Buying New or Used ? The Smart Car Shopping Checklist Nobody Gave You
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Term
transmission
The transmission is what helps your car change gears and move. If it breaks, fixing it can be very expensive, sometimes costing thousands of dollars.
Brand
Toyota
Toyota is a car company that makes many different types of vehicles, known for being dependable and good on gas.
Brand
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is another car company that makes popular cars, including the famous Beetle and Golf. They are known for their solid construction and good performance.
Car
Saab
Saab is a car brand from Sweden that made cars known for their unique style and turbo engines.
Car
Honda Crv
The Honda CR-V is a small SUV that’s known for being dependable and easy to drive. The 1999 version is especially liked because it has a lot of space inside and is good on gas, making it a smart choice for many drivers.
Car
Honda That Honda
The Honda That's is a small car that looks a bit different from regular cars because it's designed to be very practical and spacious inside. It's popular in Japan for city driving because it’s easy to park and use.
Term
pre-owned
Pre-owned means the car has been owned by someone else before you. These cars are usually cheaper than new ones.
Term
budget
A budget is the amount of money you plan to spend when buying a car. It helps you decide which cars you can afford.
Term
leasing
Leasing means you pay to use a car for a few years instead of buying it. When the lease ends, you give the car back and can get a new one or buy the one you were using.
Term
upside down in a lease
If you're 'upside down' in a lease, it means you owe more money than the car is worth. This can happen if the car loses value quickly or if there are extra costs in the lease.
Term
Jalopy
A 'jalopy' is an old car that doesn't work very well and looks bad. People often use this word when talking about cars that are falling apart.
Term
road test
A 'road test' is when you drive a car to see how it feels and how well it works before you decide to buy it. It's important to make sure you like the car.
Car
Toyota FJ Cruiser
The Toyota FJ Cruiser is a tough SUV that looks unique and is great for driving off-road. It was made for a few years and is popular with people who like adventure driving.
Term
regular maintenance
Regular maintenance means taking care of your car with things like oil changes and checking the brakes. Doing this helps keep the car in good shape and prevents bigger problems later.
LIVE
Good morning Niagara, you're tuned to Car Connection where the coffee's hot, the tools
are ready and the talk is always tuned up.
I'm your host, Niall MotorMelt Jenkins, coming to you straight from, you guessed it, the
Car Connection Workshop, where we mix a little humor, a little know-how, and a whole lot
of horsepower.
Here it's not just about fixing cars, it's about keeping you rolling, saving you money,
and giving you the confidence to understand what's under that hood.
From the classics, to the commuters, to the weird noises, to the what the heck moments,
we've got you covered.
So grab your coffee, if you're just heading through the drive-thru, check, double check
your order before you get on the road, lock it down in your cup holder, and keep an eye
on the other guy.
Yeah, the one in the passenger seat, yeah, you know, you've got to understand what's
going to wake him up once in a while.
But if you are a solo flyer this morning, keep an eye on the road, and the other guy,
you know which one.
So grab your cup of joe, sit back, don't relax too much if you're driving, because this
is Car Connection, your Monday through Saturday morning pit stop for stories, smarts, a few
good laughs, and I'm Niall MotorMelt Jenkins, and we're shifting in to drive this morning
right here in the Car Connection workshop.
Got some really good stuff for you this morning, buying a new car, or a new car to you called
the pre-owned.
It's one of my favorites, because that's where, you know, somebody else takes the
hit on the depreciation, you just walk in and go, mine, yeah.
But if you're one of those that, you know, you've got big scads, buckets of cash, wheel
barrels show up outside, and you go, oh, honey, another wheelbarrow full of cash, yeah, just
put it around the back, yeah, I'm just teasing this morning a little bit, I haven't had coffee
yet, I'm still drinking my herbal tea to get rid of this winter, whatever it is, somebody
passed along to me, he gads man, it's been, it's all over the map, it goes away, and then
you're going, ah, that feels great, and then he gads, what the heck is going on, one of
those what the heck moments, so buying a new car or a pre-owned vehicle, that's what I'm
going to be unpacking for you this morning, so get your pack of crayons, your leaf bag,
give a nudge to your co-pilot this morning and go, hey, wake up, yeah, you're driving,
here's the wheel, boom, no, you're taking notes this morning for me, write this stuff down,
all right, we're going to have a swiggy together in just a few moments,
so stay with us, but first and foremost, it's so important that we make sure that we recognize
our program partners, you know, for 31 years we've had these program partners with us, as we
did not renew our contract to continue on radio, and it just felt like, you know what, it's time
for change, time for us to reach more, more, and more people out there northwest, is it northwest?
