I went car hunting today

[Marthe48]

I have a 2008 Prius which we bought in 2012 and drove ever since. 109,220 miles We kept it maintained, not great about cleaning it. I just feel it is time to update, but I haven't rushed. I looked at used cars, but most that I see have about the same amount of mileage as my Prius does, even if they are newer cars. The prices were unattractive to me, too. It is discouraging.

On Sunday, I heard an ad on the radio that a local place had Kia Soul and Forte models for $21995. I thought about that all day, and overnight. The price isn't much more than some of the used cars I saw. I called the dealer Monday afternoon, and vehicles at that price were gone. But he had a 2023 Soul with 17K miles and if I bought it, I'd get a partial original warranty included. My daughter went with me, and thought I should go with a lighter colored car, namely white. I sat in the 23 Soul, a 24 Forte, and a 22 Sportage, I think. The salesman gave us lots of informtion about each car, and finiancing options. There is a 2024 new white Soul coming in to their dealership toward the end of June, so I might look at it. I'd rather buy from a dealer, and I'm looking around at what other dealers are offering.

I wanted to ask if another dealer had the car at the price on the radio, would the 2 dealers work together and bring that car to the local lot

And also ask if I bought a car from a dealer an hour away, could I get the indicated service done at the local lot or would I have to drive to where I bought it. I guess there's time.

I'm going to check with my credit union about interest and getting a car loan.

Finally, I'm going to check safety ratings, and other things like that.

Any suggestions on the car hunt? I went with my husband about every time he bought a car, but he made the deal. I don't think I'll do anything awful, but getting a sort of refresher course might keep me aware of things involved in a good car deal