Welcome to A Girls Guide to Cars
In 2012 I found myself in the middle of one of the most exhilarating, and at the same time, terrifying, journeys: Buying a new car.
So, I took the advice of experts: I read reviews (which mostly I found useless), I consulted a mechanic (who I was lucky to find) and I shopped around. I used a number of phone apps and web sites, including Autotrader, KBB, Edmunds, Cars.com, Carfax, Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and Google, to figure out which car I wanted, to research it, to locate it and to schedule a test drive. And very soon, I found my dream car.
Join us on YouTube for our video reviews of the cars we test drive!
A Long Trip To Reflect on Reality… And What I Needed To Do Next
As I drove home from Baltimore to Connecticut in my new car, I was almost as excited about the empowered buying experience as I was about the new car I was driving. I couldn’t wait to share it.
I trudged along the New Jersey Turnpike mulling over the experience: the phone apps that helped me narrow down the car I wanted, how strong and smart I felt armed with the knowledge I gained while searching, what a relief it was when the mechanic gave the car a clean bill of health. How good I felt about my car backed up by all the expert advice.
And I knew my experience wasn’t typical. I took a lot of time to find exactly the right car, but I had the leisure to do that. Most people don’t. I knew I needed to share my experience when a friend suggested starting a website about cars for women.
I said no.
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My Head So No, But My Heart Said Yes
My experience also showed me how biased the industry is against women; how easy it is to be victimized, to be talked down to, to feel marginalized while making one of the most important purchases in your life. To feel powerless in a situation when you’re the one with the power.
Over the next few weeks I couldn’t stop thinking about it: Cars, which I love. Shopping, which I love. Writing, which I love. And empowering others, which I love most.
And then, I found this: Stats that showed over and over again that women buy or influence 85% of all car purchases. That women outright buy 62% of all cars. And yet, I couldn’t find any content dedicated to this buyer who often (mostly?) views cars differently than men do.
I Had to Do It: A Girls Guide to Cars Was Born
From crafting a dream to opening new doors, A Girls Guide to Cars has been a journey in itself, one of discovering, defining and evolving our views and ideas; of building a league of writers; and of connecting with car companies and industry insiders. Follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest, subscribe to our newsletter, join our podcast and check out our new car reviews on YouTube. A Girls Guide to Cars will continue to evolve as we learn and grow, and we look forward to sharing this journey with you, and to your ideas, thoughts, questions and experiences.
Thanks for joining us!
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