Buying a Car Without Getting Taken to the Cleaners

When I decided to replace my Saturn with a small SUV recently, I was determined not to walk away from the dealer feeling like I had just been taken to the cleaners. Every car deal I have ever made has left me feeling like I somehow paid too much. In fact, the experiences have been so bad, and I have felt so pressured, that I have avoided even looking at cars, all the while knowing that my little Saturn sedan was on its last legs.

So, when I finally faced reality and accepted the inevitability of having to find a replacement vehicle, I made a commitment to myself to become as educated as possible so that I could walk away from a dealer with my new car feeling good about myself and the transaction I had just completed.

After searching the internet for hours in search of the ultimate car buying guide, I came across Edmunds.com. Edmunds provided me with a one-stop site for all my car shopping needs. The site was easy to navigate and I quickly found myself immersed in a multitude of facts and reviews that helped me to quickly narrow my search and focus on the SUV that would best suit my needs. 

I began with a generic search that allowed me to look at SUVs from a variety of angles. I could choose to narrow my search by size (compact, midsize, or large), price (7 different price ranges), or special category (diesel, hybrid, luxury, etc.). I was then able to select a few models for comparison, and following the Car Reviews link, examine buying guides, road tests, consumer ratings, and photos for the cars I was interested in. 

The Tips and Advice link then directed me to safety information, special buying tips, guidelines for financing and insurance coverage, and buying experiences from other consumers. 

Once I had decided on the SUV I wanted, I found what is perhaps the most valuable tool on the Edmunds.com site: the True Market Value, or TMV. The Edmunds trademark TMV is an exclusive system that gives the consumer information about what others are paying for a particular vehicle in their geographic area.