It amazes me that so many first-time car owners buy new cars. Statistics show that more than 50% of new car owners will get to their new cars within the first year of ownership. Also considering that you lose approximately 20% in depreciation as soon as you leave the dealership, and that over 80% of all car buyers finance their purchases, by the time you leave the dealership, you have a negative net worth. . When you add finance charges, your car is likely valued less than what your bank and/or hire-purchase company has on file. Unless you got a great deal, can pay at least 40%, or received exceptional trade-in value for a car the dealer really wants, choose the option in the next paragraph.

At the end of a given year, car dealers have scores, perhaps even hundreds of unsold new cars from the previous year. They need space for the new inventory. Regardless of what they ask for the above models, offer them 30% less to start. Go from dealer to dealer to find your preferred brand. When you find the car and dealer you want to buy the vehicle from, go as soon as the dealership opens. Many entrepreneurs hate to lose the first sale.

I don’t recommend buying used cars from people you don’t know unless you really know cars or a trusted mechanic says the car, truck, bus or RV is a really good buy.

True: In this depressed economy, many people are liquidating assets. However, it takes the average person 3-5 years to pay off their vehicle. Unless the seller had more than one, or the vehicle had very low mileage, or is a classic car, you may be looking at a 5 year old car with a lot of worn parts. However, if you know the owner, their driving habits and car care, it’s a completely different matter.

SAFETY BEFORE LOOKS: Many first-time car owners choose cars the way they look for their soulmates. They look first at outward appearances. There may be a statistical relationship between the percentages and reasons for divorces and the percentages and reasons for vehicular accidents. Since one of my best friends owns a car wreck, and since I’m a premarital counselor, let me give you some serious car advice. Yes, you guessed it: your body is also a vehicle. Ask your dealer: Does your car have a chassis? Look in the brochure for the steel frame that the car sits on. Most modern cars are simply welded on with some supporting mechanisms. Most of them are coffins on wheels. I will explain it later.

VERY IMPORTANT: Visit a junkyard in your neighborhood, if possible, before purchasing your vehicle. That visit can save your life. I honestly believe that if visiting a car junkyard was a mandatory requirement before a person obtains a driver’s license, car accidents would be reduced by 75%.

Check to see how many of the type of car you intend to buy are in that graveyard and what caused their disappearance. If the roof caved in more than a few, that could mean they are prone to tipping over. Check the tires: If they all have punctures after they came off the tires, then if the vehicle is very fast, it is easy to deduce that the drivers were speeding. You will know what not to do.

NOTE: Please note the amounts of brittle materials–rubber and soft metals–that you’ll rely on to carry you through your physical journeys. While you’re there, take his hand and, with the bottom of your fist, hit any side of the car that isn’t broken. If your fist can dent soft metal, think what a vehicle driving at 50 miles per hour can do. Lastly: while you’re there, look at the underside of the vehicle. You should get a wake up call. When you see the soft tin cages attached to some support beams, you’ll see why I recommend asking if your car has a chassis. Be sure to note that the car’s wheels are not as securely fastened as the ones you see on the race track. Quite the contrary, in fact: in most cases, especially those without a chassis, you will notice how easily the tires slip off the rims.

WHY IS IT SO?
When you slide around a corner in a chassis car, at 40 MPH or more, as you slide around a corner, the support chassis stabilizes the vehicle as it turns. When you corner in a car with no chassis, you have minimal stress support. Since you don’t know what the support level is, when you exceed the stress support level, there is nothing to support your slide except the welded strips under your car. Since there isn’t one or two firm, unbroken steel strips, but rather a welded aluminum bracket, if you’re used to driving older model cars, you’ll feel the car sway as it tries to adjust to turning. Green drivers try to counteract that adjustment manually by tilting the brakes. At that point, you interrupt the natural swing. Depending on your speed, your tires will likely come off the rims. If there is gravel or loose material, you could be in trouble. After you buy your car, always take your new vehicles for a spin to see how they handle. You need to know how your car handles under not-so-normal circumstances, as soon as possible.

Most likely, the visit to the junkyard is a wake-up call and triggers the following:

1. The need to service your car regularly.
2. Eliminate any false security beliefs you may have had about vehicles.
3. Reduce your need to drive recklessly and unnecessarily fast.
4. We expect you to be a responsible driver.

Shop wisely and drive carefully, always.