Buying a New Car Starts on the Internet

Before you even step into a car dealer’s showroom, you can research, find the vehicle you want and seal the price—all online.

Before you even step into a car dealer’s showroom, you can research, find the vehicle you want and seal the price—all online.

Getting advice for buying a new car can make you feel like you’re about to enter a minefield. There appears to be a dozen ways a car dealership can rush you into a decision or get you to spend more than you intended. Consumers routinely list buying a car as the worst shopping experience imaginable, Forbes recently reported.

So how do you navigate this minefield and get the car you want at a price you can afford? First, by doing your research on the Internet and then working with websites that can help you choose and find the car you desire. By the time you enter the dealership, you’ll have at least evened the playing field.

Start with Research

First, go online to check out different cars, models and options. Examine their safety and other ratings, find reviews and get an idea of prices. (See sidebar for what features to research.) Several companies are known for their expertise.

Kelley Blue Book. This standard guide since 1926 uses actual transactions to determine car prices for both new and used cars. KBB also lists the car manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) and dealer invoice. The MSRP is the price the manufacturer recommends to the retailer, and the dealer invoice is the amount an auto dealership pays the manufacturer for a vehicle it puts on its lot. These two pieces of information can help you better negotiate the price with the car dealer. The site has reviews from both experts and consumers.

J.D. Power. The company has been providing consumer ratings since 1968. Its Power Circle Ratings are based on independent and unbiased feedback from a representative sample of verified product and service owners. On J.D. Power’s website, you can find ratings for a car’s mechanical, feature, accessory, body and interior quality, as well as for performance, creature comforts and style. There’s also a score for the dealership experience.

Consumer Reports. Known for its independent reviews and advice about all types of products and services, the magazine and website offer extensive advice on purchasing a car. Read about how to choose a type of car, avoid “car-buying surprises,” evaluate and negotiate with the dealership, finance the purchase and finalize the deal. If you subscribe to Consumer Reports, you also have access to its car reviews.

Where to Go for Help

While there are some people who might thrive on wheeling and dealing, many car buyers would rather avoid the whole process. There are organizations and businesses, some not necessarily dedicated to car buying, which you’ve dealt with over the years and have come to trust for various reasons. These are just a few.

Features and Functions to Research

When researching a new (or used) car, what should you look for? Kelley Blue Book offers these suggestions.

“Passive safety” precautions include airbags, energy-absorbing crumple zones and mechanisms that can detect an oncoming crash and tighten the seat belt (pretensioners). Other more active safety features include antilock brakes and traction and stability control. If you drive in bad weather or on slippery surfaces, consider getting all-wheel drive or four-wheel drive, which can make driving safer.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Government 5-Star Safety Ratings provides the relative performance levels of various cars and trucks in crashes, and an indication of how your prospective vehicle’s safety features compare to those of others.

Using research tools like J.D. Power Circle Ratings, check out how your desired car rates in mechanical, feature and accessory quality as well as the quality of the body and interior. Make sure to research ratings for performance, creature comforts and style.

Consumer Reports. In addition to offering its own guide to purchasing a vehicle, Consumer Reports has a car-buying service. Using its Build & Buy Car Buying Service (developed with the car-shopping website TrueCar), you can get current price information about the make and model of the vehicle you want. In fact, online you can configure the car of your dreams, choosing the trim, color and options you want. From this information, you’ll get an estimated dealer price from Consumer Reports’ prescreened dealers in your area, plus a certificate guaranteeing you a certain amount of savings from the MSRP on the model you’ve chosen, if it’s in stock.

AARP. On AARP’s website, once you select the car model you’re looking for, you can choose the features, including sedan or hatchback, color, the desired mpg, and your price range. The service recommends dealers in your area, which will search local inventory for the car you want and provide pricing on available vehicles that match your preferences. You can then take the price, which is often below MSRP, to the dealer you choose. Be forewarned, though: To use AARP’s service, you must provide your email address and phone number (unlike Consumer Reports, which hides your identity), so be prepared to have dealers contacting you within five minutes of filling out AARP’s forms.