No, it's northwest, fella, exactly, reach more people on podcasting platform, so that everyone
has a chance to learn some stuff from yours truly, license, automotive, and highway, truck,
and equipment, tech, Nile, motor, mouth, Jenkins, yes, I am current with my licenses, okay, yeah,
we have to pay every, well, it used to be every year we had to renew our licenses,
but then they send us a bill and then you, they let you know how many years you got to pay for,
yeah, it's just a, it's a formality, whatever, okay, let's say thank you to Crystal Ridge Dream
Center, serving men, women, and children meals, love and hope, and in the Niagara region, changing
a life, changing a family, one at a time, they just handed out their Christmas boxes over 200,
everything in the box for a meal, a Christmas meal, and gifts for their kids, how cool is that,
and that's all donations, donations, you know, in times when community sport is crucial,
Crystal Ridge Dream Center shines as a beacon of compassion and transformation, they're located
at 385 Derby Road in Crystal Beach, Ontario, Canada, and you can connect to them through our
car connection business network.com website, ccbusnet.com, and if that's, don't, don't be too
concerned about writing that down, but get that down, Skippy, okay, I put all the information
where you find all our links so that you can be part of our car connection community, and you
can also connect with those that are part of bringing the programming to you, because we're on
YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, iHeartRadio, which is where this podcast uploads to, so wherever you
pull your podcasts from, type in the search bar, car connection workshop, and you'll find us
on our other platforms, it's Nile, motormouth, Jenkins, but I put all that information for you,
including how to get to our merch store, because you buy some merch, you help somebody who's
struggling with addiction get to a campus where they can get serious help, where they can get
through that, pass that over that. So Crystal Ridge Dream Center, changing lives in the Niagara
Region one at a time. There are non-profit faith-based organization and car connection,
which was our live automotive call-in program for 31 years, always come alongside
some kind of organization that's non-profit faith-based in the Niagara Region, so working
with individuals and families in our own backyard, so we've been doing that for 31 years,
and we're kind of attached to Crystal Ridge Dream Center, so check them out on our website, and
you know what, you can donate, donate your time, become a volunteer, they have over 61 volunteers,
and I'll tell you, I've met a majority of them, and they are so happy where they are doing what
they're doing and watching lives change, so that's an area where you can become part of their
community and make a difference, because not all of us have the gifts to do what they do,
and you know, if we can do something, even if it's a little something, because all the little
somethings together create a big something. Thank you to Earl Louise Grant at City Auto Sales and
Leasing, they've earned their title over 25 years, they're car guys, and they know how to pick
them, they have the resources to find low mileage quality vehicles and offer them to you at fair
prices, and I'll tell you, Earl, he's a serious car guy, and he is fussy, they sell no junk there,
you will not buy anything that is somebody else's scrap at City Auto Sales and Leasing, low mileage
quality vehicles at fair prices, they do carry a pretty decent inventory, but if you're looking for
a specific vehicle, let them know, they have the resources to find that vehicle for you,
and do the legwork, and make sure that you get the best of the best of the best, that's how
City Auto Sales and Leasing and Earl Louise Grant have earned the title of Greater Toronto
Area's premier pre-owned auto store, they have in-house financing, you can lease as well,
so stop by, it is worth it to take a drive, a decent drive, to be able to buy a vehicle
and know you that you're buying with confidence and treated with nothing less than honesty and
integrity. Thank you to the brothers at Rainbow Motors and Garage in Scarborough, Ontario,
Scarborough, can you say that? Monday morning before coffee, Scarborough, Ontario, yes, sales and
service, you can trust, they as well have an inventory of vehicles, but again if you're looking
for something specific, let Rita and Ramiz, the brothers, know what you're looking for so they
can do the legwork and find it for you, and they're, these guys are mechanics, they fix all years,
make some models as well, so you can purchase there and get its service there, how cool is that?
