9 – Evaluate

Review Your Findings

The Evaluate step is where you take some time to reflect on the results of your observations and experiences in Steps 7 and 8.  The objective is to determine whether to make an offer on the vehicle(s) in question.  Sometimes you can make a decision on the spot, and other times it is better to take some time and think about it – even at the risk of someone else buying it before you do.  It is best to avoid being in a hurry because rushing things is when you are most likely to make regrettable mistakes.

In your evaluation, be sure to factor in the seller’s reliability  Was he honest and accommodating?  Or, did his answers not line up with what you saw with your own eyes?

In order to make your evaluation as objective as possible, you need to establish a rating scale such as 1-5 or 1-10.  For the first few vehicles you look at, try to avoid the extremes of the range.  Don’t rate anything as a 1 – not even the worst, and don’t rate anything as a 10 – not even the best; because, things can always be worse than the worst or better than the best, and you will need room to rank them appropriately.

By giving each vehicle a score, you can compare them against one another to help in your decision making.  As such, it would be very helpful to assign a score for each of the detailed criteria listed in steps 7 and 8, which you can total up, and use here during your ultimate evaluation.