Before You Buy a Car for a Holiday Gift...

Before You Buy a Car for a Holiday Gift…

We all see the beautiful commercials of new cars topped with giant bows parked in the snowy driveways. Buying someone (or yourself) seems like the perfect gift, but before you take the plunge, there are probably a few things you want to consider.

•  If you are buying this car for your significant other, be sure it’s a car that they want…and not one that you want. Just like when you were younger and you wanted to buy your sibling a toy for your birthday that you really wanted so you could play with it. I suspect that buying someone a car just so you can drive it will go over about as well. Or not.
• Even if you are buying a car for yourself, be sure it fits your family situation. I recently talked to a sales person at a local dealership who said the used sports car we had just walked by only had 20,000 miles on it because his wife made him bring it back because it didn’t have seats in the back for their kids. If you have children (or pets), it may be important to have enough room for them.
• There are many great deals out there right now, but make sure you are realistic with what you can afford. While it might sound dreamy to give your significant other a car for zero down, don’t forget there will be hundreds of dollar payments from months/years after that. I’m not trying to suck out your holiday cheer, I’m just trying to preserve your relationship.
• While a surprise might sound romantic, unless you are the “Gift Whisperer” and/or have really done your homework, it’s probably best to include the person you are buying the car for…lest you get the wrong color or trim or entirely wrong car. L
• We have a saying in our house: go big or go home. How can you incorporate this into your auto-gift buying experience without buying more than you can really afford? Buy one trim above what they would probably expect. You can never go wrong with heated seats or that navigation system.

If you have any questions that you don’t want to ask the person you are buying the car for (because you’re afraid of ruining the surprise, etc.), feel free to talk your friendly and knowledgeable sales person at Burien Toyota!