Sometimes asking your friends and relatives for advice is a good or even great idea. This is particularly true if the friend or relative in question is an expert in his or her respective field. However, a doctor doesn't necessarily know the first thing about jet engines, printers or cars. Asking your friends and relatives for car advice has to be approached from the right perspective, especially if they are not experts in all things automotive.
The odds are good that at least some of your friends and relatives have solid experience with cars. They have owned cars and, as a result, may have valuable experience and can point you in the right direction. However, this does not mean that they are experts! You should not, for example, view their opinions on reliability the same way you would a car mechanic who is seeing all sorts of different kind of cars on a daily basis.
When it comes to choosing where you get your car advice from, opting for expert advice is a much better option. This is part of why it is so very important to find a dealership that is trusted in the community. After all, who knows cars better than dealers and mechanics? The short answer, of course, is no one!
Asking your friends and relatives for advice on buying a car comes with certain pitfalls. First of all, a bad experience that a friend or relative had 20 or even 30 years ago shouldn't impact your decisions today. A lot changes in two or three decades!
Secondly, your friends and relatives might have opinions about cars that are in no way based on reality. Opinions that are based on what they've "heard" from someone else or a "gut instinct," isn't the right way to approach buying a car or anything else.
Third, your friends and relatives may have goals for buying a car that are totally out of line with your own desires. This can lead to the worst kind of advice.
In the end, your friends and relatives may have valuable input based on years of firsthand experience. Yet, the best advice will come from the experts.
Three Major Reasons Car Advice from Friends and Family Can Be Tricky
- Their Opinions Can Be Out of Date
- Their Opinions Might Not Be Reality Based
- Their Car Goals and Desires May Differ From Yours
