In August I took a monumental step towards becoming a real adult – I bought my first new car. I’ve had POS clunker cars since I was 15. This was my first honest to God, smells like a new car kind of car.

Thanks to a lot of prep work before I hit the dealerships, I was armed with information to save myself money. I also brought a friend with me who just happens to be a prosecuting attorney. I mean, hey ‘“ this isn’t a purse we’re talking about. You may as well bring out the big guns when you’re shopping for something as important as a car. Despite my prep work, however, I had a very frustrating, and revealing, experience when I hit the first dealership. I hope that by sharing my experience, I can save other women a lot of anger, and a lot of money, by encouraging you to be prepared for this very important decision.

Step 1: Deciding on Criteria
What are you looking for in a car? Is price the most important factor? Or will gas mileage be your decision maker? Are you a staunch believer in labor unions? Or are you only willing to buy cars made in the United States? All of these are important questions that you will need to decide before you do anything else.

For me, price and gas mileage were the most important factors. But I also wanted to have a reliable car, so safety and maintenance were high on my list, too. Since I’ve spent all of my driving life fighting with cars that break down on the freeway, I wanted to make sure that the car I was about to purchase was going to last me a long time. I would have preferred a union-made car (hey, I’m all about the ‘œsi se puede’), but that was not going to be the factor that would make or break a deal.

Step 2: Do Your Research
Having information is the key. Once you know what you’re looking for in a general sense, start to do your research on different brands. Kia and Hyundai are great cars for people who have a very low price point. They’re increasingly popular because they get great gas mileage. And both brands come with excellent 10-year/100,000 mile warranties.

Honda, Toyota, and Nissan are also excellent on gas mileage and dependability. My last car was a silver 1984 Nissan Sentra that I adored. The only thing that I ever had to worry about was the clutch, which is something that has to be replaced anyhow. The only reason I gave this car to a friend was because it didn’t have air conditioning, which is OK for someone living in Long Beach. But it’s not so great if you’re moving to Arizona. All three brands have a higher price point than Hyundai or Kia, though. So if reliability and gas mileage are more important than price, this is where you might set your sights.

There are lots of websites available to help you make a decision. Motor Trend, Consumer Reports and Ask Patty were all really helpful, especially since Ask Patty allows you to research a dealership to find out how woman-friendly they are. You should also go to the factory websites themselves to look at the invoice prices for the models you would like to buy. Print out the price page and take it with you to the dealership, because this is where you will start your price negotiations.

Step 3: Decide on a Dealership
Do you want something close to home so that it’s convenient to get your regularly scheduled maintenance? Or are you more concerned with the dealership’s reputation? I used Ask Patty to find woman-friendly dealerships in the Phoenix area. There weren’t any Kia or Hyundai dealerships listed on the site, so I ended up just picking one randomly out of the phonebook. Bad idea! I’ll tell you why in a minute.

Step 4: Bring a Friend
There is strength in numbers, and having a friend with me totally boosted my confidence.

Step 5: Timing is Everything
August is a good time to buy a car, because dealerships are clearing off their lots to receive inventory on the newer models. You’re more likely to get a dealer to go under invoice if they know they have to get rid of their cars than you are if they’re not that worried about something sitting on the lot for a while. If you have a dire need to buy a car, fine. But if you can wait, do it.

Learning From My Mistakes (And My Successes)
I made two big mistakes when I was shopping for my car. The first mistake was that I didn’t print out the factory invoice pages from the internet and bring them with me to the dealership. I have a penchant for memorizing numbers, so I could remember the prices I researched. But without a piece of paper to back it up, you’ll have to rely on the dealerships’ invoices themselves (which may or may not match the factory website).

The second mistake I made was randomly picking a dealership out of the phonebook instead of looking for a dealership with a good reputation. After my research, I decided to test drive the Kia Rio, the Hyundai Elantra, and the Honda Civic. As soon as Regina and I walked onto the lot at Camelback Kia and Hyundai, we were at a disadvantage because of our gender. There was no salesperson to greet us outside. When we went inside the dealership, we were ignored until I approached a salesperson to tell him we would like to test drive the Rio and the Elantra. The guy took us out on the lot before he even knew where the cars were parked. On top of that, he didn’t have the keys with him. After wandering around the lot in the hot August sun, the man left us outside while he went back inside to get the keys. He never asked us if we wanted some water. And when he came back, he had the wrong keys. We said we would wait inside for him. Again, no one offered us any water (we’d been standing out in the heat for a good 20 minutes), and no one offered us a seat. The guy finally comes back with the car. The salesman only allowed me to take the car out on the freeway for one exit, then I was told to get off the freeway and take two surface streets back to the dealership.

After ‘œtest driving’ the two cars, I told him I had some questions, and we went inside. First of all, the sticker price for the Kia Rio was almost $3,000 higher at the dealership than it was on the factory website. When I asked about that, he asked for my proof. I didn’t have the websites printed out, so I had nothing to back up my claim. At this point, the salesman stood up and took a very aggressive posture and then told us that if we were accusing the dealership of marking up the price and trying to rob their customers, we could leave. I said fine, but Regina asked to speak to a sales manager.

