I just totalled my car (insert wailing sound here) and have to get yet another used car. You know what they say, better to learn from others' mistakes, than to make your own.
My question is; if you could turn back the hands of time, what about your car buying experience, would you change?
What mistakes did you make when you were buying your car (past or present) that you wish you could undo?

I'll share mine:
1. I once got a car without getting the manual with it.
2. I once got a car with those silly added warranties (are those ever any good use?) I once got a car without checking the history (silly, i know. Hey, I never said I wasnt silly and impulsive lol)
3. I once got a car with (tan colored) cloth interior (BADDDD IDEA! as much as I despice leather interior, they are so much easier to clean lol)

Please do help by sharing your experiences.
I want to make sure I do it right this time and hopefully, this will be my last used car.

If anyone has any specfic tips for buying volkswagen beetles, please share.

Yeah, I'm with Echelon and omg, they seem to be taking forever and a day to get on with this. Thank you, Fhemmy, no no life was lost thank God.

Fhemmmy:

Sorry to hear that your ride was totaled, hope life was not lost.
Good luck dealing with those insurance people, however, [b]i am sure you will be driving around town with a nice rental now.
Good luck with your new purchase[/b]

arrgh I wish!

No car buying mistakes you want to share?

None here yet, only bug has been getting a car note on a new car.

Bought 2 jeeps on ebay and they were good, totalled one stll using the other, been lucky so far.

Oh my first car, black on black leather Galant(ac clutch bad) very hot during summer.

sultaan:

None here yet, only bug has been getting a car note on a new car.

Bought 2 jeeps on ebay and they were good, totalled one stll using the other, been lucky so far.

Oh my first car, black on black leather Galant(ac clutch bad) very hot during summer.

what did you mean by that? didnt get it.

ahhh, sucks when you lose a car, sorry to hear about the loss sha. Thanks for sharing, and please do clarify

hmn. . a good thread 2 learn 4rm . .

Yeah Olisa4all I agree, hoping people do come up, am looking forward to doing it right this time and am sure am not the only one that would benefit from this.

i am a VERY aggressive driver. lol I am Jamaican and I am from New York so living in the southern US now where ppl cannot drive?! urgh! I do not tolerate ppl pulling out infront of me and then going slow. Some times i find myself cursing and yelling which though I have yet to encounter someone who has taken me up to the challenge, i know it in itself is a MISTAKE generator lol.

The REAL mistake I've made was while being angry about someone bad riding me lol I tried to be spiteful by stealing their parking spot, so i raced to the spot, smiling all the while and as they drove off (im still smiling at this point). . .BAM! i lightly hit the parked car LOL. and though it wasnt major it left scratches and chipped paint on the parked car. If that wasnt enough I backed up and zoomed away 

Karma? you bet your hiney! about two weeks later I go to Mc Donalds to get myself a Mocha, now I have an Acura so my front bumper is low (they HAVE to fix that- urgh!) lol I thought I put my car in reverse but the gear was in drive. i PUT my hand behing the passenger seat preparing to back up and I end up going forward! lol. so i finally back up and i hear a loud dragging sound, guess what? I slightly pulled off my front bumper and to make matters worse my paint chipped off JUST like the guy whose car i hit.

MzDarkSkin:

The REAL mistake I've made was while being angry about someone bad riding me lol I tried to be spiteful by stealing their parking spot, so i raced to the spot, smiling all the while and as they drove off (im still smiling at this point). . .BAM! i lightly hit the parked car LOL. and though it wasnt major it left scratches and chipped paint on the parked car. If that wasnt enough I backed up and zoomed away
i PUT my hand behing the passenger seat preparing to back up and I end up going forward! lol. so i finally back up and i hear a loud dragging sound, guess what? I slightly pulled off my front bumper and to make matters worse my paint chipped off JUST like the guy whose car i hit.

LMAO I laughed so hard.
thanksfor sharing. Now, did you make any mistakes when you were purchasing your car ?

lol i 4got to add that part. maybe i should have read lol. well my mistake? purchasing an ACURA! the blasted car has a history of overheating problems. Not to mention the dealer I got it from and I have the same ethnic background, so i FOOLISHLY called myself "supporting the cause". BIG TIME CROOK that man. He never put any coolant in the car so for the first month and a half my car would over heat and I would have to drive to the city i purchased it from only to get the same answer "I dont know, I will check, etc". I think my BIGGEST mistake was not paying attention to the "No warranty - AS IS" signs.

My next time wont be as bad. I plan to purchase an SUV this time, honda. Acuras i will not recommend. Also never purchase a car from a small dealer who doesnt even have his own garage

^^^
Thanks for sharing. I'll keep those in mind. Good luck with that Acura lol