They also look after light commercial vehicles as well, so that you know, so Rainbow Motors and
Garage, sales and service, you can trust, always. Thanks to our certified financial
planning professionals keeping us on track with our money that we don't have, and maybe you have
money and it's an investment portfolio that's doing absolutely nothing, it may have the handbrake
on, it's pulled over to the soft shoulder, it's been there for a while, doing nothing, well you
need to connect with Tony Miele and Larry Tietro, combined they have over 50 years experience
as fiduciaries, and if you don't know what that means, it means they understand money,
they understand investments, they understand the stuff that we don't like to talk about,
and that starts a lot of arguments, well I should, I'll back that up, a lot of moments of intense
fellowship between husbands and wives because of money, you get the opportunity to connect and get
an hour in a coffee is the meeting that we call it, it's a discovery meeting for you to, to meet by
Zoom, phone, go to their office, they'll come to you, or meet you in a coffee shop, wherever you
feel most comfortable, they'll meet you there, no sales, no condemnation, nothing, they're going to
listen more, and you're going to talk more, and they're going to listen a whole lot more, so that
they can figure out how they can help you, what your goals and dreams are, so if you have a portfolio
with the bank, you need that hour in a coffee because you know, you're making a ziplock bag full
of pittance, and they're making bundles of cash off of your money, so your money's working hard
for the bank, but not hard for you, that's the difference, yep, isn't it fair that you know,
banks charge you to, to have those investments, that you know, I hear this often, well they're
going to charge us something, yeah, yeah, yeah, if you bring your car into the shop, they're going
to charge you something right for working on your car, so just listen up, listen up for a minute,
if they're making you money, when they make you money, they make money, isn't that fair,
I think that's absolutely fair, and Tony and Larry, I've known them over 20 years, and let me tell
you, I've sent friends there that have had investments with banks, they're very happy now,
because their money is making the money, they're making them money while they sleep,
that's how it should work, and they're making more money on their money, but if you have no
money and you have more debt, you have more month than money, that's called debt, and they can help
you with that as well, a state, a state planning, wills, powers of attorney, all those things, if
you have children, you have a bank book, you have a home, you have a car, you have an estate that needs
to be properly planned for, because it can financially ruin you, mortgages, I don't get
mortgages anywhere except for through Tony and Larry, through IG wealth management,
they're fabulous to deal with, and I'll tell you what, I'm not telling you what my rate is,
even after the housing market was up and down like a pair of really bad work socks,
you know the ones where the elastic's gone, you're reaching down, pulling them up guys,
and then they go down, you pull them up, yeah, they give you great mortgages, great people to
work with, amazing, and the more life insurance, critical illness insurance, you have that covered,
probably not, most of you don't, nine out of 10 families don't have any of what I just talked about
taking care of, so an hour and a coffee is going to be a huge bonus for you, thank you to the
Grimo Family at Niagara Block 5000 Montrose Road in Niagara Falls, building Canada since 1931,
building materials, hardscape, landscaping materials that will help you design and create that backyard
space that you've always wanted, your personal oasis, I have that here, I just love it, the back
porch, the backyard on a summer day, the breezes coming through off the lake to sit there, and you
read a book, have a cup of coffee in the morning, and get down to business, and I just absolutely
love that, so check in with them, they can help you design your landscaping feature as well,
your hardscape, and I'll tell you, the customer service there will blow you right out the door,
905-356-2221 is the number to call, you want to start sourcing your landscaping expert now,
because the good guys, they get snatched up, I waited two years to get landscaping done, but
the company that does a lot of work down in the Niagara, on the lake area, and I saw their work,
and I'm like, those are the guys, we'll wait for them, because you know, the other guys, if they
pick up the phone right away, they got nothing to do, next, it's all I'm saying about that,
Total Freedom Darien Center, New York, it's an addiction campus that's open to Canadian and US
residents, for men and women, Total Freedom City, Manitoba, Canada, is a men-only campus,
and that's directed by Rick and Robin, I'll tell you, they can tell you their story,
and you're going to need some Kleenex, because it'll bring you to tears, but they know
right firsthand, what it's like to be struggling with addictions, and we got a lot of people out
there doing that, so when you buy merchandise from Car Connection, be part of the motormouth crew,
proceeds from that merchandise, goes to help others get into an addiction campus, where
a new life is waiting for them there, you know, it's not a program, it's a life change,
you got to be ready to say, I'm sick and tired, fed up, disgusted, and bored,
I need help, I can't do this on my own, well welcome to Monday morning, it is Monday, happy Monday,
wake up little rosebud, wake up, yep, it's motormouth here, and let's get rolling, because I got a lot
of mileage to cover in a short period of time, you can catch our podcasts on our website as well,
