One of the most exciting things leading up to turning 16 is the ability to drive. Before turning 16, my goal was to buy a car all on my own, and it was an extremely frustrating process of decisions and logistical planning. What I’ve learned from buying a car is that there are many  rewards as well as many struggles and headaches along the way. By already going through the process, I think it’s important for younger people who want to buy a car to understand the process of what it takes to buy a car, but also how to be motivated to accomplish great things at such a young age. 

Obviously, some of the biggest questions one faces when buying a car are: What if I fail my test? How do I make the money? How can I find one that’s affordable? All of these questions initially frightened me away from pursuing my goal, but persistence prevailed. 

Starting off, I immediately went after the problems of funding the car. For two years, I worked at a restaurant before even considering any further actions. 

After almost two years of working and waiting, it came time for the long-awaited drivers’ test. For me, that test was the most stressful moment of my life. Even though I was fully prepared prior to driving over to the MVC, once the examiner stepped into the car, everything changed. While I passed on the first try, it made me realize I still had a lot to work on and practice. Passing the test was a sign for me to follow through with my goals of a car. 

First, I was trying to find something affordable, and because of high prices at car dealerships I was forced to consider other unconventional and cheaper options such as Facebook marketplace. While it may come off as a sketchy website, through my experiences, Facebook was one of, if not the best, website for finding cheap and high quality cars. While it took months to find one that was affordable and in good condition, it was extremely worth the wait. Additionally, with Facebook, it was easy to schedule a time to meet with the seller in a public location to test drive and go through a thorough inspection of the car as if it was at a dealership.

When it comes down to the basics, the issues aren’t regarding paperwork, but rather the problem of finding affordable vehicles at a time where cars are in a limited supply. While some might resort to outside sources and private sellers to find affordable prices or no longer available cars, the other alternative of a dealership also has its pros. 

While working on finding a car, I went to a few dealerships in search of easier options. While their prices were never close to what little money I had, it was still nice to see that paperwork at a dealership is easy as well as the fact that the salespeople know the most about each car they’re selling, making it easy to make sure it’s the right one for you. 

The only downside to buying from a private seller is the added complications of getting the car and registration. Because dealerships give you temporary license plates, it makes it easier to get the car home. However, when buying from a private seller, there are many things to consider since a dealership isn’t handling the title and paperwork for you. First you’ll need to make sure it’s the right car, considering all important factors such as condition, gas mileage, tire wear, interior, working controls, and overall functionality of the car. After deciding it’s the car for you, contact the seller in order to formally buy the car. While you can check the local Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) website for instructions for buying from a private seller, the website can be a little vague. In the simplest manner, the seller and buyer both sign on the vehicle’s title which makes the vehicle in your name. Additionally, when signing the title over, there is a section delegated to be a bill of sale which indicates the selling party is signing the title stating they are selling it. Finally, the last major requirement is an odometer statement, which is the mileage of the car on the date of signing. 

Once everything is signed, the seller takes the license plates which leaves you with the issue of getting the car home. Because you can’t drive the car home without plates, you can either rent a car trailer for a day to take it back to your house or have the seller drive the vehicle home with the plates still on and then sign the paperwork at your house. After signing the paperwork and handing over the agreed upon payment, the car is in your hands. With the acquired title in your name, you then need to get the car insured with a family plan or pre-existing plan, then go to the MVC to have the title officially changed where they will give you license plates and will make it officially street legal to drive. 

It’s extremely important to make sure you communicate with your parents or guardians regarding insurance. An important factor to consider is that people under 18 are unable to be on their own insurance policy. Additionally, as a young and new driver, insurance companies will charge you higher rates due to the increased liability and the greater risk of accidents. A small caveat is that if the car is titled in your parents’ or guardians’ name, the costs of insurance are lowered because of their experience. It’s important to note that it’s required to have a vehicle insured and that immediately after buying a car you need to clear insurance and get paperwork printed before you are able to register or drive the car. 

While the long process of buying a car may seem easy, owning a car after buying it requires great amounts of maintenance. Factors such as costs to repair damage, costs of gas, costs to clean, and many more are all important to consider when deciding if you wish to become a car owner. Additionally, being in high school there are issues of what to do with the car when you graduate. Unfortunately, after graduating there are two main options, either find a way to take the car to college which is fairly rare, or you’ll have to part with the car in ways of either giving it to someone else, selling it, or leaving it behind at your house or a storage area. For me, unfortunately once I graduate, the plan is to sell the car. Even though it’s extremely disappointing, it gives me even more of a reason to enjoy it and make the most of things while the opportunity is still there. While this may scare some away from buying a car for short term purposes, it can also be seen as the perfect introduction for your future and an opportunity to learn about buying and maintaining a car.

I hope that from this information, knowledge and insight can be spread so that people know more about the difficulties of buying a car. Looking at it now, there are many better options than buying a car in high school, such as simply driving your parents’ or guardians’ car, taking the bus, or even more eco-friendly options if available such as walking or biking to places nearby. Personally, this process for me was a lot more than buying a car; it was achieving something substantial on my own, and I hope that this can not only help others in this decision-making process, but also possibly inspire others to accomplish their goals and achieve what some might think of as impossible tasks.