-of Preparation
- Bring hearty snacks – This was certainly a mistake that I made. I forgot that the ultimate car sales strategy is to wear you down with hunger and exhaustion. It will take ALL of infinity to buy a car, because they want you tired and delirious. Short of waterboarding, hunger is the next best strategy to get me to sign a contract that I haven’t fully thought through. I almost impulsively agreed to buy a car just so I could go get some noodles. Don’t do this. Bring snacks.
- Pack an extra battery or charger for your phone. 10% of car shopping is driving cars and talking to people. The other 90% of the time is spent sitting in a room alone while they talk to their “manager.” (Is there really a manager or are they playing video games?) Bring a phone, book or crochet materials to bide the time so that you can out-wait them.
- Leave your checkbook and title at home – I know, this probably makes no sense, but it saved me from making a quick choice. By leaving these two items at home, it was much harder for me to make a commitment without proper sleep and food. The next day, I could take some time to reflect before heading to the dealership ready to make a deal.
- Choose two to three dealerships to work with – Even if you know you want a Honda, find two Honda dealerships to work with. In most areas, car dealerships like to cluster together like a high school clique, so you should be able to do some comparison shopping without a ton of leg work.
- Clear your calendar – Seriously, however long you think this will take, double it.
- Phone a friend – Choose in advance which people will be helpful for you during this process. Not someone who will give you their opinion on everything – but someone who will help hold you accountable to your bottom line and actual car needs. This is not the time for a yes man and not the time for a pushy Penny.
Test-Drive and Choose Your Car
- Remember what matters to you – Cars can do a lot of weird stuff these days. But do you actually need WiFi in your car? Keep a running list of the things that matter to you and try not to get sucked in by the fancy bells and whistles.
- Try out sharp turns and accelerations – If you live in Northern Virginia, you absolutely need to be able to accelerate quickly in traffic and make tight turns for parking garages. Make sure you get a good sense of the car’s capabilities.
- Don’t rush – Take your time and try a variety of cars. You aren’t inconveniencing the car salesperson. This is part of their job and your right as a customer.
- Consider the gas mileage – Not only will the planet thank you but so will your bank account.
- Do you feel good in the car? I know this is fluffy, but seriously. You need to feel comfortable driving this car, and most my decisions are made on whether something gives me good vibes.
Negotiations – Once you’ve decided on a few cars and done the test-drive, it is time for the worst part of the whole process – the negotiation. A few tips:
- Negotiate the car purchase before mentioning a trade-in. Save that information for later, because some places will use that as wiggle room to get a deal that works better for them.
- Negotiate the actual price of the car, not the car payments or length of the loan. Car dealerships love to tell you what you can actually afford, which is a fascinating skill considering they have seen your bank account exactly zero times. They will also help you afford a more expensive car by paying longer, which means more interest. Nope.
- Start the negotiations with a price much lower than your actual bottom line. I’ve been told that if someone accepts your first offer, you did not negotiate well. The car salesmen assume this is going to be a negotiating game. You are not there to make them feel better about themselves. You are there to take care of yourself by buying a car at an affordable price.
- Until you actually see a manager, you’re probably not getting a great deal. Seriously are the managers real people? I felt like I was dealing with the Wizard of Oz. Until you actually see a manager leave their ivory tower, keep working.
- Use the deals you’ve received at one dealer to negotiate with another. Perhaps one has offered you a better trade-in value. Use that as leverage. One might be throwing on free oil changes or a longer warranty. All of these items are negotiable.
- Be prepared to walk away. Salespeople will tell you anything to get you to buy RIGHT NOW. This deal will not exist tomorrow! Yes it will. The car will be gone by noon. No it won’t. If it is, then it wasn’t meant to be and you can find another one. If they do sucker you into leaving a deposit to hold a particular car, only do so with a credit card and know that it is illegal (at least in Virginia) for them to take a non-refundable deposit. Have them give you a document in writing stating that it is refundable and call for your refund rather than going in person. If you come in the store for the cash or check that you left behind they will try to sell you a car that you don’t want.
- Remember, this isn’t personal. It’s business. Try not to get super attached to your salesperson. If they are doing their job, they will make you think they are your best friend. Yes the photos of their kids are cute, but you are most likely never going to see this person again, let alone be friends. Don’t get it twisted.
Making the Decision
- Compare, Sleep, & Reflect – After going back and forth between two dealerships, I had two pretty great deals on two pretty great cars, and I was struggling with the decision. Which one is the right one? It can feel pretty intimidating to make a major purchase without a partner. I processed the pros and cons with the two people I knew would not try to sway my decision, then researched until I finally did the smart thing and went to sleep. The next morning I did a guided meditation to help clear my mind then journaled for thirty minutes. By the end of that time it became pretty clear which car was right for me.
The Sale
- It’s not over! Now that you’ve agreed to a car and a price, you can relax, right? Nope. The finance person will swoop in and try to get you to buy extra warranties, maintenance packages, accessories, etc. By this point, you’ll be so tired that you’re almost convinced that you need a goat themed seat cover and Sirius XM radio for life. Know what you do want and only go with that.
- Read the contracts – Before you sign anything, make sure you understand what you are agreeing to. If you haven’t yet taken a snack break recently, this is a great time. You need to keep a fully functioning brain.
- Call your insurance company before driving off the lot – You’ll need to get them to issue temporary insurance coverage until they can send an updated policy.
Finally, find a way to celebrate! The hard part about being single is that you don’t have a partner to share these big moments with. However, try to find a way to celebrate. What you did was AMAZING. Schedule dinner with a friend, post a photo of your new car on social media, or take a victory drive to your favorite vineyard. Whatever makes sense, know that you are a rockstar and one step closer to becoming the independent and powerful woman you’ve been designed to be.
