Girl's Insight: When it comes to cars, be sure to have help

Buying, selling and learning cars—oh my!

Recently I bought and sold a car. Girls, here is some helpful advice for you to get what you want without having to be pressured into what you don’t want.

Selling a Car

When you sell a vehicle, there is a lot of important information you need to bring along. You need to bring the title, Bill of Sale, car keys, and a positive attitude.

I was nervous when I went to sell my car. First of all, I knew nothing about cars, but thankfully my brother did. When you go to sell a car, you need to bring someone with you, preferably someone who knows something about your vehicle. If you are already informed, bring someone along anyway to keep you company and to keep you safe.

A lot of girls, including me, know nothing about cars, and when you go to sell a car, it is important to know facts to seal the deal. Also, if you are selling your car to someone who found it online, then you definitely do not want to go alone. There are a lot of creepers out there, and you need to be safe.

Secondly, I didn’t know what to expect. I sold my car on KSL.com, so I didn’t know the person I was selling it to. I was going in blind to the selling, and uncertainty scares everyone. I didn’t know if he would like the car or if he would actually want to buy it. Another word of advice is to just be honest. You can’t make your car any better in that moment, but you can be honest. If the prospective buyer likes it, he or she will buy it, and if he or she doesn't, then someone else is meant to buy your car.

Buying a Car

When you buy a car, either online or at a dealership, know exactly what you want and what you don’t like. Make a list of these wants, and don’t wander away from them. The people who work at the car dealership will try to sell you what they think is best, and so will someone you meet online. But only you really know what you want in a car.

I wanted certain things in a car. I made a list of all the things I didn't want. I didn't want a maroon car, I didn't want a Honda, and I didn't want anything with high mileage. Even though I didn't know exactly what I did want, I knew exactly what I didn't. This made narrowing the list down easier.

Also, don’t give into peer pressure from your friends and family about an automobile. They also don’t know what you want. They only know what they think you want.

If you don’t want to have to fix your vehicle over and over again, get a car with less than 80,000 miles. After that, automobiles tend to have many more problems.

Obviously you need to look into many wheels to find what you want. Do your research.

Whether you are buying or selling a car, make sure you do it the way you want. Besides, we girls can make our own decisions, even if it does involve cars!