This is a sponsored post from Cars.com

So when it comes to buying your first car, I want to make it worth it and here are 4 tips I’ve learned along the way. I have a confession ya’ll… I’ve never owned a car. Yep, I’m 32 years old and never had a car. Not really because I didn’t want to but I have this fear of driving.  A goal for me this year would be to get my license and get my first car. I’m a single mom working outside the home and I run this blog & etsy shop, so shopping on a budget is always the plan.

Even though I’ve never owned my own car, I do have the common sense of what you should always ask or make sure before you buy any car. I know my dad is a smart car guy, so he will always go with me when it comes to shopping for cars. 5 years ago, my ex-husband bought this car, we thought we were getting a deal on (we were wrong), they simply restarted the car’s computer and on the way home, the engine light came on and it was a download slope from there. With that said, ALWAYS have someone that’s good with cars to come with you.

PRO TIP: You should always bring one of those gadget you can check the car’s computer with, to see if there’s anything wrong with the car. Because it’s easy for the sellers to just reset the computer of the car and you won’t know til it’s too late.

Do Your Research

I know it’s easier said than done. I’ve been looking all over the internet, I even joined a few facebook groups. Around tax return time is when people are normally getting new cars, so I try to look around this time for a car. My personally favorite site to use while looking for a car would be cars.com. The site is simple and easy to use, there’s always a great selection of cars with photos and information as well.

Budget – Don’t Break The Bank

Don’t kill yourself with an outrageous car payment, what’s the point!? You can get a lot of nicer cars for under $10,000 and have lower monthly payments. If anything, at tax return time, pay off all or most of the car and that will fix your problem too. Always make sure you’re able to afford the car before you buy it. Try this loan calculator to get the best results.

Test Drive

It’s really that simple, before you buy a car. Take it for a test drive, make sure it’s actually working. That’s where the bring a friend who’s knows a lot about cars with you, this is where they come in handy.

Don’t Settle

Don’t just settle with the first car you see, make sure you fully shop the market for a car that will benefit you and your family. This is something I struggle with, because I like things simple and I want to get it done quickly, but there’s some things in life we can’t rush, buying you first car is one of them.

What was your first car? What tips do you have about buying your first car?