<prompt> Human: I think I have a good idea of what Im doing but just want to backstop that with a sanity check from rpersonalfinance. I live in Northern Virginia and my budget is 5,000, flexible upwards by maybe 1 to 2k if the car is really worth it. Im going for a used Honda or Toyota with 100k to 150k miles, and since its almost the end of the year, plan on using that to negotiate a good price from the dealership. Ive considered going private party but decided that seems a bit much of a hassle, although if money were tighter Id definitely do it.I dont plan on driving much, and probably wont even commute with it, since public transport gives me time to do readingnapping on the bus and some modicum of daily exercise plus its probably cheaper than the gas itd cost to drive in start-and-stop traffic for 10 miles. I just need the car for leisure driving e.g. to go somewhere the buses dont go, so I might see if that can get me a discount on my insurance.I plan on taking any car Im seriously considering to a mechanic for a pre-purchase inspection, but Im not sure how worth it that would be if I dont plan to drive much. My parents always bought used cars without pre-purchase inspections and we never encountered problems. Still, the cars a 5k investment in the loosest sense of the word, since the returns are mostly non-pecuniary so I suppose that justifies the cost.Do I have the right idea? Any tips for me? Im primarily concerned right now about getting insurance -- Ive posted my question already in rinsurance but basically I have no idea how itll work. I cant drive the car till I have insurance, but I cant get insurance till I have the car. Do I buy the car and let it sit on the dealers lot until I get it insured? Or is it possible to go to an insurance agent, get a bunch of quotes for different cars Im considering before I look at them, then the next day go look and pick one, and call the agent to confirm the policy so I can drive the car off the day I buy it?One major thing Im wondering right now, besides how insurance will work, is how much time to budget for this. Ive identified about 10 potential cars I could buy a mix of Toyota Corollas, Toyota Camrys, Honda Civics, Honda Accords, Honda Civic Hybrids, but Im wondering when to look at them. Ill probably need to take a day off work, and it complicates matters that I want to have the car checked out by a mechanic -- which needs an appointment, which in turn means I need to estimate ahead of time how many cars I want to look at in a given day. From your experience, how many cars can I feasibly see in a day, assuming I start out around 9am?Thanks for any help you can provide rpersonalfinance!  <response>: No matter what you decide, its a good idea to bring someone with you preferably with experience. Spending a lot of money at once is always intimidating, and it helps to have support. 