BUYING A CAR

So my wife and I are shopping for a car. Not just any car,but a small SUV with room. We are willing to give up cargo space for leg room.

My wife and I refuse to ever buy a new car just for the fact that it loses thousands of dollars of value just by driving it off the lot.

Here is what we do. We start shopping between May and June for a car. We agree that unless it's a once in a lifetime opportunity, we are not going to buy a car until September. We know that the last quarter of the year is when deals happen. Car lots are trying to dump cars for the new year. Also if you buy a car at the end of it's year, you are getting a car that is a year old with 0 miles on it. Keeps the value up.

The next thing we do is buy used or demos. These cars can be marked down as much as $10,000. Our last four cars were from enterprise rent a car. They sell theirs with new belts, tires, filters, and fluids and they still give you bumper to bumper coverage. I bought a 2001 grand am in 2002 with 27,000 on it for $11,000. Used is good.

The last car I bought was the dodge grand caravan. It was a 2006 and I bought it in 2007 with only 260 miles on it. It was a car used to drive customers back to their work while the dealer fixed their car in the service department. I paid $15,999. A new one was $30,000. I love the stow and go seating that goes underground, but that's another story.

Now we are looking for a ford flex. We want a 2010 since 2009 is the first year. You never buy a first year car. You all know why.

We have told four ford dealers to be on the lookout for a low mileage FLEX SEL. We are hoping for a return or financing that fell through or a return on 60 day option. We will wait and see. A new FLEX SEL will cost $32,000 bare bones. A used one will have all the features for about $26,000.

Stay tuned. This could take awhile, but will be worth it.

Location:Orange County, CA