While I did have a car in high school, I never went through the process of picking out and buying one from a dealership. It overwhelmed me to even think about buying a car that would need to get me where I need to go for the next 5-10 years. I thought the process of picking out a car would be an easy one. considering I’m not a big car person. I was very, very wrong.
Where to Start?
To start the process, I looked online to get an idea of what I wanted and what I could afford. Looking online helped me figure out what types of cars were in my price range. The only problem with looking online for me was that I thought I would really like a few specific cars. When I went to go look at them, I quickly realized that they were not for me. I had to start back at square one. That moment of trying to figure out where to start next made the dealership lot feel much larger than it did at first.
What Did I Want?
I felt overwhelmed and defeated. There were so many cars and I had no idea where to start. I took note my price range ($9,000-$12,000) and what I disliked and liked about the cars I looked at previously. I did not like how small and low to the ground the original cars I tried were, but I did like the updated features (built-in navigation, Bluetooth, USB connection, etc.). We looked for some bigger options that were around the same years I was looking for (2014-2016). All the bigger vehicles I tried didn’t have the updated technology. I intended on driving my car for at least 5-10 years and I didn’t want the interior design and technology to become too outdated too quickly, so I kept looking. All the bigger cars didn’t have the built-in technology I was looking for. Nothing was working out for me at this point and I was ready to accept that I wouldn’t be taking a car home. That’s when my mom pointed out a car she wanted me to look at. It may not have been the one, but it led us to the near end of our search.
The Purchase
A Chevy Malibu. It was not as small as the first cars I looked at, but not as big as I was used. I really liked it, but it wasn’t perfect. If there wasn’t another Malibu better than that one, I would’ve bought it, but instead, the salesman led me to my future car. It was love at first sight. It was the perfect size with all the technology updates that I could ever want. Was it at the top of my price range? Yes. But was it everything I wanted and needed? Absolutely. I drove out of that dealership with my 2016 Chevy Malibu an hour later.
What I Learned
Car shopping is exhausting, exciting and overwhelming all at the same time. I learned that I shouldn’t give up the search no matter how many bumps I hit along the road. Take as much time as you need and test drive every car in the lot if you have to. This purchase is a big one, and you’ll feel much more rewarded if you drive off the lot with a car that makes you happy.
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