we have an archive section where the podcasts get uploaded too, so that you can keep them,
yeah, you can also grab them off of our iHeart podcast, I have an account there,
yeah, I'm just getting used to all this stuff, this is brand new to me, and learning as fast as I
can, we'll have guests coming up in the new year, I have to learn how to do this first, then add in
a guest, then add in an open and a close, lots of moving pieces, and I'm a mechanic for Pete's sake,
come on, take it easy on me, learning this stuff is like sucking on a fire hose,
yeah, you get big lips, they look like, like you've swallowed a frisbee, yeah exactly, all right,
let's have a swingy together, I've got a motormouth tech tip for you this morning, and our topic
will be buying a new or pre-owned automobile, I've got some tidbits for you that will save you
thousands of dollars, as well as headaches, heartaches, and ending up with somebody else's
piece of junk, all right, so gonna help you to do that, because that is the second largest,
are you hearing me, second largest purchase you're gonna make in your life, and why we think we can
do it on an afternoon, or I'm going car shopping for an hour, and I'll just grab something,
that's how you end up with somebody else's boo boo, yeah, a collector's piece,
yeah, yeah, sometimes runs, sometimes doesn't, the check engine light, the money light's been on
since it was born, you don't want to end up with something like that, it's just that it becomes a
serious headache, and you lose money, so stick around, take some notes, get your crayons going,
let's have a swiggy together, you got your morning beverage ready, on three two one, we count it down,
and we have a morning swiggy, three two one, a hint of honey this morning,
that'll do it, I put an extra piece of ginger in there, I'm trying to blast this thing out of my
body, naturally, yeah, I'm not, I'm not a, I'm not a medicine dude, you know, yeah, I like to,
we got everything we need on this planet, we just have to figure out how to use it,
it's like reading the instructions, why didn't I just read the instructions first,
not what I made things a whole lot easier, right, no, fellers don't read instructions,
absolutely not, all right, this morning's motormouth tech tip for you is, you ready for it,
pack an emergency kit, it is that time, it's Christmas week, everybody's scooting here and
there around the square, and you're so, you know, inundated with packages, and did we get something
for Aunt Martha, and Uncle Bill, and blah blah blah, and you're just panicking, how many have got
your Christmas shopping done, you know, I just heard yesterday, not yet, and I'm going yes,
you're with me, right, yeah, today, today is Christmas shopping for me, yeah, it's my typical
thing every year, because I can, I can rustle up some great deals today, so that's what I'll be
doing this afternoon, we're shooting videos for YouTube, bright and early this morning, we shoot
three videos, 7 a.m. Monday mornings, and then we edit, upload, and then I take care of the rest
of the edit, so we'll have a fresh, you'll have fresh videos, they're already loaded up for you
for Christmas week, so get your phones ready, when you get bored and you're hanging out,
at Aunt Martha's place, and she's going to pinch your cheeks one more time, just say,
not right now, Aunt Martha, I'm YouTubing, on the car connection, exactly, all right, so pack
and plan an emergency kit, because that's a motor mouth here, with a real talk reminder,
all seriousness, all malarkey set aside, shenanigans, whatever you want to call it,
winter breakdowns happen, so keep an emergency kit with some fresh water, you want to pack that
the morning of, when you're scooting out, number two, make sure you check the roads where you're
going to be going, and put a courtesy call out, letting your guests know, your hosts, I would say,
your hosts, know when you're leaving and what route you're taking, should something happen,
they know where you are, and check in on your way, just to put them at ease, because people get
nervous, they should have been here by now, how come, it's like 20 minutes, 20 minutes, anyways,
20 minutes, that's right, that's when your order is ready, 20 minutes, Chinese food,
I heard that for years, I always ordered dinner number seven, 20 minutes, thank you, see you there,
so fresh water, jumper cables, flashlight, I know you got one on your phone, but have
another one that's ready to go, even if it's USB charge, make sure you got extra USB cables,
and battery chargers for your cell phone, make sure your cell phones, all cell phones
are fully charged, and that you have two charger units and two cables,
I'm just saying, little experience right there, and a first aid kit, and maybe a snack or two,
and blankets, mittens, dry socks, and some really good winter boots,
if you have all that, then you know what, no matter what nature throws at you, you're ready,
and you may be able to help somebody else, it gives you peace of mind,
and when you're on those long cold stretches of highway, it's good to know if something should
happen, and don't forget to check and make sure that your spare tires checked, and all the tools
are there, if you got into a remote area, tire goes flat, you know, you may not even be able to
call out, who knows, that you can get that tire changed, get yourselves on the way, and rescue
yourselves, so it's always good to think about others with your emergency kit as well, so
make sure you got every single thing, and then some in there, should you end up being stranded
somewhere, that you can survive it, and maybe you can even help someone else, take some time
to put that all into a totter, into the car, so that you have it, and remember the,
a full jug of winter washer fluid, so fill the reservoir, and put a full one in the trunk fellas,