AAA. The national car club has its own Auto Buying Program for both a new or pre-owned vehicle. It’s similar to other organizations’ programs, but different regions of the country have slightly different programs. Consult with your local club for details.

Costco. Similar to the other programs, the warehouse shopping club uses selected dealers who meet the company’s requirements for value. Costco gives members the resources to “build” and research your car online and prearranges low costs with dealers. The company claims that it continuously monitors its dealers to ensure competitive pricing and good service.

United Services Automobile Association. Once you’ve researched and compared prices, you can choose up to three certified dealers for test drives. When you’re ready to make a decision, present the dealer with your USAA Savings Certificate that guarantees the price for the car you’ve chosen.

Car-Shopping Websites

You can also deal directly with an auto website, which provides reviews and advice and connects you with dealers. FoxNews chose several of what it considered the best, including:

Edmunds.com. This site won the highest ranking in J.D. Power’s 2014 survey of car-shopping sites based on content, ease of navigation, appearance and speed. Find reviews and shop for new and used cars in your area. After you choose a car, view the average price paid and get an estimated price from Edmunds. If you send the dealer your contact information, you can get a locked-in price.

TrueCar. Like Edmunds, this site monitors local car sales to determine the average price of a car in your zip code. When you find a car and dealer you like, you can lock in the price with a certificate you take to the dealer.

Carvana. Bypassing car dealerships, Carvana has its own inventory of inspected cars for sale. If you live in its service area (in the South), you never have to leave your house. You can do all the car shopping, dealing and financing online, and then wait for Carvana to deliver the car you chose to your house. If you don’t live in its service area, Carvana will pay for your plane ticket (up to $200) to fly and pick it up. Carvana estimates that cutting out the dealers saves buyers $1,500 per car. If you drive the car around for seven days and decide you don’t like it, you get your money back.

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Heartburn Can Be More Serious Than Discomfort

Older adults are especially susceptible to extreme forms of acid reflux, which can harm the esophagus and cause problems eating and drinking.

Older adults are especially susceptible to extreme forms of acid reflux, which can harm the esophagus and cause problems eating and drinking.

More than 60 million Americans experience heartburn at least once a month, and some studies have suggested that more than 15 million Americans experience heartburn symptoms, also known as acid reflux, each day (American College of Gastroenterology). Because of physiological changes, plus prescription medications that affect the GI tract, older adults are more likely to suffer from a more serious form of acid reflux known as gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD.

So, there’s a good reason why your bathroom shelves are loaded with bottles of Pepcid, Gaviscon, Tagamet and Maalox, and why you’ve had to stop eating some of your favorite dishes, like burritos and spaghetti with marina sauce.

How It Starts

You experience heartburn as a burning pain in your chest, just behind your breastbone (and not actually in your heart), often after you eat or at night. The pain is usually worse when you are lying down or bending over. It’s known as acid reflux because stomach acid backs up into your esophagus (the tube that transports food from your mouth to your stomach). In a healthy esophagus, after food and liquid flow into your stomach, the esophageal muscle tightens. But if it’s weak, a trait common in older adults, the acid can come back up and cause a burning sensation.

On its own, acid reflux can cause extreme discomfort, which over-the-counter medications can often alleviate. Perhaps surprisingly, stomach acid can corrode the enamel on your teeth, leading to cavities. However, acid reflux can become more serious and turn into GERD. As such, it can irritate the lining of the esophagus (esophagitis), which can lead to painful swallowing. GERD can also cause ulcers and scar the esophageal lining, which narrows the esophagus and makes it more difficult to eat and drink. In a few cases, the disease can even increase your chances of cancer. To figure out if you have more than heartburn, see the sidebar, “Determine if you have GERD.”

