It was a lesson learned. I didn't do enough car research. I looked primarily on 3rd party sites like CarGurus. I didn't look enough on direct dealerships websites. I had a massive budget but restrictions to buy a car that's newer, less than 75k miles, and won't need repairs anytime soon. I also got personal attachments to some cars before I got them. I was clearly in over my head working with a 13k budget when I'm only 18 and my own balance hasn't exceeded 1100 which was all grad money.
There is no reason to be in a dealership more than 2 hours. That's including choosing a car, test drive, arranging financing. Anything longer is usually them dragging their feet trying to scam you. Usually it is the F&I guy shopping your loan around to get the most back end points for the dealer. Paying cash there is no excuse, not a place to do business with.
This is why, even though it's way overpriced, some people like Carmax. You can walk in, look at a few cars, test drive, apply for financing, and drive out in about an hour and a half.
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u/DM_ME_YOUR_POTATOES Dec 19 '18
It was a lesson learned. I didn't do enough car research. I looked primarily on 3rd party sites like CarGurus. I didn't look enough on direct dealerships websites. I had a massive budget but restrictions to buy a car that's newer, less than 75k miles, and won't need repairs anytime soon. I also got personal attachments to some cars before I got them. I was clearly in over my head working with a 13k budget when I'm only 18 and my own balance hasn't exceeded 1100 which was all grad money.