not fill the reservoir, and you got a little dribble in the bottom of the container, no,
fill the reservoirs, put a full one in the trunk, throw in some kitty litter too,
makes really good way, if you've got to get off some ice, or some sand, if you don't have
kitty litter, and the cat's looking at you going, you know, don't, don't mess with my toiletries,
dude, yeah, aren't gonna wreck something while you're away, that you really like, so sand,
you know, you can get a bag of sand, no problem, and put that in the trunk of the car,
can always use a blanket to get unstuck as well, does work, does work, just make sure you know,
you're not standing on the end of the blanket while somebody's trying to get the car out,
and remember this, don't sit there rocking that car, reverse forward, reverse forward,
reverse forward, reverse forward, because you are going to blow your transmission up,
it's not worth a couple hundred bucks for a tow job, or five, six grand, or say good night to the
car, because it's done, tranny's going to be, transmission's going to be way too much money
for you, so another little extra tech tip, I love the guy that says, get out of there,
I can get that out for you, yeah, just took about 150,000 kilometers off my transmission,
should it be smoking like that, oh it'll cool off, exactly, all right, let's jump right in,
you got your crayons handy, excellent, I'm going to give you instructions, now again,
it's entirely upon yourself, because hey, I don't know at all, I'll agree with that 100%,
I'm not a big shot, I'm just a little shot, just keep shooting, and where did I learn this stuff,
I learned it from sales guys, there you go, not just one, multiple, multiple,
and also from certified financial planning professionals as well, so here's what you
need to do, first and foremost, go to the dollar store, it's not a dollar there, I know, you might
be able to get it for about a buck and a quarter, maybe a buck and a half, you need a little notebook
that you can keep in your pocket, yeah, you don't want to go in there with a clipboard,
it's going to be like, oh, you take them, I had one of those last week, so you got to do it on
the QT, you got to make sure that you're educated on making a second largest purchase, but you don't
want to let all your, put all your cards on the table that you're taking notes, okay, so your first
series of notes, first chore, get a small hand-sized spiral bound little notebook thingy and a
reliable writing device, whatever that may be for you, on your first page, you're going to write down
the list of vehicles you're interested in, like seriously interested in, not like I want to go
touch one of those, no, you write down the list of vehicles that you are serious about owning,
all right, and this is where the help comes in, if you're buying a make and model a vehicle that
you've never had before, that this is where this really comes in handy, because you know what,
I've owned a lot of vehicles and in fact, I'm driving one right now, I've never had one of those
before, not at all, so it is a bit of a learning curve, how, you know, how their, their vehicle
is different from other vehicles I've had, I've driven a lot of Toyotas, I like my Volkswagen's,
I like my European cars, not all of them, I like the Volkswagen's, I am a V-dub guy,
have a sob, we bring that out in the summer, that's a summer car to go to the European car shows,
because now we can't get into certain car shows unless you bring something that fits the category,
so we have our tools so that we can get out there and meet people and we like to let the kids get
in and have their pictures taken and stuff, but we'll talk about that another time, but there's
models that I have, I had never had a Honda before and then I bought a 1999 at that time,
a Honda CR-V, it was American, it was one owner, it had 60,000 miles on it, that thing was fabulous,
but it was a learning curve, there was stuff about that Honda that I had to learn, fluids,
how a thing works, you know, you got to get familiar with it, so on your list,
the vehicles that you're interested in, there may be some you're really familiar with and some
you have no idea you've never had one before, okay, so that's your, now you're going to create
a breakout list, what does that look like, put them in order of how you want to look at them,
and here's what I suggest, the models that you've never had before, put them first,
the models that you have had before, if you're looking to buy one of the same, but you're not
sure because you're curious about these other ones, you put them last because you're familiar
with the product, you want to do the unfamiliar first, so now you're going to put each one of
those models on a page in your little handheld notebook, all right, and each model gets its own
page front and back, because on the front page, you're going to road test them, you're not going
to talk numbers seriously with a salesman, you just, you know, I'll tell you when we get to that
point, so you're going to rotate the pattern with each vehicle, so I'm just going to pick one
and talk about what you're going to do, so place the vehicle on a single sheet,
so you're blank on the front, blank on the back, put the title of the maker model,
and the year of the vehicle on the page, now you're going to go where those vehicles are,
you may have your shopping already picked out for you, so you're going to go there,
when you get there, you're going to tell the salesman, I'm interested, but I'm not ready to buy
today, and you can be honest, say I got a bunch of vehicles, I want to road test to see what works
for me, and you know, if they start trying to talk you into something, just say that's why I'm here,
I'm not sure if I'm going to like it, but it's on my list, list, you just go, they might ask you,
