A New Truck and $$ Saving Tips for Buying a Vehicle!

A new vehicle is always a huge deal. Emotionally, Financially, it's a huge deal. I drive a '07 Pontiac Torrent SUV. I love it. My hubby-pooh has been driving an '00 Dodge Ram 1500 Sport Edition for the last year. Recently he decided he wanted a newer model truck that was a little larger so that once (nature decides to stop kicking us in the behind and) we have a baby we can fit a car seat in the truck. Once he said he wanted to be able to put a car seat in his truck, I was totally ok with buying a new one. I melted.

So thanks to the help of a family member, who works at a bank, and a very good family friend, who is a Car Dealer, we set out on our search. Aaron decided he wanted a Ford F-150 Lariat Edition. Our dealer friend took him to the auto auction last Friday morning and Aaron found the one he wanted. I sat a home a nervous wreck waiting on news from the auction. He texted me these photos, which I now share with you! We were fortunate enough to be able to bring it home that night!

It has a couple of minor dents and dings, nothing a plunger and some humidity won't fix. We got an outstanding deal on it. 

MONEY SAVING TIPS ON VEHICLE PURCHASING: 

1. buy at least a year old vehicle. There are miles already put on the vehicle to "test" the engine. If something major is wrong, it will have already presented itself. Plus, and you all already know this, vehicles lose value the older they get. A car that costs $21,000 this year will cost about $17,000 or $18,000 next year. A NEW vehicle, in my experience, is a pain.
2. really think out what is important to you in a vehicle. Car? SUV? Truck? MiniVan? Cross Over? Do you want 4 wheel drive? A sunroof? CD changer? iPod port? Is color important? Leather or Cloth? Do you want 4 door or 2 door? You can even make a list to take to a dealer. 
3.  use a dealer. Looking for "For Sale By Owner" vehicles is a good way to get ripped off. I'm sorry. I've had good experiences purchasing from owners, but not everyone has. Find a nice little Used Car Lot that is local (SUPPORT LOCAL SMALL BUSINESS) and take your list of wants to them. Chances are they will find you want you are wanting. 
4. don't stretch yourself thin. Set a budget. If Aaron didn't know we could afford to do this, we wouldn't have. Our payments on the loan per month are extremely manageable, as the loan itself was pretty minimal. When you are taking a loan out to buy, be sure it is manageable. If your monthly payment is $800 and you make $850 a month, yes, your check will cover the payment, but it leaves you with just $50 to live on. You and your new car are going to be together a lot of the time, you may end up living in it since you can no longer afford your rent. 
5. really go over your wanted vehicle with a fine toothed comb to be sure there is nothing wrong with it. Anything that isn't cosmetic will end up costing you thousands of dollars over time. Cosmetic things are usually the cheapest to fix, in some cases it's DIY.
6. don't settle. Just because it's a new vehicle doesn't mean its the right one for you. Cars are like clothes. If they don't fit you, it just doesn't work. So what if you have on Guess Jeans. If they're a size 10 and you are a size 16, it just isn't right. You may drive a Cadillac, but if you are constantly looking for a place to sit your purse, or always readjusting the radio settings, or forgetting where the "open trunk" button is, chances are you and your Caddy are not compatible. You may be a Honda Accord person.... Sit in the car. Test drive it. Find a place for your purse. Fiddle with the radio. Chances are you are going to be driving this vehicle for a long time. Be sure this is absolutely the one you want. 

Now, these tips, to me, are pretty obvious. When Aaron and I decided we wanted to upgrade we took each of these things into consideration and in the end we came out VICTORIOUS!!

So I hope you got some good ideas from this post. It's my goal to bring you things that help you in your every day life. So whether you are needing help keeping on budget for groceries, or you just don't know where to start when you are looking to buy a new car, The Simple Life wants to be there to help you!

Good Luck Car Shopping!

Missy