Everyone knows that the moment you drive your brand new car off the lot it has already lost value. Unlike your home, which increases in value over time, making it a wise investment, your brand new car only goes down in value with each passing turn of the wheel.

Most car owners will keep a car, on average, for about six years before trading it in or selling it to someone else. Because cars have an average of three owners for their lifetime and you know how they will continue to go down in value, you want to find that perfect time to buy a car so that you can maximize the value of your next car’s life.

Buying from a used car dealership, you are pretty sure that the used cars for sale there will give you the most value and will give you the most use while maintaining the most of its value. If you are making this assumption, you are very likely correct. The key now is to find the auto dealership that has the right inventory for you.

Obviously, everyone’s taste is going to be different. Someone will be looking for a used Mercedes, someone else for a used Jeep or used Ford. There is plenty of inventory. Over 40 million used cars are sold every year by either private sellers or dealerships. Wherever you are looking and for whatever you are looking when it comes to used automobiles, you will very likely find whatever it is you are looking for.

When you have found the dealership with the kind of inventory you desire, your next task is to match your desire for a certain type of car with the amount of money you want to spend. Optimally, you would choose a type of car that would be noted for the manner in which it holds its resale value. A used Chevrolet, for example, will not hold its value very long when put up against a used Mercedes for comparison. The used Mercedes might not be what you desire, but at least make some mental notes on which cars hold their resale value the best.

Buying a car is not an unstressful thing to do. You know the value is going to go through the floor the moment it leaves the lot. Buying your next car should not have to give you the cold sweats or interrupt any of your nightly sleep. All you have to do is decide what you want to spend, find the car you like, and try to decide on what the best value is. What are you paying versus what it will likely be worth when you are finished with it?

Buying a car is an important decision. The more research you do beforehand, the easier it will be. You’ll be driving down the road in no time.