what else is on your list, you go, I'm just here to drive this, I need to road test this,
see if it works for me, so when you go out for the road test, do your circle check,
look it over really, really well, because here's the thing, I had a few people that emailed me
after they made a vehicle purchase, and the seat wasn't comfortable, it just killed their back,
and they spent like, I can't even tell you, thousands to have the driver's seat remove brand
new vehicle, to have foam put in, to have supports put in, this, that, and the other thing, only
to discover that wasn't helping, and now you're stuck with it, and that's when I got an email,
and I said, well, here's the thing, you know, take it back to the dealer, and see what they're
selling dealer that works for you, you don't want to go down that road, that's why I'm telling you
how to do it, slow this process down, one vehicle per page, page one is what I like, the likes,
the back page, deal breakers, got it, so if the price tags a deal breaker, then it's done,
you're not going to overextend yourself, because you know what, if your car broke,
you got to remember, you got to gas and oil and maintain it, period, there's no maintenance free
cars out there, I'm sorry to tell you, but there is not, so you're going to walk around each one,
if there's things about the vehicle, you know, the seats don't feel comfortable,
or you don't like the seat belts, the way it sits on across your body, it's going to irritate you,
the dash is not friendly to you, those are deal breakers, because remember,
you're going to have to put up with that for a long time, so then you want to take it for a road
test, then you want to park it, because I have had an email where a person said, I cannot manage
this vehicle to park it to save my life, I can't see, I'm too short, there's blind spots for me,
and the vehicle was, they almost had a couple of wrecks because of blind spots,
bam, you know, you own it now, so how do you get out of this thing,
yeah, just throw some holes on the side of the car, put some portholes in there, I don't know,
anyways, you don't want to be stuck with something for the next five, six, seven years,
that is an annoyance, so you're going to road test, lane change, back it up, park it,
parallel park it, make sure that the vehicle is comfortable for you, you know, can it do all the
things that you need it to do with your household schedules with the kids, going to the cottage,
going camping, going grocery shopping, retail therapy, loading her up, all that stuff,
so how do you, what do you do with the next one, the exact same thing, if price tag is too high,
then that's a deal breaker, making the budget work right down to the nut is not a good idea,
that's a deal breaker, means you've got to look at something else on your list, all right, so this
method applies to both pre-owned and brand new, got it, it applies to both, you're going to search
them out exactly the same, so if it's pre-owned and you're looking for something specific, then
you're going to have to have your shopping resources mapped out, okay, I'm going here to road test that,
I'm going over there to road test that, I'm going over there to road test that, but you've got your
notebook and you've got your information in there, the vehicles that you want to road test
and check them out and put the address of where they are, so you've got everything in that little
notebook, but the big deal is making sure you're not buying on emotion, the color, the excitement
of the model, because here's what happens, you end up buying something to impress people that you
don't even know and you don't even like, I've done it back in my 20s, done it, paid a huge price
for that vehicle, I still have it today, Mo, I paid a big number and the same price and interest
that the price of the vehicle was, so don't get caught up in buying on emotion, you want to buy
on practicality, will this vehicle work for me, how much is it, it's over budget, done,
just like that, if you're buying pre-owned, then you need to set your budget and I can tell you
right now, when I was buying a vehicle, I needed something bigger for car connection to go to
fundraisers and car events and stuff, the CRV was too teeny weeny, it was, it was too small,
I'll tell you, I did cram some stuff in there, but we needed a bigger vehicle that was easy to
clean, I didn't want carpeting, I wanted easy to clean interior so I can get the thing cleaned up
and ready to go and Tony says to me, here's your budget, don't call me for one more dollar,
not one, this is your budget and you've got to get this much money out of your present vehicle,
so when I tell you, I'm not the message, I'm the messenger, set your budget and stick to it,
because salespeople will finagle it and then you know what, when the vehicle honeymoon is over,
you will not be happy, so you want to buy smart and this is how you do it, so all the vehicles
that you have selected, you don't do a deal until you have driven every single one,
all of them, get it out of your system, that's what I tell people, oh I'm interested in this,
I'm interested in that, oh I'd really like to try that out, go do it, go and do it,
but again, you stick to your number, that finance number period and in another podcast I'll do
leasing versus buying and I'll really unpack that for you and it'll probably make your toenails
flutter because I can't tell you the number of people who come to me and go, what do I do,
I'm stuck in this lease, yep, that's called being upside down and sideways in a lease,
so we're going to talk about that in another program, so the buying process,
the biggest part of it is leaving emotion out of it, having your number, your numbers
for financing in place and road testing every single vehicle that strikes you,
