Edmunds.com Offers Undecided Car Buyers a Prescription from the Car Shopper Therapist

SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The first step toward buying a new car is to identify the exact vehicle you want to buy, but that’s often easier said than done. If you’re one of many buyers struggling to find the right car for you, Edmunds.com, the premier resource for car shopping and automotive information, is pleased to offer a prescription from its resident “Car Shopper Therapist“ and Sr. Consumer Advice Editor Philip Reed.

“Most times you can feel the difference between the cars on your list.”

“Car buyers are often undecided because they are simply overwhelmed by all the possibilities, or they are getting conflicting advice from family members and friends,” says Reed, who has bought over 100 new, used and leased cars over the last 12 years at Edmunds.com. “To get these buyers moving forward again, you almost need to psychoanalyze them – automotively speaking – before giving any car-buying advice. I've also learned not to make specific recommendations, and instead just ask questions that help them choose the best car themselves.”

Mr. Reed offers the following three tips to help undecided car buyers get over the hump and zero in on the right car for them:

1) There can be more than one perfect car.
“The fear of making a less-than-perfect decision keeps many people from making any decision at all,” says Reed. “I tell car shoppers to relax and keep in mind that once you narrow the field to a small group of cars, any one of them would be a fine choice.”

2) Identify what is keeping you from making a decision.
Are there too many choices out there? Do you feel clueless about cars? Are you afraid of the hard sell from dealers? Is there not enough time to go shopping? “Once you identify the sticking point,” says Reed, “you can address it and move on to a successful car purchase.” Edmunds.com’s Guide for First-Time Car Buyers is a good resource to help resolve these issues.

3) Let the test drive guide you.
Car shoppers should never buy any car without driving it first. “There’s no better way to get a gut sense of a car than to get behind the wheel,” says Reed. “Most times you can feel the difference between the cars on your list.”

Car Shopper Therapist Philip Reed offers a couple of case studies that everybody can learn from at http://www.edmunds.com/car-buying/how-to-decide-what-car-to-buy.html.

Car shoppers can also browse Edmunds.com’s New Car Inventory and Used Car Inventory pages to see which vehicles are available right now in their area.

About Edmunds.com, Inc.

Edmunds.com is a car-shopping Web site committed to helping people find the car that meets their every need. Almost 18 million visitors use our research, shopping and buying tools every month to make an easy and informed decision on their next new or used car. Whether you’re at the dealership or on the go, we’re always by your side with our five-star Edmunds.com iPhone and iPad apps and our Edmunds.com Android App. Our comprehensive car reviews, shopping tips, photos, videos and feature stories offer a friendly and authentic approach to the automotive world. We’re based in Santa Monica, Calif., but you can connect with us from anywhere by following @Edmunds on Twitter or by becoming a fan of Edmunds.com on Facebook.