Causes and Triggers

Various factors can trigger heartburn. One is a hiatal hernia, which is when the muscle wall separating your stomach from your chest moves up, allowing acid to enter your esophagus. Also, many older adults take blood pressure medications which can cause heartburn. Numerous lifestyle practices also contribute, including:

• Smoking. This habit inhibits the production of saliva, which neutralizes acid’s effects. Tobacco may also stimulate stomach acid production and relax the muscle between the esophagus and the stomach, permitting acid to flow up.
• Consuming certain foods and beverages. Chocolate, coffee, peppermint, greasy or spicy foods, tomato products, citrus juices and alcohol can all create acid. Avoid the nightcap before going to bed.
• Being overweight. Excess pounds put pressure on your abdomen, pushing up your stomach and causing acid to back up into your esophagus.
• Eating before sleeping. Because stomach acid helps break down food for digestion, you need two to three hours for acid levels to decrease before lying down. You might want to think about elevating the head of your bed if your heartburn occurs during the night. Simply raising the head with a few blocks or, if you prefer, sleeping with more pillows to keep the head up can be helpful.
• Stress. Anxiety can worsen heartburn symptoms.

Determine if you have GERD

Your heartburn might be more serious than you think. If you agree with two or more of the questions in the quiz below, you may have GERD. To know for sure, see your doctor or a gastrointestinal specialist.

1. Do you frequently have one or more of the following:
   1. an uncomfortable feeling behind the breastbone that seems to be moving upward from the stomach?
   2. a burning sensation in the back of your throat?
   3. a bitter acid taste in your mouth?
2. Do you often experience these problems after meals?
3. Do you experience heartburn or acid indigestion two or more times per week?
4. Do you find that antacids only provide temporary relief from your symptoms?
5. Are you taking prescription medication to treat heartburn, but still having symptoms?

From the American College of Gastroenterology

Medications That Help

Many over-the-counter medications can help relieve acid reflux. The options include:

• Antacids. By helping to neutralize stomach acid, antacids such as Maalox, Mylanta, Tums and Gaviscon may provide quick relief. However, they can’t heal an esophagus damaged by stomach acid. Frequent antacid use can also cause diarrhea or constipation.
• H2-receptor antagonists. Also known as H2 blockers, these medications actually reduce the production of stomach acid, therefore relieving heartburn for a longer period of time than antacids. However, they don’t act as quickly, which is why many people grab an antacid first. H2 blockers, which include Pepcid, Tagamet and Zantac, can help heal mild to moderate esophagitis.
• Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). For more severe cases, doctors will prescribe PPIs, which include Prevacid and Prilosec. PPIs have been found to reduce more acid and heal esophagitis more rapidly than H2 blockers. However, several recent studies have shown links between PPIs and some serious illnesses.

Problems with PPIs

One study reviewed data from 16 million clinical documents and found that people who take PPIs have a greater risk of suffering a heart attack, regardless of whether they have a history of cardiovascular disease (Pharmaceutical Journal).

Another study linked PPI to increased risk of developing kidney disease (Medline Plus). The findings are based on medical records from over 173,000 VA patients who were prescribed a PPI and more than 20,000 other patients given H2 blockers. Over five years, 15 percent of PPI users were diagnosed with chronic kidney disease, versus 11 percent of those on H2-blockers. After the researchers weighed other factors, PPI users still had a 28 percent greater risk.

PPIs work by blocking production of stomach acid, which helps digest food and acts as a barrier against certain pathogens. Without the stomach acid, people are more vulnerable to nutritional deficiencies and infections, according to one researcher, because you’re not getting the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients you need. Nutrient deficiencies and bone-density loss is especially a concern for older adults.

Another recent study raises concerns about PPIs causing dementia. The German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases in Bonn studied 73,679 people ages 75 and older. The researchers found regular PPI users had at least a 44 percent increased risk of dementia compared with those not using the drugs (NPR). Although it’s not clear how PPIs might increase the risk for dementia, other researchers studying mice have reported that PPIs seem to increase levels of beta-amyloid, a damaging protein that accumulates in dementia patients’ brains.

None of these studies prove that PPIs are directly to blame for these problems, only that there is a link. However, medical experts advise that patients should only take them when their acid reflux or GERD is severe. Many prescribers are having their patients taper off of them periodically or switch to other H2 blockers or antacids. Instead of relying only on drugs, people with acid reflux/GERD should consider diet and lifestyle changes, such as eating less spicy foods and losing weight, experts advise. To relieve the discomfort of acid reflux, you can also raise the head of your bed.

