Right now I’m going through the process of trying to purchase a used car. I have a time limit which is governed by the inspection sticker in my window (which has most likely expired at this point) and the setting of the sun (if it gets any closer to 6 p.m., I’m toast).

This is not easy, especially in the Post Cash For Clunkers era, when the cars in my price range are few and far between. Added on to that fact is that the car that is the most reliable is also the most difficult to find in my price range. I don’t want to waver, as there are other options in my range, but how do you pick the best of the worst?

As I’ve mentioned, my budget is tight, but there are a couple of things that I knew I must pay for, or I would really pay for it later. I have paid for knowledge. Knowledge in the form of Consumer Reports and CARFAX.

For $26 per year you can get a memberhship to ConsumerReports.org. They’ve already gone out and done the last ten years of research for you. They offer price ranges to give you a clue as to where to start negotiating. Consumer Reports will tell you what is your best bet (Toyota, actually – king of icky beige), and what to avoid.

And for another $39.95, you can get unlimited CARFAX reports through CARFAX.com. They’ll give you a history of the car – consider it the Seller’s Disclosure (a required real estate form in PA describing everything about a house to the best knowledge of the seller) of Automobiles.

Kelley Blue Book’s website has also proven invaluable. I’ve been able to run the stats of the cars I’m interested in, see what the Retail Price might average, and compare that to the Consumer Reports number and the online selling price of the dealer. I feel like it’s giving me a clue as to whether I’m about to be hosed, or if I should go in ready to negotiate.

Apart from the $56 spent on online research (which could save me hundreds in future maintenance, but is of course not guaranteed to do so), I’ve also spent some time researching dealerships. This has given me a good feeling about some places, and a skeevy feeling about others. Ultimately, this may not affect where I purchase my car, as I am more interested in the best car from my money, not the sales guy who sells it to me. But all things being equal, I’m going to shop at the place where everybody knows my name…duh duh dah dah duh duhhh! Oh, wait…wrong show.

You get the idea. :)

Last things first, something I actually did in the middle of my process was go to the Better Business Bureau and research the dealers themselves. Because all things are not equal, the place that I was happiest with after visiting actually had the worst grade (B- versus A+ of the other two). Currently I’m not sure how that’s going to affect my purchasing decision – after all, the bottom line here really is dollars. If I buy a more expensive, supposedly more reliable car from the A+ dealer, I could still end up shelling out for repairs in a month or two. Or I could save now and get a less reliable car from the B- dealer, and end up shelling out even more for repairs. Or have no problems whatsoever.

There are no guarantees, but at least I can hedge my bets. No one is going to tell me I’ve wasted my money, here – I didn’t pay for anything I could have otherwise got for free (not all the dealerships offered free CARFAX reports online, and it’s important to me to go in armed, and not have to get a surprise after I’ve already made a decision).

I’ll let you all know how it turns out – I am really, really hoping to have a new car by tomorrow. We’ll see how it goes. :)