Ugh. Car shopping.

I can’t decide which part I like less…

• Sorting through all the different makes, models, and options to find the right one or…
• Negotiating with a car dealer or private seller.

Maybe we share the same feelings.
This series will attempt to be as transparent as possible about the process I’ve been through when buying a used car.

I will document much of my research, thoughts, and decisions but will focus on the process of this two month “event” from start to finish.

There’s so much that seems hidden and and withheld. Even online.
Wouldn’t it be nice if people could buy and sell cars like insurance appraisers?
They come in after a wreck, total your car and give you what your car is worth. What it’s actually worth.

• forget investment bias
• forget memories of road trips
• forget inflated self-indulgent delusions of value

The car I’m replacing is a 2000 Honda Odyssey.

Here are the carfacts.
Currently it has about 200,000 miles
It’s been in a wreck. The passenger sliding door has been replaced
There are some minor, wear and tear engine issues
The transmission has was rebuilt about 10,000 miles ago and it shifts like butter.

I got it for a great deal and I’m the second owner. This is my family’s road trip car. It has seen the eastern seaboard from the Florida Keys, to Boston, and many places in between.

I began my search on Consumerreports.org. The place where any right-minded car shopper goes first.