Disclosure: This post is brought to you by DriveTime. Opinions shared are mine, all mine.

My husband and I have been together for 20 years. During the length of our relationship, we’ve owned 17 different vehicles! We’ve spent a lot of time at dealerships and used car lots! Last week, my father passed away and we made an unexpected road trip spanning five states in each 12-hour direction. We drove that distance twice over the course of 36 hours. As you can imagine, we depended on our truck to be reliable so that we didn’t have additional worries or repairs. If you have credit issues, buying a dependable vehicle might seem out of reach. Safe and secure transportation is within your grasp! Search used cars on DriveTime to make this journey a bit simpler. Here’s what I’ve learned from our car lot buying experiences.

1. Know how much you plan to spend before you go. You can determine this on a bottom-line amount, or on a monthly payment. Checking out prices on DriveTime makes sense because this can be done in advance. You’re not under the stress of the moment to make a decision on prices and payments. Instead, you can take your time while shopping in your pajamas. Click here to view a video that explains the approval process.

2. Have your ideal car in mind. Consider your family’s travel habits. Will you be driving on mountain roads to hike, or zipping through city highways? Commuter cars may be a good choice if you travel for work, or a minivan might suit your needs if you carpool every day. When exploring DriveTime cars, I liked the search functions. For example, I was able to search by mileage instead of by price. That’s a valuable tool that isn’t easily done when initially strolling through a car lot.

3. Once you’ve identified the car of your dreams, be certain that the car has been through a certification process. Used cars have a history, and you don’t want to be saddled with someone else’s baggage. DriveTime cars are thoroughly inspected prior to sale. Such peace of mind makes it easier to drive off the lot!
As for our family, we aren’t afraid to get what we want when we buy a vehicle. As our needs change, we look for something different to meet those needs. Thankfully, our recent road trip proved this to be a good strategy. Having reliable transportation made that long drive much easier.