Car Buyer Labs

Car Buying Advice, Tips, and Reviews

Used cars are shown in a row at a used car dealership.

What are the Benefits of Buying a Car in a Small Town?

Searching “used car dealerships near me?” The Dallas / Fort Worth has been one of the bright spots in the national economy in recent years. It has been so bright that the region has been attracting many businesses, jobs, and people from other cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, and Chicago. While those regions have been losing people and contracting, the Dallas/ Fort Worth region has been growing especially for car dealerships.

There is much to like in the Dallas / Fort Worth area. For starters, it has a large, bustling, business-friendly economy that produces a wide range of products and services for the rest of the United States and indeed, the world. It is made up of 12 counties, dozens of cities, houses the headquarters of 22 corporations making up the Fortune 500, countless non-profits, and thousands of businesses of all sizes. These entities employ millions of people, creating value for almost seven million people who call the region home.  The byproduct of a large, vibrant economy such as the Dallas / Fort Worth area are countless options for just every need or want a person could have. There is something for everyone regarding jobs, housing, entertainment, transportation, and shopping. The endless array of options can be exciting when they are new or when you are young. However, once the novelty wears off, every unique experience becomes another chore resulting in life becoming stressful.

The typical adult averages 35,000 decisions on a given day starting when we first wake up in the morning and ending when we close our eyes at the end of the day. Decisions continue to be made regarding our actions when it comes to communication with people, work, and play. Many of the choices we make have long-standing consequences that will affect our future, those of our families, co-workers, employees, neighbors, and those in our immediate surroundings. So many critical decisions can eventually take their toll on us, creating stress, anxiety, depression, and a whole slew of emotions.

After buying a home, buying a car is the second largest purchase that many people will make. While such a purchase can be exciting, the thought of making a wrong choice can be stressful for many people. In the case of buying a car, there are a large number of decisions to make. There is the type of vehicle, the color, whether to purchase or lease, who to buy from, and so much more. For many people, the process of buying a car only adds more stress to an already stressful existence. Living in a large urban area such as the Dallas / Fort Worth can be very exciting, and because of the number of options, we have to choose from, overwhelming at times. As with everything in life, there are advantages and disadvantages to such a large urban environment such as Dallas / Fort Worth.

Advantages of Dallas

Wealth is often the product of a robust and diversified economy brimming with opportunity. As a result, many people have a lot of money to spend on such things as housing, investment opportunities, entertainment, automobiles, and other products and services. As a result, there are products and services available to meet any need or want at just about any price-point. Everything is possible for a price.

The Dallas / Fort Worth area has a world-class transportation network and transit system. As a result, residents have a large number of options when it comes to mobility throughout the region. Despite the number of transportation options, the car is still king as evidenced by traffic during morning and evening rush hour. The Dallas / Fort Worth region is ranked in 21st place for the worst traffic. Work is the fuel of economic growth. In a robust and diversified economy like the one in the Dallas / Fort Worth area, hard work often happens at the expense of meaningful interactions, and relationships with friends, family, and community. However, for many, a lack of meaningful interactions and relationships often leads to loneliness, sadness, and a host of other emotions.

A salesman is helping a smiling customer, which you'll find when you search, "used car dealership near me", decide on her new car.

Disadvantages of ‘Big City Life’ in Dallas

While there are many cool things about living in a large urban center like the Dallas / Fort Worth area, there are also many disadvantages. There is more money in the Dallas / Fort Worth region than in rural areas. As a result, more people are willing to pay a higher price for a given product or service. Often, property, equipment, salaries, and the cost of doing business is higher in large, urban environments. With higher costs come higher prices that are passed on from sellers to buyers.

Auto dealers are plentiful throughout the Dallas / Fort Worth area with several dealerships often co-existing within proximity of one another. Dealer inventories can range in size at any given time from a few vehicles to several hundred. When you consider the number of cars for sale in the region in the hands of private parties, the result is an enormous number of new and used car options for prospective buyers. While many people would argue that having a number of choices is desirable, others wonder how to go about finding the vehicle that best suits their budget and needs from a sea of options.

Despite the economic opportunities, the overwhelming number of options and the standard of living that the region offers, it all comes at a cost in the form of time not spent in relationships with other people. We are social creatures naturally longing for contact and connection with other human beings. Many of us can relate to rushing through the day to complete our tasks but yet never really establish a meaningful relationship with another person at least once. That lack of meaningful attachment is often a source of loneliness and isolation. However, human beings are social creatures made for relationships and interactions with other people. Along with being social creatures, we are also simple creatures in that too many choices can often overwhelm us. When overwhelmed by too many options, the result is usually ‘no action.’ In other words, we end up not making a decision, making a purchase, or proceeding forward with our goal. We hold off taking action to move our lives forward.

Buying a Car in Dallas

The overwhelming options available in a large, bustling metropolis such as the Dallas / Fort Worth area also apply to buy a car as well. There are so many dealers, each with their fleet of vehicles to sell, providing so many options, that it can often be overwhelming. Sifting through options to find the vehicle that best meets your budget and needs, takes time. This is time that many don’t have. If this sounds like you, fortunately, there is a solution.

Doing Business in a Small Town

While living in a bustling metropolis such as the Dallas / Fort Worth area provides many options for an already stressed buyer, life in a smaller rural environment is just the opposite. Some of the characteristics of a small town include:

  • Lower costs: Property, property taxes, and expenses, in general, are lower in a smaller town. These lower costs are passed onto prospective buyers. The result may be lower prices for cars in the small cities.
  • Fewer options: In a big city, there are just too many options for many. With literally hundreds of choices to sift through, there is less competition, which means fewer options. However, auto dealers in smaller towns have access to the same vehicles that the larger, urban dealers do. Fewer options don’t mean that dealers in the small cities can’t get the car you desire. In many cases, they can get it. It may just take a little bit of time.
  • Slower pace: Life is often slower in a small town compared to a big city. There are not as many people competing for the same opportunities in small towns. As a result, life is lived at a slower pace resulting in more time to get to know people and build relationships.
  • Community relationships: There are many older, small towns surrounding the Dallas / Fort Worth area with families that have lived in the same town for generations. As a result, everybody knows everyone. There are deeper community relationships.
  • Consistent workforce: With fewer options, people tend to stay at the same job for a much longer period of time. In other words, if you bought a car from a dealer in a small town, five, ten or even twenty years ago, there is a much higher chance that the person who sold you the car, is still working at the same dealer than if at a dealer in a large city.

So look for a small town dealership and venture out of the city. You might just find that they have the services that you need.