Whenever it's time for our family to replace one of our cars, I dread the whole process. Sure, it's fun to imagine ourselves in something new, but the whole experience to get there can be a chore. The choices are endless. What kind of car do we want ... a sedan, a minivan, an SUV? What features are important ... a navigation system, an entertainment package, plenty of airbags? Does the vehicle have enough room for our things? Does it get good mileage? And, very important, can we afford it? As you can tell, it's very important to research the options before even thinking about heading over to the dealership. That's why I'm going to be paying a visit to Cars.com before we make our next car purchase!
Thankfully, Cars.com has plenty of information to help people make the right choice when it comes to a big investment like a car. For example, they have a Videos & Reviews feature that I love. I watched the video for the 2018 Honda Accord, and the Cars.com expert did a very objective review of the new model. He compared it to previous models and shared what features were improved -- or not. He showed the inside of the car and addressed features such as the instrument panel, the gear shift, leg room, storage space and more. It was almost as if I was already at the dealer and sitting in the car! This feature saves so much time in terms of whittling down which cars you're truly interested in and may want to go drive for yourself.
The Search functions on Cars.com make it easy to find information on a specific car. Or you can use the Browse feature if you're not sure yet what kind of car you're interested in. You can also read customer reviews. I looked up the reviews for the car I'm currently driving, and it was really interesting to read what other people had to say! Fortunately, my car got a 4.7/5.0 rating, which makes me happy!
And Cars.com has a lot of other great services. They'll help you find a new or used car for sale, find a service center, read recalls, learn your car's value and more. They have a great section with useful tips and information on what to do if you want to sell your car, such as how to transfer ownership and make your car look appealing, You can save your searches in case you want to revisit them later.
In addition to visiting Cars.com, I also recommend the following:
- Ask friends and family members about their cars. There's nothing better than a personal recommendation from someone who has actually used the vehicle you're interested in.
- Shop around. Different dealers have different incentives and inventory, even on the same models.
- Do your research before you visit the dealer. This will help you know what questions to ask and show the salesperson that you're knowledgeable so you can better evaluate the honesty of a seller's claims.
- Test drive your choices. You won't really know how the car feels on the road until you experience it yourself.
