6 Options For Finding
Your Next Car

Author: Sheronde Glover

Looking for a car can be an exciting experience or an arduous task, depending on your attitude, situation or circumstances.

Buying a car is a major expense that should be addressed with some planning and consideration. With that in mind, let's explore and review 5 popular methods for finding and purchasing a car to see what works and what doesn't from a female point of view.

1. Dealerships - Most of us will conduct our search like we've done in the past; jump in the car and head for the nearest dealership. Buying from a dealership is the method we're most familiar with ---however, research suggests that women still feel disadvantaged in the car buying process and often feel the need to bring a male along to get fair treatment.

2. Internet Shopping - We've been doing some research and talking to women about their shopping experiences. What we've learned is that women now make up 52% of all online users and that women mostly go online for information and to conduct research. Along with that women purchase 50% of new car sales and 48% of used car sales and many are starting their searches on the internet. There are a number of car sites and dealerships online. A quick google search with the words "car buying" will direct you to the right places. Familiar names like autobytel, autotrader, ebaycars, and carmax to name a few, are popular places to begin an internet search.

3. Classified Ads - If today is the age of technology and internet shopping is the modern approach, then the classified ad would have to be the method of yesteryear. Classified ads are still very popular ways to find and locate a car, because over the years the method has worked, for both buyers and sellers. Newspaper and magazine listings are still very useful, particularly for those that are less internet savvy and for those doing local searches. Classified ads have also fallen victim to the internet as individuals are online more and have expanded there searches much further than there backyard. Ad spacing can become an issue when buying or selling through a classified ad. On the sellers end, one has to do a lot to make the sell in 4 or 5 lines. From the buyers end, and particularly for women, the frustration is often deciphering the terminology and abbreviations (see glossary).

4. Friends & Relatives - Alerting family and friends of your search can be very helpful. Word of mouth is tried and true and it certainly doesn't hurt to have "extra eyes" when the goal is to find a car. A survey conducted by Car-Buy-Her found that most women don't shop alone for a car, so go ahead and get the crew on board to help you with this task.

5. Street Search - The "Street Search" is probably not as popular for a woman as it might be for a man, but if you're looking for a used car, a cruise around the neighborhood, nearby plazas and gas stations will often turn up a number of "for sale" signs. Some women may be comfortable with this approach while others might not, so determine where you fit and proceed accordingly.

6. Auctions - If you're looking for a used car or have a really tight budget, auctions can provide a fun experience and a host of inexpensive cars. The downside is that you don't really know what you're getting. If possible, take a mechanic or someone that really knows something about cars. Many people buy decent cars from auctions and are prepared to put some extra dollars in repair.