How to rotate tires. Loosen nuts on all wheels a little. Raise vehicle.

Remove
tires. Clean foreign matter from wheel contact surfaces. Move tires. Hand-tighten
the nuts. Lower the car. Star-pattern the nuts 2-3 times. Use torque wrench at last
tightening at 76ft-lb. Reset tire pressure warning system.

How to wash microfiber towels. Put only microfiber towels in washer. Use gentle
detergent: no dyes, no scents, no fabric softeners, and no bleach. Set washer to
normal agitation setting and cold water setting (use warm water if they're really
dirty), and if you have the extra rinse option, then do that too. After washing,
put in dryer at either no heat or low heat.

How to wax car. Get spray-on wax (MEGUIAR'S G190532SP Hybrid Ceramic Wax) from
Amazon. Follow directions. When maintenance-waxing, Zach says two sprays for the
hood and one spray for all other panels is good.

How to clean exterior of car.

If doing a deep clean, then do this.
) Remove all jewelry, watches, belts, and anything else that could
scratch the car while cleaning. Wear soft clothing that has no buttons or zippers
or anything. Park the car in the shade and make sure it's cool to the touch. Rip
off or cut tags from any towels (all "towels" are microfiber unless specified
otherwise). Rinse out the 3 five gallon buckets you'll use.
) Do a touchless wash. Rinse the car off. Start rinsing at the top of
the hood and work your way down the car. Spray with soapy water (avoid windows if
possible) using spray bottle, also top to bottom. Rinse it off top to bottom.
) Do a touch wash. Wash panels, not windows. Fill one bucket with soapy
water (put dawn dish soap in and fill with water) and fill the other bucket with
water. Use a towel to cover the car with soapy water. Do this by putting it on the
top half of the car and then the bottom half, and move the towel side to side, not
in circles. Wash the towel in the water bucket as it gets dirty and then dunk in
the soapy water. Don't forget about behind the gas cap and in the door jams (door
jams is the metal exposed around the edges when the door is opened). Rinse off all
the soap (top to bottom like before).
) Clay bar the car (not windows). Wear plastic disposable gloves. Clay
bar the car if a few areas feel not smooth. For each body panel: spray panel with
soapy water using a spray bottle, widen the clay bar and then flatten it against
the car to make it smooth; spray panel with soapy water; rub clay bar in back and
forth motion (not circles) with little to moderate pressure until that area of the
panel is smooth; move to a different area on the panel; when the clay bar gets
visibly dirty, then knead it to expose clean surface; periodically spray car to
prevent water from drying out which would leave water marks. Rinse car after clay
baring it.
) Wax the car. Spray the car with wax, even the windows. Dry the
vehicle.
If doing a maintenance clean, then do this.
) Rinse car. Touch wash with a car wash that does not strip the wax
off. Rinse. Spray wax on it (1 spray per panel). Starting on the roof, rinse the
car with a strong stream of water. Dry the vehicle.
How to clean windows:
* All towels are microfiber unless otherwise stated.
) Park car in the shade.
) Remove tags from towels.
) How to clean exterior of windows (don't wax side windows):
) Spray window with ammonia-free glass cleaner then wipe window
in circles with towel. If doing windshield, spray then wipe half at a time.
) Fill water bottle with warm water. Spray windshield in an area
and clay bar in that area in circles (focus in areas where clay bar meets
resistance), repeat until it's all done.
) Clean and wipe again with glass cleaner.
 ) Wax the window. Follow wax instructions.
) How to clean interior of windows: *Look up in car manual how to clean
interior of back window properly.
) Wipe with towel in circles. Then finish using new side of the
towel and go up and down. While wiping, avoid letting the towel touch the dash.
) Spray towel with glass cleaner (same glass cleaner as what you
use on exterior) and wipe in circles. Flip towel to a clean side and wipe up and
down.

How to replace tires. People say you can just replace 2 (either front or back ones)
since it's FWD. But replacing all 4 is technically best practice. Don't buy the
cheapest tires (Continental is mid-tier (Zach likes), Michelin is high-tier). Get
all-season.

How to buy a car.