When the manager came over, Regina asked if it was unusual for two women to buy a car for themselves. She asked if we needed our Daddy or our husband to buy it for us. He said, ‘œno, women buy cars all the time.’ Regina said, ‘œapparently not at this dealership,’ and then relayed our experience to the manager. He gave a half-hearted apology and asked if we would like to see their invoice for the cars. I said that I was done shopping at that dealership. I also told him that I was paying for my car in cash, and that he just lost out on a guaranteed sale. We left, and I promised to put his dealership on blast. And here I am, true to my word.

My experience at Showcase Honda was 100% different. As soon as Regina and I pulled onto the lot, we had a salesperson greet us and ask if we would like to come in for some water and to talk about which cars we would like to see. He was an adorable young kid FOB from Utah named Sergio. Hey, Sergio! Anyway, it was his first day on the job, so a female sales rep came over to help him. She was great. She talked to me like I was a real person, and she let me have a real test drive of the Honda Civic. We drove out to the Phoenix Mountain Preserve so I could see how the car handles hairpin turns, and we talked down and dirty about airbags, anti-lock brakes, and all of the other safety features that make the Civic the most popular car in America.

Once we were back at the dealership, the real wheeling and dealing started. Regina and I had agreed on an absolute price point before we sat down to deal, and that helped. Regina is a thug. She negotiated the price mafia-style, writing her number on a slip of paper and then sliding it across the table. (I’ll admit that the first number we gave them was ridiculously low. But hey, it doesn’t hurt to ask.) The salesperson only had to go back to her manager to get a price approval once before the manager came out to deal with us directly. We told him our absolute price point and that he would have to give us the car under invoice since the sales tax and licensing were non-negotiable. He argued that the car I wanted to buy had a ton of factory upgrades, like tinted windows, mud bumpers, under coating, etc. I told him that I didn’t want any of that, but they didn’t have anything on the lot that was stripped down. I also said that I knew the new 2009 Civics were coming in September and that they had to clear their inventory, so I knew he needed to sell the car. He could sell it to me under invoice and I would pay cash that same day, or we would walk. He brought the price down within $0.95 of our number and Regina refused to pay the $0.95. It was the principal, she argued. He said fine, and we walked away with a brand new, red Honda Civic for under invoice.

Step 6: Talk to Your Insurance Agent First
The wheeling and dealing doesn’t stop once you shake the salesperson’s hand. You still have to go back to the financing department, regardless of whether or not you plan to finance your car. This is the dealership’s last chance to make money off of you, and this is when the real pressure starts. My guy was slick. He had visual aids, charts, and graphs to convince me that I needed to buy Low Jack and On Guard so that I wouldn’t get screwed if my car was stolen. Did you know that the Honda Civic is the most stolen car in America? I didn’t, but that’s what he told me. I knew that my insurance coverage would replace my stolen car, so I knew that I didn’t need the extra coverage from the dealership.

The finance guy also tried to convince me to finance the car, even though I had the cash to pay for the vehicle. He told me it would boost my credit if I would make one or two payments, and then pay off the loan, because my credit report would show a paid off car loan. Whatever, dude. I just paid off my student loans, so there goes your little theory.

The final place that the dealership is going to get you is with the extended warranty. Honda has an awesome reputation for reliability. And if you do all of your scheduled maintenance on time, Hondas will hold their value. Given my sordid past with POS cars, I knew before I even went into the dealership that I wanted to get the extended warranty so that everything would be covered. At 99,000 miles, I plan to take the car in to have everything overhauled so that I essentially have a brand new car before the warranty expires. And the extended warranty transfers ownership. If I ever decide to sell my Civic, I have a good negotiating point. If you’re a backyard mechanic, you might not need to invest in an extended warranty. But for a single lady who has had nothing but bad experiences with mechanics and tow trucks alike, I was willing to pay $2000 on the front end to have everything covered. I still saved a bundle on the total price of the car, so I think I did OK.

The Wrap Up
Buying a car for yourself is a very empowering experience for a woman. Remember all of those POS cars I talked about? With the exception of my lovable Nissan Sentra (which was a gift from my old debate coach), those cars were selected for by the men in my life. And boy did they fail me! I feel like I made an educated decision and I’m proud that I did it by myself, with a little help from a good friend. And I say there’s nothing better to advance the cause of feminism than for women to demand a smoking deal on a car!

If you’re in the market for a car, even a used one, arm yourself with the facts before you go a walking. Like I said before ‘“ picking a purse because it’s cute is one thing. But you really owe it to yourself to be a knowledgeable car consumer. I wish you the best of luck and hope that you don’t experience any of the frustration that I did at the Kia/Hyundai dealership.

What about other ladies (and gentlemen)? What has your car shopping experience been like? And do you have other tips to offer that I haven’t considered?

Photo credit: stock.xchng.