Let’s all be honest, buying a car kinda sucks…okay it really sucks. I kind of hate it but it is one of those things you just have to do! Ahhh adulting. Our experience was not much different than most. It started out stressful. April and I are doing all kinds of life together lately and two weeks ago I found myself in a career transition and in need of a new automobile. I had been blessed and had the luxury of a company car for the last 3 years. That privilege was leaving with the career change. The first thing I jumped to was to take out a loan, keep as much money in the bank as possible, find something nice, reliable, and that in turn would come with a decent monthly payment. April, being my better half had a completely different mindset in that she wanted to pay cash for a vehicle. She told me her budget in mind and I nearly fainted. No it was not because the vehicle was too expensive, it was too cheap! I love April for her thriftiness and power to control her spending, but certainly a car this cheap would come with far to many problems to deal with, or so I thought.

We could argue the pros and cons of paying cash vs financing all day, in this post and as a couple, and we did for a the good portion of a day lol! We decided to entertain both options as we looked, which sufficed both parties ;). The goal was to find the best deal available.

Well as I expressed before…..buying car is hard work! Thank goodness you only have to do it once every few years! After about 1 week of looking on and off we bared down to give it 1 solid day of attention. We located it! A 2011 Kia Sorento! It may not be your dream car, however it fit perfectly with what April wanted to achieve, no payment, and it met my needs. (I’m boojie, I need leather).

At this point you may be wondering is that it?! Is the encouragement and advice really just that they finally found a vehicle that met both there needs? It isn’t. After being in the car industry myself for over 5 years here is some of the advice I would give.

    1. Do not act out of emotion, you will make a decision that will cost you for a decent amount of the foreseeable future.

    2. Talk it out. Do not involve to many people or that will overwhelm you. But certainly your significant other.

    3. NEGOTIATE! I have given many people compliments for doing this well.

    4. NEGOTATE NICELY! Being rude will get less of a good deal. However being firm but polite will get better results.

    5. Lastly: Have a plan and stick to it!! Click here for helpful budgeting tools!!

The encouraging portion of our car buying experience happened after the purchase. This was when we realized we did exactly what we wanted to accomplish. No buyers remorse. Just satisfaction. I hope this helps some one the next time they are in the market to purchase. It is a bumpy road, but remember that is all part of doing life and the benefit comes with a proud purchase.

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~April and Jason Sapp