everyone, you do them all, then you don't buy that same day, I call it the cool down period
and so does sales guys, the cool down period, 24, 48 hours, you go into your little notebook,
you've circle checked each vehicle, you know how much it's going to be, you put the number on the
paper and you also have written down things I like and on the other side of the page,
deal breakers, things about that vehicle when you road tested it, you didn't like this, I don't
like that, I don't like this part of the interior, I don't know, I'm finding it difficult to get the
controls, they're too small, they're in the wrong location for me, write that down because remember
again, you're going to own this thing for three to five to seven years, so you know what,
that's a long time when you go, this thing really sucks, yeah, I don't like it, I don't
like the way it handles, I am difficult parking it, I can't see to change lanes really, there's a big
blind spot for me, those are deal breakers, write them on the page, go and test the next one,
so if you have six vehicles that you want to road test, that's six pages, one vehicle per page,
front side, likes, backside, deal breakers, after you road test say the sixth one,
now you've got your data to do the 24-48 hour cooldown, that's where you look at your list,
review each vehicle, and let's say you've now kind of narrowed it down to three out of the six,
this is step two, go back and road test them again, open up three separate pages for those
vehicles that really kind of could suit the bill, and you go and road test them again,
and then again, 24 hours, cooldown period, review your second road test on each vehicle,
you're not talking numbers with the sales guy, you're not there to write the check,
you're not there to take it home, you know what, the vehicle, if that vehicle is supposed to be
for you, as my good friend Mike Basil would say, all the planets will align, the barometric pressure
will be fantastic, the temperature outside will be perfect, everything will line up for you to have
that specific vehicle, and you know what, he's a great friend and that works every single time,
when the emotion gets into it, you're going to buy something and own it, and you don't even like it,
you don't even like it, so we can avoid that big time, so now the cooldown period, you pick three
out of six picks, go and re-road test again, you're not writing the check, you're not taking it home,
you're not sitting down for a deal, you're just there to road test, write your checklist again,
review it overnight in the morning, and now you've got it narrowed down to one,
now you go back and you drive it again, you drive it again, because you may have missed something,
because now you're serious, this is it, this is your pick that you're going to have to live with
for quite a few years, once you buy it, it's yours, to back out, you're going to lose money,
and that gentleman had talked about the seats, he said, I got to get out of the vehicle in an hour,
I can drive it for an hour, and then I'm losing my stinking mind because of my back,
and he did make a deal with the Ford store, but he lost thousands of dollars, it had nothing for
mileage on it, thousands of dollars gone, just for that, it was crazy, so we want to avoid that,
at all costs, you want to avoid that, being stuck with something you don't want, and extended
warranties, and warranties, I'll talk about that in another podcast because that's something you
have got to be smart about, you have to be an educated consumer, not a con consumer, so we'll
talk about that in another podcast as well, because we're heading into a new year, a lot of times,
the first few months of the new year, people are contemplating getting out of their old Jalopy,
passing it off, somebody in the family and stepping up to the plate, getting something
newer, so it's a perfect time to talk about it and prepare ahead of time and not leaving it down
to the last minute, so now you've got it down to your last pick, you've got out of six vehicles,
you've driven them, you've driven them twice, you've made your list, and you've got any deal
breakers on that list of the vehicle that you really really like, that's why a third road test,
one more time, because I've seen this happen, you know, I thought that was the one I wanted,
and then I went back through my sheets and I went and drove vehicle number three out of six,
and that one suited me better, so this is where you really got to end the color, here's the thing,
oh it's the wrong color, who cares, if it's not, you're not buying your dream vehicle,
does it really matter what color it is? Not really, when I bought my Honda CR-V and my good friend
Mike Basil says, calls me and he goes, Nile, he goes, I got your vehicle here, it fits your budget,
I'm like okay, and he goes like this, now pay close attention Jenkins to this one,
okay, all right, so made our plans, went down there, road tested, it was green,
I really didn't care for the green, but you know what, everything else about it,
checked the right boxes, and I'll tell you what, that vehicle was bang on for me,
and I had it for, I had it 15 years, and then I sold it, and I got enough money out of selling it,
and it didn't take but a couple of phone calls to buy phone, hey I heard you're selling your CR-V,
that's mine, I licked it, it's mine, I go, yeah I haven't found what I'm looking for yet,
they came and dropped money on me, here take this, keep this as deposit, even if it takes you a year,
I want that car, okay, all right, okay, but if it doesn't pan out, so I put the money away,
and it took about, it took a few months to find, that's when I was looking for an FJ,
but the budget was, does Tony my CFP said don't call me for an extra dollar, the answer's going to
be no, the number's got to work, this is your number, and that's what you want, you want someone
