The Stallion & Gina's Car Buying Guide

I have been very lucky to have the uninterrupted use of one of my host family's cars while I have been in the States so far. But, I am a traveller and I loooove to drive, so I really needed a car of my own to make all my trips with. I was praying about a car and I felt that it was what God wanted for me, despite me not having any money to be able to buy one. For a while I entered in to any car competitions that I saw going, but alas I never won any of them. Miraculously, over a short amount of time I was given some money and got a very nice and completely unexpected tax refund in New Zealand which meant I had enough to buy my own car! 

I went straight to work on the car hunt, looking for something in good shape for long roadtrips that still fitted my budget. I found my car two days after returning to the States from Switzerland. I took a look over it and I just knew it was the right car for me. It is a 1992 Subaru Legacy Station wagon, and I named it "the Stallion". It was an incredible price and has no mechanical issues, which is a miracle in itself. It really truly is a miracle car and a tangible answered prayer.

Because I want to do budget roadtrips I bought a station wagon so I could set up a bed in the back and be able to sleep in it. I went down to Home Depot and picked up two foam mattresses for $15 each and cut them into shape, then went to a second hand shop and bought some bedding and supplies and made a very comfortable bed for myself!

My dad tests out the bed and gives it 2 thumbs up!

I have never heard of another au pair buying a car so perhaps I am just a crazy one, but for me it was economical because for the final 13th month of travel in the States I want to do an epic road trip and  renting a car would have ended up even more expensive. Luckily, coming from New Zealand (and from a family who taught me a bit about cars) I knew what to look for in a car and what questions to ask when car hunting. So, I thought I would put together a little guide for anyone else who was interested in buying a car in the States but who never knew how :)

Where to buy it from

When I was looking for my car I only looked on the classifieds website Craigslist - which is like the American equivalent of NZ's trade and exchange or trademe (but with no auction feature - which I liked). There were heaps of listings for cars, I searched them based on price and car make and model. I was only interested in buying from private parties, not from a car dealership, because a dealership has higher prices and they know less about the car's history.

What type of car to buy

I was looking for a roadtrip car that would be very reliable so I was looking for a Japanese car, mainly Toyotas, Hondas, and Subarus. I was looking for a minivan or a station wagon so I could put my bed in the back. A station wagon was better for me in the end because it has better gas mileage than a minivan and was less expensive. I was looking for a car with newer tires, that had been regularly serviced (and had service records), a recently changed cam belt (timing belt), a clean ownership title (i.e, the car is actually owned by the person selling it and does not have a record of being stolen or severely damaged), an engine size around 2L (which has power to climb hills but is more economical than the bigger 3L (or larger) motors). Looking in the lower price bracket meant that it was going to be hard to find a vehicle which met all the criteria, but at least it was a benchmark for me to compare from. I have to say, I was also inspired by a website called www.carsforagrand.com where a group of guys bought a 1974 Pontiac for $899 and drove it from San Diego to Miami! In the States, they have a term to describe a car like that: a 'beater', so yes, I was definitely looking for a 'beater' for my own coast to coast roadtrips!

How I bought my car

I called several numbers from the listings I had been looking at and arranged viewing times with them. I went, asked my questions, took a good look at each car, and took each one for a test drive. I was able to see very quickly if it was the right car for me or not. When I called up the owner of my car, he told me that he had people coming in the morning to buy it! I asked him if it was OK if I came to have a look that night, he agreed because you never know for sure if someone will actually complete a sale. I went to see it and as soon as I had look at it, I instantly knew it was the right car for me, despite any problems it may or may not have. It wasn't that I had fallen in love with the car because I keep my emotions right out of business deals, it was more of a spiritual conviction - I had been praying and praying and praying for the Lord to provide me with a car and I knew right then in that instant that this was the car He had for me. I got an amazing deal on the car, it was a very good price US$1100. It did not meet all my criteria (I had to change the timing belt, and it did not have the full service record), but it was in pretty good condition, you could see that it had been looked after, it had a 2.2L engine, and a clean ownership title. Like I said, I just knew it was the one for me. I bought it on the spot, the previous owner drove it back to my house for me which was kind of him. The owner signed the forms - the Bill of Sale, and the Ownership Title, and I spent the evening organising the car insurance. 

Car Insurance

In the States, car insurance is mandatory. It is also pretty affordable and very easy to arrange. It just took one phone call and it was all sorted. I was able to get full coverage including roadside assistance and fire & theft for only $70 a month. 

Sorting Paperwork

The next morning I went to an emissions testing shop and had the emissions on my car read. They gave me a paper saying I had passed, and I took that, along with the Bill of Sale and the Ownership Title to my local DMV which was located in our local supermarket. They sorted the documents, entered some information into the computer and after I paid an administration fee the car was officially mine!

The car runs so well and I am so so so happy with it. It really is an answered prayer and I will always remember my Stallion, long after I sell it. If you are considering buying a car in the States during your au pair year, feel free to send me any questions you may have. :)