Stack the Deck when You Buy a Car in Michigan

Many people equate buying a car right alongside a trip to the dentist for a root canal or a tax audit. The pitfall to this attitude is that car buying is often delayed until the situation is dire, leaving the buyer without the objectivity necessary to make a calm, logical decision.

Michigan car dealers are particularly adept at spotting this type of buyer when they show up.

Here are a couple pointers to help you avoid this pitfall, and approach car buying with a little more confidence and much less trepidation.

If you had several, or even only one bad car buying experience, there is little we can do to make it into something you eagerly anticipate, but at least the process won’t result with you curled up in the fetal position on the floor of a Detroit car dealer, begging for mercy.

1. Don’t Wait until You Are in Need

If you leave yourself adequate time, you can take little bites of the car buying process, then stop as soon as you start to feel antsy. This will also give you solid leverage when it comes time to negotiate price.

So, start off small by looking at car dealer ads to identify cars that might in some way improve upon what you are currently driving. Maybe you want better gas mileage, or maybe you would like additional passenger capacity. Anytime you take one of these minor planning steps and do some research, immediately reward yourself with something that will reinforce your positive behavior.

2. Use the Detroit Free Press

The print version and the auto pages of their website both can help you identify some extremely convenient dealers. You can find vehicles that might have potential, and then go there when the dealer is closed. The reason for this is because in a print ad or a website with pictures, everything looks pretty good. You need to see a car in real life to uncover any flaws and blemishes on the body that can affect the asking price. Doing this without a car salesperson hovering, you will find, is actually not anxiety inducing in the least. Michigan car dealers have been lobbying for years to be open on Sunday, but to this point they have not met with success. Then, remember what we told you in the first tip and reward yourself for your proactive approach.

The real trick is to desensitize yourself to the negative emotions that can be aroused over when considering the process of buying a car. Let yourself be creative, and you will doubtless discover others along the same lines as these two.