Friday, January 24, 2014

Memories of Buying A Vehicle



Do you remember buying your first car? I do. It was the summer of 2000 and I was 19 years old. My mom and I were out shopping one day and decided to stop at a car lot. We honestly stopped in just to look around. While we were walking the lot, we found a 1996 Mercury Mystique. It was a lovely seafoam green colour. It was 4 years old and it had really low mileage (less than 30,000 KM).

We saw the price, went in to talk to a sales rep and took it for a drive. It drove nice, the price was right (although the interest rate was ridiculous - but I was 19 and didn't realize it at the time) and I signed the papers that day. It was such a spur of the moment decision, and I did no research. I was SO SO excited when I picked up my car a few days later.  It was really good to me, no major problems, I kept it for 4 years and then traded it in for a 2004 Toyota Corolla - brand new!

That was another amazing feeling. Driving a brand new car off the lot. It was my baby - I loved that car....and again, I was lucky and had no issues with it at all. When I bought my Corolla I had been looking around for awhile. I knew that it had a good safety record, and Toyota's are known for holding their value and being good resales. Toyota's always get great auto reviews and I had zero regrets with my Corolla. When I bought the Corolla we didn't have children. While there is nothing wrong with the Corolla as a family vehicle, it was just slightly smaller than what we wanted.

When I was pregnant with Mr. K, we decided that we wanted something a little larger that could fit the stroller in the trunk, with room left over for groceries or other items.  The back seat is slightly larger, so having the extra room for a forward facing carseat as well as an infant bucket seat, diaper bag and often times an adult in the middle. We ended up buying a Jeep;  Hubby always worried about me driving in the winter, and by getting a 4 wheel drive vehicle it made him feel a little more secure when I was on the road with the kids.

I laugh when I think about my 19 year old self buying a car - no negotiating, nothing. I just walked in, found out what the monthly payments would be and signed on the line....I was smarter by the time I bought the Corolla, I made sure it was a decent interest rate and that I was getting a great deal. When I bought my Jeep, well, I walked away because they would not give me what I wanted....the phone rang a few hours later asking me to come back.

The next time you go to buy a vehicle, make sure you are looking at the purchase cost and interest rate. Dealers can play with financing times (48 months, 60 months or 72 months) and give you a really low monthly figure - but when you factor in the interest and add up the entire term, you are paying much more than you need to be.  Don't fall for their sales tactics - the vehicle you are looking at will most likely still be there in a few days, and if by chance it isn't, then it wasn't meant to be and something better will be waiting for you.

What was your first car buying experience like?




4 comments:

  1. My first car buying experience was similar. Except my mom had called the dealership (in another town an hour drive away) and did some prelim research first. There were three used cars to choose from and when I went to the lot with my dad a few days later I found myself drawn to the bright red 1999 Sunfire (this was in 2000 when I was turning 20). It had 30K kms on it too. I signed the papers quickly as my dad and brother were headed out of town on a hockey tourney road trip. Then a couple days later they delivered my car to me!

    I got a few good years out of it until I went into the ditch on my daily commute to work (to the town half an hour away). By then I was with my hubs and we decided to get a vehicle with 4x4 (2004 Ford Escape) to help get me through the deep snow on the highway when I had to plow my way to work. Driving on a remote northern road in the winter that is very windy is not very fun. We still have the Escape but it may need to be replaced soon.

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    1. that's too bad it was wrecked; I do like the 4 wheel drive too!

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  2. My first purchased car didnt come until 1994, I was married with 3 childrren. I bought an MPV van from Mazda, I loved it. Drove to Florida and back twice before someone stole it and crashed

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  3. Our current car is a 2009 Saturn Astra which my son picked out for me, he is the Manager at AUTOPARK superstore in Burlington, I just love it

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