Car Shopping!

So I recently was in a car accident that left me car-less as my Suzuki Grand Vitara was totaled from the accident, may it rest in peace. So, as I had no car and a check from the insurance agency for 5,000 dollars was on its way, I went shopping. Well in case you didn't know when buying a car 5,000 dollars is just a nice down payment, for me it was all I had to spend so this was a tricky situation, luckily, my father is a seasoned car shopper and took me under his wing and showed me the ways of used car shopping.

KSL.com became my new friend, I spent countless hours searching the classifieds for a car. The requirements:

-AWD or 4WD

-good gas milage

-low miles

-reliable

-fit my personality

-$5,000 or less

well I thought that this was a reasonable request, not to much to ask for, well for 5,000 dollars it was asking a lot. To my surprise nothing I liked was in my price range, and if it was well it had problems that would cost me some major dollars and cents down the road. So the question became should I get a clunker and save the money now or splurge a little and get the nicer car with less repairs. Well i chose the later of the two and continued my pursuit.

My process was simple search KSL then when I found a car that met the requirements take it to the books; NADA or Kelly Blue Book. These guides are the bible when it comes to used car shopping. They provide you with the cold hard facts about what the car is worth and when it comes to working on a price with your dealer/private seller they come in very handy. So after the car made it through the price machine I would call and set up a test drive. My dad and I test drove close to 15 cars putting each one through (as I affectionately like to call it) the David Neilson inspection. My dad and I would go through the car down to the last bolt making sure everything was in order we did everything, I even got down on all fours in a dress to look under the car with my dad. After the car went through this it was taken for a test drive to fully complete the inspection make sure no noises and clunks came up while we were driving. Most of the cars had a few hitches in the works they needed some work but that only furthered my frustration.

So now I have found a car and I am in the process of buying it. I will keep you posted on what happens next! Hopefully it will be done this week!

Cross your fingers