Special offer ends June 30 – Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month

We’re halfway through Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month, which means our special Matching Gift Challenge will soon be coming to an end. Have you made a donation yet to help double our efforts in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease?
One of the essential truths many people misunderstand is that Alzheimer’s is not normal aging. It’s a fatal and progressive disease that attacks the brain, killing nerve cells and tissue, affecting an individual’s ability to remember, think and plan. Brain changes associated with Alzheimer’s may begin 20 or more years before symptoms appear.
That’s why your gift to this Matching Gift Challenge is so important. A foundation with a long history of support for the Alzheimer’s Association has generously agreed to donate $100,000 if we can raise that same amount by June 30. That means that for a very limited time, your tax-deductible donation of $35 can become $70 — or your especially generous gift of $60 can become $120.
Any amount you can give in recognition of Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month — a time to take action — will make a difference. Your gift today can go twice as far to help advance research toward methods of prevention and treatment, as well as enhance our local care and support services for all those affected.
Time is running out on this special offer. Please help us reach our $100,000 goal and take advantage of this incredible Matching Gift Challenge while we still can.

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Learn from the comfort of your home in June – Alzheimer’s disease

2 New Topics: Daily Plans for a Person With Alzheimer’s disease and
Caregiver Burnout

1 Education by phone: Held the second Tuesday of every month
Successful Daily Plans for a Person With Alzheimer’s disease
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
noon to 1 p.m.
If you want to hit a home run when caring for a person with memory loss, it helps to have a game plan that is heavily focused on activities. Being an arm chair quarterback and saying, “Hey, why don’t you work on your crafts now?” just won’t work. Managing our energy while helping the person with memory loss to be actively engaged will bring satisfaction and fun to all. Join us to score some strategies for fun!


1 Webinar: Live interactive program conducted through the internet
Caregiver Burnout: What to Do When You Have Nothing Left to Give
Thursday, June 23, 2016
10:00 – 11:00 a.m.
OR
2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Alzheimer’s caregivers report higher levels of depression, illness and burnout than caregivers of those with any other condition. Find out why, and what you can do to overcome burnout and care for yourself.

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Announcing our $100,000 MATCH – Alzheimer’s disease

Make DOUBLE the impact during Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month
$35 ? $70
$60 ? $120
$120 ? $240

Dear Zoltan,
I’m thrilled to announce that you have another exciting opportunity to double your impact in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease. In recognition of Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month, a foundation with a long history of support for the Alzheimer’s Association has generously agreed to donate $100,000 to fund research and local awareness if we can raise that same amount by June 30.
When you take advantage of this limited-time Matching Gift Challenge, your tax-deductible donation of $35 can become $70 — or your especially generous gift of $60 can become $120. Any amount you give can go twice as far to help advance innovative research projects and provide care and support for the more than 5 million people in the United States living with Alzheimer’s and their over 15 million caregivers.
Your support today will be especially meaningful, as June is Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month. It’s common knowledge that Alzheimer’s disease robs people of their ability to remember, but other truths about the disease remain unknown. For instance, many people are unaware that:

• Alzheimer’s is a fatal disease — there are no survivors. From 2000-2013, the number of Alzheimer’s deaths increased 71 percent, while deaths from other major diseases decreased.
• This disease is more than memory loss — Alzheimer’s affects people in different ways, and each person will experience symptoms and progress through the stages of the disease differently.
• Early diagnosis matters. Early detection and diagnosis allows people to access available treatments, build a care team, participate in support services and enroll in clinical trials.

That’s why, throughout the month of June, the Alzheimer’s Association is focusing on uncovering the critical truths about Alzheimer’s and other dementias, while working to educate the public on the warning signs, the difference between Alzheimer’s and typical aging, and the power of early detection.
Our vision is a world without Alzheimer’s. Please help us get there with a generous gift during Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month that can have twice the impact on our fight against this disease. Thank you.
Sincerely,

Donna McCullough
Chief Development Officer

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