Hello readers another financial piece here. So, you need a new car, you have anxiety what do you do? First you must be honest with yourself about your anxiety and how it affects you. Negotiations aren’t something you might be good at, you might fear new places, you may not like germs and can’t fathom how to shake a car salesman hand.
Whatever the source of your anxiety is, we all need transportation. If you need a car here are 5 tips that are going to help you.
- Determine what car you want first, before anything else. Toyota and Honda’s are top of the line for reliability, low repair costs, and resale value. Do a little homework now and be educated when you execute the purchase.
- Limit the car purchase to vehicles that are half your income or less. So, if you make 40K a year, your vehicle AT PURCHASE should not cost more than 20K. If it is its likely you will have to finance, it and that becomes a broader more complex discussion.
- Pay cash, by private, if you can. Dealerships are designed to get you to finance and enter into a long-term contract. Avoid this at all costs unless you have no other options. Buy a used car, from a private person have a mechanic check it out, pay cash. Dealerships are money pits.
- Buy used. Why? Because its true what they say, cars depreciate the minute you drive off the lot. You simply can’t go back the next day and try and resell the vehicle to the dealership for your purchase price they won’t pay it. There are millions of good used cars on the market at fair prices. I drive a 2007 Toyota Solara Convertible, it starts every morning, no problems.
- Buy it and move on. One of the biggest issues in purchasing a new vehicle is the sense you might not have gotten the best deal, it wasn’t what you truly wanted. You buy it, own it. Your anxiety will spike if you dwell on the deal you made.
Cars are a needed asset to generate income. If you don’t need one kudos to you. Many of us live away from cities and need to commute. Here is an outstanding resource on the theories above. I subscribe to Dave Ramsey’s principals of finance (mostly).
This is a major purchase, and like me you have anxiety. You need to take extra care here, do research take your time and plan out the purchase. You can do this, and you can be extremely successful. You are doing awesome, one day at a time. Comment below if you need help or have questions on a car purchase, I will help you as best I can.
