(Vancouver, BC) –Buying cars is no longer a ‘guy thing’. With women buying more than fifty per cent of all vehicles that are sold in Canada, and influencing more than eighty-five per cent of all purchases, shopping for cars is increasingly becoming something that women do.

But, despite the fact that females have become the primary car buyers, purchasing an automobile can still be a daunting task for some women. OpenRoad Auto Group provides four key recommendations to help women in the purchase of their next car.

“There are a lot of car options out there and it can definitely get a little overwhelming if you’re not prepared,” notes Christian Chia, CEO of the OpenRoad Auto Group. “However, with a little knowledge and the support of a good dealership, buying a car can be an exciting and rewarding experience.”

The key thing that Chia recommends to anyone looking to buy a car is to properly examine your needs and know what you’re looking for before you start. Take time to think about what you use your car for. What kind of driving do you most often do? How long is your commute? What are your Must-Have Options? By ensuring that your needs, not your wants, drive your decision, you’re more likely to find a car that will fit your lifestyle in the long-term.

Other car-buying tips Chia recommends include:

• Know your budget and stick to it. Establishing a realistic monthly payment that fits into your budget is a crucial first step. Think about how much it will cost to insure and run your vehicle and factor this into your overall budget. By establishing how much you can afford to spend before you go shopping you’re sure to find a car that fits your lifestyle and your budget.
• Educate yourself. A confident, prepared customer helps make the sales process more efficient, so get as much information as possible about a car before you sit down with the salesperson. Looking at brochures, searching on the Internet and reading consumer magazines that rate autos are great ways to familiarize yourself with a vehicle before you buy.
• Take a thorough test drive. The goal of a test drive is to experience — as closely as possible — the same type of driving conditions the car will be used for after purchase. So do your best to operate the vehicle as you would in normal use. If you commute, drive the car in both stop-and-go traffic and at highway speeds. If you frequently drive into the mountains, try to find some steep grades to climb. Test the brakes in a safe location, such as a deserted parking lot. Get in and out of the car several times and be sure to sit in the backseat, especially if you plan on carrying passengers. In short, ask yourself what it will be like to live with this car for a number of years. Your test drive should last about 20 minutes and take you over familiar terrain (so you can focus on how the car feels). It's also a good idea to do all of your test-driving in one morning or afternoon. Driving the cars back to back will help you uncover even minor differences, which will lead to a more educated purchase decision.
• Be confident, thorough and demonstrate your knowledge. Once you know what you need, how much you can spend and what kind of cars are out there, make a checklist of all the things you want and bring it with you when you’re shopping. This will help to ensure that you get everything you need at the best price. It’s also a good idea to write down all the possible questions you may have about a car and ensure that you have satisfactory answers before you buy.

The OpenRoad Auto Group started in the Richmond farmland in 1978 when the three Chia brothers opened Richmond Toyota. Since then, the group has grown to seven dealerships across the Lower Mainland with combined annual sales of more than $190-million and a staff of over 300 technicians, salespeople and administration personnel. OpenRoad strives to provide customers the best-possible vehicle shopping experience by featuring wide-open showrooms, visible sales managers, aquatic fish tanks, PlayStation II consoles and an un-matched selection of products.