by Joshua Greene

Created on: April 20, 2009

I bought my first car back in 2006. I was the typical teenager. I wanted an old muscle car, like a Camaro, or an old Mustang. But in the end, I ended up with my current car; my 1996 Toyota Camry. By no means is it as exciting or does it stand out like a 1972 Chevrolet Camaro, but it gets me from point A to point B without giving me much trouble.

When buying my Camry, I did a few key things. Firstly, I brought my father with me to look at it. When you have someone else with you, it helps your mindset on the vehicle by providing a third-party perspective on the automobile. Maybe that van you were thinking of turning into the party-mobile wasn't a very smooth idea. It's good to get a separate perspective on the car. It is also especially helpful if you or this other individual is good with cars. The more that you or the person you bring along knows about the mechanics of motor vehicles, the better; as you can examine the car in more detail. With used cars, this can mean finding little problems that may have just been "forgotten about" by the seller.

Second, do whatever you can to find any problems and make sure that you can fix them yourself, or have enough money to hire someone to fix them for you. When I first test drove my car, the first thing I noticed was the squeeking brake pads. Noticing this would be a problem I would have to address if I bought my car, I went to the closest Auto Parts store and received prices for the parts that I needed. If I needed to hire someone, I would have received an estimate from an automotive mechanic instead.

Thirdly, as simple as this sounds, you need to test drive the car as much as you can. Try to feel if you're comfortable in it. I have friends who have bought a car after one small test drive, and now they feel that the vehicle is too big for them and makes uncomfortable turns and such. Try doing whatever you'll do in driving on a daily basis on a test drive. Drive like you normally do. Test the brakes out. Make a sharp turn. Try to see how the car reacts to how you drive and may drive depending on circumstances that may arise while you are driving.

Lastly, after you return home from looking at countless cars and going to a number of dealerships and houses, have a good meal and sleep on your decision. Hasty purchases often lead to bad decisions. If you can prevent that mistake of buying a car you don't actually want by just taking a few days to think about it, then why not? As the saying goes "It's better to be safe than sorry"

Back in 2006, I examined that Camry with my father, and we took it for a long test drive, feeling how the car responded to my touch, and finding any problems that we could. I went home, slept on it, and now, a set of brake pads, a set of tires, and the routine oil change later, I'm still driving my Camry.

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