- Determine what you're willing to spend. Subtract $1,000 in case you need to
fix stuff after buying it. Subtract $200 for it to be looked at and for paperwork.
The result is the max you'll spend on the car itself. For you, this is 9,000 -
1,200 = 7,800.
- Determine what if you want a new-ish car or a beater. Do you want a kind of
new car that you'll have for many years, or do you want a beater and then save up
to get your real car? I want a beater.
- Determine what type of engine. Electric, hybrid, or gas? I can't count on
electric charging, so that's not an option. Since gas cars are cheaper overall and
easier and cheaper to repair than hybrid, then I'll go with that.
- Determine which make you want. I'm going with Toyota then Honda since many
people say they're the best.
- Determine which model you want. I'll look into Toyota Yaris's first, and if
that fails, then Corolla, then Camry, then Honda Fit, then Hyundai Accent.
- For Toyota:
Corolla
Camry
Yaris
- For Honda:
Accord
Fit
- Hyundai
Accent
- Determine which years are best and which years to avoid. Use
carcomplaints.com to do this.
- Toyota Corolla:
- Avoid 2009
- Toyota Camry:
- Avoid 2007 and 2009
- Use websites to look for cars: Toyota dealership websites, other local
dealerships, autotempest.com, cargurus.com, and Facebook marketplace.
- When you find a car, then determine it's value by using nada.com. If the
price is way too high above what you found, to the point where they probably won't
negotiate down to what you want it for, then don't bother contacting them. Don't
contact if they don't have a price or pictures either. But understand that
dealerships selling cars will add like ~1,000 since they expect people to negotiate
for a lower price.
- Do research of what to look for when inspecting the specific make and model
of what you want. Some models have specific issues.
- Get vin & copy of carfax or some history b4 going to see car. if no vin,
then dont bother. if no history, then call & ask questions b4 going.
- Determine the car's history, such as:
- How many previous owners
 - If the car was in an accident
- Any previous mechanical problems
- Maintenance history
* One way to do this is if it's not available and you have the
VIN #, then use driving-tests.org/vin-decoder/
- If calling normal person (not dealer) and you don't know much about
the car, then call the person selling it.
- First ask them to tell you about the car, like "Could you tell
me a little about the car, like if it needs any work, how many miles, that sort of
thing".
- Ask them why they're selling it.
- Any check engine lights?
- Ask about anything that stands out, like why there's a big dent
or crack or something.
- Ask how much they're selling it for. Sometimes the price on the
internet or the sign on the car is different then what they'll say.
- Ask if you can test-drive it. Do it at a time when the sun is
still up, safer, easier to navigate, and easier to inspect the car.
- When you find a car you want to see in person, then:
- Always call, don't text.
- When you go see the car:
- If going to Toyota dealership, and they give you a print-out of all
problems, then you can trust that they actually checked the car. You should still
look it over quickly to be sure.
- Check the 4 main areas of inspection:
- Body
- Dents, scratches, and rust. I don't care much about dents
and scratches, but if it's really rusty, then don't get. Never inspect a wet car
since water can hide scratches and dents.
- Headlights. If they're hazy, then it doesn't matter since
you can fix it (see ChrisFix's video). Reduce price by $150 for each hazy
headlight.
- Check all windows for chips. Look at each window from
multiple angles since come chips are hard to find.
- Check if there's an inspection sticker. If there
is, then it'll give an idea if it needs an inspection soon. If it's out of date,
then something may be wrong with the car.
- Wheels and tires
- Check brake rotors. If shiny, then it was used recently,
which is good. If rusty, then it may have been sitting there, which means it could
have some problems that won't come up in a test drive.
- Make sure all tires are the same. Do this by finding the
brand's name (usually printed on the side of the tire). They don't have to all
match so long as the front tires match and the back match. If there's a different
tire on each corner, then that's bad.
- Determine how much life the tires have left. Bring a
penny with you. Put Abe's head in the tread, and if it's covered by the tire, then
it's good. If not, then they'll need to be replaced soon. You can also check the
wear indicator bands (grooves that go around the circumference of the tire). If the
tread is close to the same diameter as the bands, then the tires will need to be
replaced.
- Make sure all rims are the same.
- Look for curb rash and paint chipping on the rims. It's a
big expense to fix, which will let you negotiate down.
- Interior
- Look for anything that stands out, like torn fabric, worn
steering wheel, worn carpets, sagging headliner (the fabric above your head on the
roof).
- Undercarriage
 - Check if frame is straight.
- Rust, leaks, and damage that indicates it's been in an
accident.
- In the rear, look for the spare tire carrier b/c if
the car was in a significant rear-end collision, then it's difficult to fix that
piece, so if it's crumpled or weird-looking, then that's what happened.
- Take it for a short test drive.
- Take the car to get inspected by an official MAKE's shop or local mechanic.
They'll tell you everything that's wrong with it. Most places offer pre-purchase
inspection services (can always check website to be 100% sure).
- Never sign an "As is" statement. That would mean that once you drive off
the lot, then any issue is your issue now.
- Check the title (the pink slip)
- Make sure the VIN # on the title matches what's on the car (it's on
the driver's side windshield on the dash). If it doesn't match, then the title
isn't for the correct car.
- Verify the info about the car on the title matches what it actually
is.
- Below the car info it says what mileage the owner bought the car at.
- Next to the mileage is a letter. The key for what the letter means is
usually below the letter. Make sure it matches what the person described it as
(e.g., if it was flooded, then it should be F).
- Make sure the owner's info on the title actually describes the owner,
even the driver's license #.
- If there's a stamp at the bottom, then the bank owns the car. If
there's a signature and stamp and whatever beside the stamp that shows that they
paid it off, then the owner now owns the car.
- Negotiate the price. When negotiating, offer a ridiculously low price. Then
they'll go up a little, then you go a little up from your offer to what you're
actually willing to buy the car at.
- If you're buying from a normal person, not a dealer, then go to 53rd,
withdraw money, have the seller sign the title (to release ownership), get title in
your hands, and then give money to the person. Fill out the back of the title (see
below). The car is now yours!
- Be extremely careful that you fill it out correctly. Even if things
are crossed out, the title is void and you have to go to the DMV with the owner to
get a new title, which is a huge hassle.
- If buying from dealer, then bring a check with you and pay it with that.
- Insure the car. Must do this before registering the car.
- Zach says to call State Farm to give them details about the car
either right before or after buying the car (but before driving away) so that
you're covered before driving off the lot.
- Get car insurance (Dad recommends State Farm). You have 30 days to
get it, but the earlier, the better.
- Register the car.
- If buying from a dealership, then they will typically do the
paperwork for a temporary registration before you leave the dealership. Your
official registration, plate, and/or tab will come in the mail later. Some states
let the dealer do the entire process and will give you a license plate.
- If the above doesn't happen, then go to the DMV's website to
determine what paperwork and identification are necessary beforehand. It can cost a
few hundred dollars at the DMV, so be prepared. Proof of insurance is required when
you go to the DMV. What happens is Illinois issues a new registration and title for
you. Then you register your car in your name also at the DMV. The application is on
the back of the old title on the transfer of ownership form is on the DMV's
website. A temporary registration is issued when you present the title and proper
forms to the DMV. A new title with your name will be mailed to you later. It costs
a few hundred dollars, and you should use debit card, so have enough money with
you. And bring a check just in case since some fees are only payable with a check.