in your corner like that so you don't get buried over budget, because then you're not going to be
happy still having to maintain it, and in license, insurance, gas, regular maintenance,
you're going to have to take care of it if you want the thing to last, so that's how I do it,
that's how I've learned to do it, and you know what, just rotate the pattern,
and you'll come out a winner, not guaranteeing you that you're going to get a vehicle that's
trouble free, it's all about maintenance, it's all about maintenance, and you know what, you could
give me the worst vehicle with pattern failures on the market, but I'll study it, and I'll know
what the pattern failures are, and I'll have a plan for that to offset it, but not everybody can do
that, and I would probably not have a single problem with that particular vehicle, knowing the
pattern failures, then you know what to do ahead of time to prevent the pattern failures from
happening, or keep an eye on specific things, so one more tidbit, one more, yep, here it is, this is
the big one, don't go into chat rooms, because everybody got an opinion, everyone's got a belly
button, right, exactly, everyone's got an opinion, look up the consumer's report on the vehicles
that you're interested in, and see what consumer report says, and I wouldn't take that as being the
gospel, or written in stone tablets, I would say these are indicators, indicators, again as I just
talked about pattern failures, if I study the pattern failures of specific vehicles, I could say
yeah, I could own that, but I'd have to watch out for this, this, this, and this, stay on it,
so it doesn't get away from you, and you know what, you probably will have problem free
for you, because I've done that, I had a vehicle that someone said oh, I went and bought that piece
of junk, that thing's got this and that, and this and that, you know what, I knew it, and I knew how
to kind of circumvent that, by extra care and preventative maintenance, never had a problem,
with any of those things that the fellow said to me, biggest piece of junk he told me,
best car I ever had, there you go, there's good and bad in all years, make some models,
I don't care whose it is, but we got to do our homework when we're shopping, and that little
notebook is your pal, and how I told you how to do that is road test them all, what you like,
and the deal breakers, does it fit your number, your budget, or not, if it doesn't,
then it's a deal breaker, if it's not the right color, but it's the right vehicle,
it's pre-owned, you can get a deal on it, who cares what color it is, well as long as it's not,
you know, pink, for me, I draw the line there, okay, you know, I guess real men wear pink,
not me, just saying, I did not play with Barbie dolls when I was a kid, it was GI Joe, all the way,
okay, so color shouldn't matter at all, because that's buying on emotion, period, if the vehicle
suits you, it works, it's practical, you budget maintenance for it, the maintenance on it's not
going to kill you, and drain your wallet, and all, most of the boxes are on the like side,
and very little on the dislike side, on the deal breaker side, then you probably found the one
for you, so whatever color that car is, you go, I love it, just like that, because unless it's,
you're out there buying your dream car, this is just a vehicle that's got to get you A to B,
and it's got to be practical, and take care of it, and then you know what, at trade-in time,
you still got some value left, because pre-owned automobiles are hot, anything under 10 grand,
15 grand, 20 grand, they're hot items, yeah, we don't have a huge supply of pre-owned,
so you know, hey, even if it's tartan, I'll take it, if the rest of it fits, so I hope you got
some nuggets out of this, and I don't want to hear anybody buying a vehicle that they didn't like,
they thought they liked, then you bought it, then you figured out, six months later to a year,
this thing really sucks, I hate it, I should never applaud it, you don't need to go there,
this is a great way for you to come away with what you need, not what you don't need,
so till tomorrow morning, we'll see you at 8 a.m. for the MotorMouth Morning Drive, make it a great
day, keep it under 100, happy, healthy motoring, and if you're out there doing some last-minute
Christmas shopping, keep your head up, wear a helmet, body armor, and watch out for killer
shopping carts, we'll see you tomorrow morning at 8, bye for now.
About this episode
Navigating the car buying process can be daunting, whether you're considering new or pre-owned vehicles. Niall MotorMelt Jenkins shares a smart checklist to help you make informed decisions, emphasizing the importance of thorough research, road testing, and avoiding emotional purchases. He provides practical tips on budgeting, identifying deal breakers, and understanding the nuances of different models. With a mix of humor and expertise, this episode equips listeners with the knowledge to avoid common pitfalls and find the right vehicle for their needs.
Original notes
Thinking about buying a new or pre-owned vehicle? Before you sign anything, you need a plan.
In this episode of Car Connection, we break down the Must - have vehicle shopping checklist to help you buy smart, stay on budget, and avoid ending up with a vehicle you don't actually want sitting in your driveway for the next 3, 5, or even 7years.
We cover:
1) How to define real needs vs wants
2) New vs used vehicle pros and cons
3) Budget planning beyond the monthly payment
4) Why rushing the purchase almost always leads to regret
This episode sets the foundation for our upcoming series on financing, purchasing, and leasing vs buying, where we'll dive deeper into the money side of vehicle ownership with real - world, no -BS advice.
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