Life Skills for Vocational Success

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Unit 5: Transportation

Lesson 3: Owning a Car

Topic 1: Purchasing a Car

OBJECTIVES

  1. Identify reliable used cars.

  2. Identify things to check when buying a used car.

  3. Practice negotiating the price of a car.

MATERIALS
Loan Calculation Chart

Copy of a recent used car buying guide that can be found at most places where magazines and books are sold. Most guides are less than $10. Check local library to check out a free copy. Consumer Reports Buying Guide is recommended.

current newspaper with automobile ads

SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS
Buying a Used Car – A computer-based learning tutorial for $49.95 by Jostens Learning (1800 247-1380)

Money Management – A $13.95 book by Educational Design, Inc. (1800 221-9372).

Buying a Used Car (Individual Title from the Survival Skills Reading or Cassette Unit) – A $9.95 workbook by Phillip Roy, Inc. (1800 255-9085).

Janus Life Skills: Shopping and Caring for Cars – A $7.95 workbook by Globe Fearon (1800 848-9500).

INSTRUCTIONAL FORMAT
The purpose of this lesson is to teach the students about getting a reliable car at a reasonable price. Buying a car is a very individual decision. What is important in a car for one person may not be important to another person. Furthermore, if cost was not a factor, buying a car would be easy. Consumer Reports magazine reviews cars every month in their magazines. They also advertise car-buying services. In the yearly Buying Guide, they point out reliable cars and provide tips on how to carefully purchase a used car. Use other publications if you are unable to find any Consumer Reports publications.

  1. Discuss things to consider when purchasing a car. Trainers will want to purchase a recent copy of a used car buying guide. The guide should provide information on where and how to buy a used car, reliability of used cars, and cars that have been recalled due to defects.

  2. Take a newspaper and have the students look for cars that are in their price range. It will be useful to have the "Loan Calculation Chart" available, so students have an idea about how much their monthly payments will be for different car prices. Inform the students that more information about financing will come in the next topic. Have them pick out a car and then review the buyer's guide to decide if it would be a good deal.

  3. Once each student has picked out a car, ask questions about car buying strategies. Ask them the following questions depending on where the car is being sold:

  4. Students should be instructed that before they buy a car they should test drive it and possibly pay to have a mechanic check it out. They also should consult Kelly's Blue Book to find out what a fair price for the car would be, given the condition of the car. Blue Books can be purchased at most bookstores for about $10 or a person can call a local bank or library to get the information. It is also on the Internet at http://www.kbb.com/.

  5. Students should practice finding out the fair price for the car they selected in the paper. If the asking price in the paper is more than the price listed in the Blue Book, have the student practice negotiating for the car. The trainer can be the car seller. When instructing the students on the art of negotiating, point out things like starting below what you are willing to pay, have a firm idea of the most you will pay, and be willing to walk away.

SIGNS OF GENERALIZATION
Ideally, a student will be able to purchase a car on her own following this lesson. This may be too much to ask for some people, however. Hopefully, most students will be able to use good decision-making skills throughout the process and will need to rely on assistance as little as possible.

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