Ah, the age old problem: You are looking for a car, but you want it to look good with the minimal amount of effort. I have seen and experienced black car ownership and it can reduce a normal person to a neurotic mess. There are actually 2 ways to go about maintaining the look of your car, and when you use them together you can be assured that your vehicle with always look it’s best.

1. Color. White is hands down the cleanest color choice. There is a reason why a vast majority of the fleet vehicles in service today are white: It is low maintenance. A white car hides dirt, grime, water spots and the like better than any other color with the exception of camouflage. 
Typically the darker the hue of paint, the harder it is to keep clean. The scale rises exponentially between gray and black simply because black acts very much like a mirror. It reflects and magnifies everything including smudges, over spray, fingerprints etc. 
If you are set on a gray color (including the popular silver paints), try to find a lighter gray as it will be less maintenance than a dark gray. Nonmetallic cars are easier to keep clean, especially in dusty conditions as they do not sparkle. A metallic car must be kept very clean to get full benefit from the metal flakes in the paint.

2. Upkeep. Every six months have the exterior of your car detailed. You will be surprised at how much less effort you will have to put into your car’s appearance when you have a pro apply a high quality wax and buff it to a shine. Even if it rains it is not uncommon to not have any water spots on a black car provided it was properly cleaned, waxed and polished prior to the rains. Detailing is expensive but worth the expense if you can afford it.

There are a few products available that will help you keep your car looking factory fresh. 3M makes a clear adhesive coating that is applied over clean paint to guard against rock chips and the like. It must be applied by a professional but it is a lot cheaper to replace than getting the car repainted. American Racing offers wheels that have Teflon baked onto the surface of them which almost eliminates brake dust (which is why the front wheels on some cars are much darker than the rear). Meguiars makes a clear plastic polish that helps take small scratches and light oxidation out of clear plastic (i.e. headlamp lenses)

Naturally, all of these products and services cost money and/or time so it is up to you to decide how clean you want your car to be, once you decide on a color, that is.

I would really like to buy a car now but I don’t have any credit yet even though I have a job. At least I don’t have bad credit but what should I do? My current car is a real clunker and I am 25 and want a nice car!

The first step is to start shopping around banks, credit unions and even insurance companies like State Farm who can offer financing. Get a good idea of what their rates would be with your credit currently undeveloped. Interest rates can legally be as high as 29.9% but you shouldn’t accept anything more than 8% with rates as low as they are right now or you will be a slave to the lender.

The second step is to ask yourself, “What does a NICE car really mean” to you? For some, nothing less than a Mercedes will do but something less glamorous and more practical like a basic Honda or a Ford may be a better choice. Keep an open mind! Manufacturers are getting better at basic comforts in cars so some brands may surprise you! Cars are ultimately tools so don’t buy so much that you don’t get the value out of your hard earned money!

Consider keeping the clunker for a while and starting a program to improve your credit:

1. Take out a credit card or two that you pay off in FULL every month.

2. Ask your parents to add you as aresponsible party to a credit card of theirs (but do not use it yourself- just gain the revolving credit history but only do this if your parents are actually paying on their cards).

3. Make sure that you have no outstanding debts to any bills like utilities from past rentals, medical bills, etc and if you have those- pay them off and ask the collection agency to take them off your credit. (if they say they will then they have 5 business days to notify you that they have done so).

4. Don’t repeatedly apply for credit. You can pull your own credit report but applying for multiple cards outside of a week or so can knock points off your score.

After even 6 months you will start to gain a solid credit history that lenders will like.

Patience is indeed a virtue and jumping ahead will bite you where it hurts so take the correct steps to do this the right way.

Good luck!
MMM

I just bought my first new car (my dream car!) from a dealer and there are some things that I guess I just didn’t ask in advance. I was wondering what the difference between sticker price and final out of pocket cost is? How do you estimate how much you will really pay? Now I am wondering if I really got a good deal?

Susie G, Colorado Springs, CO

Welcome to the table post negotiation and signing on many, many dotted lines. Don’t beat yourself up! You may have still done yourself proud without even realizing it!

MSRP: Called the Monroney or window sticker is required by law and indicates the manufacturers suggested price including the base price with factory warranty, standard equipment, transportation costs, engine specifications, estimated fuel economy and can only be removed by the purchaser. Sometimes erroneously referred to as Mostly Suckers Really Pay, it is not always the case that you shouldn’t pay full sticker price. There are exceptions!

In the case of recent “hot” cars such as the first released new Camaro, demand will keep sticker price right on the money, if not above sticker. Cars are emotional purchases and demand from drivers needing to have the latest and greatest can temporarily maintain MSRP as the going rate for many months. Waiting until a car isn’t as “hot” can save quite a chunk of change. A new, not “hot” car can generally be had for 7-22% below MSRP.

When financing, it is important that you never negotiate according to what you would like your monthly payments to be. In fact, don’t even mention that you will be financing until you negotiate to a price that you feel comfortable with based on research done prior to walking onto a car lot.

Your final out of pocket pain will be the final price plus sales tax, title transfer fees and the interest on your loan spread over the number of months that you chose. All of them are unavoidable and part of the process.

Don’t stress! Enjoy your new ride and keep in mind that research is always key!

Confidently,

M