As you may know, I live in a large city. The first seven years that I lived in Chicago I didn’t have a car. We have amazing public transportation it’s easy to get around without one. However, once I was able to afford a car, it was one of my first purchases. It makes life a lot easier, especially on those days when it feels like -30 degrees outside. I’ll never forget my first car buying experience – I was like a deer in headlights. I put on a nice outfit, headed to the dealership alone and once I arrived, realized I had no idea what I was doing.
I knew nothing about financing a vehicle, what to look for or how to negotiate. The only thing I knew was that I wanted something with four wheels. To be honest, it was super scary, and all my fears came true during that visit. I left feeling dirty and like all they had done was try to take advantage of me. The entire time they were trying to upsell me and were adamant they couldn’t negotiate the sticker price.
How to buy a car with the Honcker app.
When I left I felt frustrated. How was I ever going to buy a car? The idea of flying my dad into town came to mind, but that seemed crazy. Did I really need a man to do this? There had to be some other solution to what felt like a complex equation. I knew I had to go back but beforehand, I would need to do a little research and that is exactly what I did. It’s a well-known fact that when it comes to influencing a large family purchase, women are the main influencers of the choice. However, when it comes to negotiating and purchasing the vehicle, women are taken advantage of more than men. Studies have shown when it comes to buying a car, salespeople stick to a script when they are dealing with men. With women, they don’t do this. Typically, they assume women don’t have the same car buying knowledge as men and try to take advantage of them.
I was not going to let that happen to me. The next time I came face to face with a salesperson, they would know I did my homework. I marched into a second dealership with confidence, knowledge and the intention of leading the transaction. After all, I was the one buying the car, not the salesperson. My second experience was completely different, and I had a wonderful experience. If you’re in the same boat, here are a couple of tips to get you through the transaction:
Tip #1: Find a salesperson you like.
This time around, I found a salesperson who I hit it off with and our personalities instantly meshed. I found out this was extremely important. When you’re buying a car, it’s important to get along with the person who is selling it. You don’t want to feel patronized, like they’re talking down to you or ignoring your thoughts. You should feel like the priority because they are there to sell you a car.
Tip #2: Truly educate yourself.
This is where I made my mistake the first time. Know what you need, understand how this car is going to fit with your lifestyle and what features are most important to you. Peek around a few forums to get the inside scoop on the vehicle and most importantly, test drive the car. You want to make sure you like the way it drives, not just the way that it looks. It should work for you and your family. I also recommend reading a few tips on negotiating. I’m not sure if I did this correctly, but I understood the fair market value of the vehicle — it’s easy to find this number online. I’m not a master negotiator but still managed to get money off the sticker price. I left happy and stayed within my budget.

Car buying tips with Corri McFadden and Honcker.

Zelda with her grandpa’s “race car”. If I sent her to the dealership this is what she would come back with!

These tips are great, right? Now what if I told you to throw all these tips out the window? More importantly, what if I told you getting a car was as easy as ordering dinner from your couch? That would be pretty mind blowing! And guess what? It is real, and you can do it. If I had the option at the time, I would have done it. Luckily for me, I can do it this time around. My car recently went out of warranty and I feel like it is a ticking time bomb, which means it’s time for mama to start searching for a new car!
This time, I’m using Honcker. It’s quick, simple and will change your life. It’s especially appealing as a mom because the thought of bringing Zelda to a car dealership sounds like a nightmare. Honcker is the only car leasing marketplace that allows you to lease a car from your phone in three swipes. Yes, you read that correctly, three swipes! Think about how quickly you do three swipes on your phone! Does it get simpler? Oh, and did I mention they deliver the car to your door the next day?

Simply download the app (which you can do right here), enter your basic information and the make and model of the car you’re searching for.

Honcker car leasing app.

Next, the app feeds you all the available inventory in your area.

Browse cars on the Honcker app.
You can browse each car inside and out, and see what features are available on the vehicle.

Lease a car on Honcker.

Once you stumble upon your perfect vehicle, simply enter your social security number, a copy of your driver’s license and your insurance information along with a few other details. Once approved, have a check or credit card on hand to submit the first month’s payment and signing fees. They’ll deliver the keys right to your door!

Lease a car with the Honcker app.

The process is simple, transparent and takes out the guesswork. You never have to speak to a salesperson and you can do it right in the chaos of your own home! What is better than that? For my family and I, 2018 is all about using our time more efficiently. Personally, I don’t want to spend our precious weekends at dealerships, so Honcker is it!
How to lease a car with Honcker.

Lots of love to Honcker for sponsoring this post! It is partners like this that make documenting our journey possible.