I applaud any woman who knows a single thing about cars, seeing as I don't have a clue what I'm looking at when I pop the hood. I see thingies that spin and vibrate, others that whirl and buzz, and I wouldn't know if it was supposed to whirl or spin. This is the biggest issue I face when I shop for vehicles. Ladies, how many of you have had to go test drive a car by yourself because no one was available to go with you? Ever feel like you're outnumbered or outwitted because the salesperson recognizes a deer in headlights from a mile away? The most I know what to look for is obvious damage or rust. It sucks that I have to ask someone else to go with me to choose something for myself that is supposed to make me more independent, a free person. Instead, what this does is give me anxiety and stress.

Shopping for a car as a woman we are faced with the question, "What did you have in mind?" Like, I want it on four wheels, runs smoothly and isn't hideous. "Oh, have thought about a six-cylinder engine? They're great!" Oh, are they now? Gee, if I had known that I would've told you, I DON'T KNOW SHIT MAN, NADA, ZILCH, WHY DO YOU THINK I'M STRESS SWEATING? Due to this, every woman that I know hates car shopping. My cousin hates it, my mother stresses over it, and I become obsessed with it so that I can get it done as quickly as possible. But here are a few quick tips that the men in my family have taught me to look at when inspecting a car or truck to see if it's even worth looking further into it:

1. Get on the ground.

Bare with me here, there's a reason why you're getting dirty doing this. Take a look under the vehicle in inquiry, do you see rust? OK, you do, now take a closer look, is it only surface level where it can buffed off or does something seem not quite right? Keep an eye out for any metal that has been eaten away by rust because that means the car may have suffered water damage at one point like being in a flood. Another reason for this is to see where the vehicle has been kept. My uncle told me that as water evaporates from the ground it goes up (well we all knew that part), but it will condense on the first solid thing it comes to, like the underside of a car. So if there's a fine coating of rust all under the car, it was kept outside rather than in a garage.

2. Check the tires.

Any time you get new tires, you can count on the bill being around $500. Check the treads on what you're looking at and see if they're worn at all, the more worn they are the sooner that $500 is coming out of your pocket. Also, check to see how the tread is worn. If the outer edges or middle of the tires are worn to different levels then the tire isn't aligned quite right. It might not be a big issue but at the same time, it could be if the alignment in the car is off by a lot.

3. Look in and around the doors and the seats' hardware.

At first, I didn't know what that meant either. First, with the doors, check the bottom edges for that pesky rust again. Looking at older cars means that rust will more than likely be there anyway, so don't worry if you see some. But, once again, see the level of rust and if any of the doors has been eaten away. If it has, don't get that car unless the damage can be repaired easily or if you can shell out the cash for that. As for the seats, look at the metal mechanisms underneath. Any rust? If no, great! If so, you know the drill. If the rust is excessive then the car has more than likely had water damage. Beware of water-damaged vehicles!

4. Check the belts.

No, I don't mean the seat belts. Pop that hood, girly! Now, I have no idea what to look for as a whole concerning an engine. But I do know that if your serpentine belt goes out so does your power steering. This happened to me one time so I always look for it as it is a pain in the keister to try and force your car to the side of the road when that wheel fights you. You should be able to see grooves on the belt and the sides of it shouldn't be wearing away. If you see threads starting to come off the sides of the belt it's still mostly OK, just keep on eye on it and check it periodically.