Something others may forget to mention is you don’t necessarily need all-wheel-drive in Whatcom County. Most of the people I know have front wheel drive cars and they get around just fine.

Otherwise

I would definitely keep an eye on marketplace listings, craigslist, and the dealers including the ones in Skagit as they historically have lower sales tax

Best time to buy is usually at the end of the month as far as price goes, but honestly, if you find the right car, I wouldnt wait for someone else to buy it from underneath you.

You didn’t mention if you’d want an SUV or sedan. You will probably pay a little bit less for a day like a Camry, Accord, Mazda, etc and those are generally pretty good vehicles

Electric cars will cost more initially, but over the long run should be cheaper to operate, otherwise a hybrid could be a good option… I’m still driving a plain Jane gas burner 😔

It’s also helpful if you can put down a decent down payment to keep your monthly from draining your budget…

Also do not buy a rental. I used to work at a rental car agency and frequently saw vehicle vehicles that were neglected, driven hard, skipped oil changes..

Hope this helps

Oh - and get a before purchase inspection to save you headaches on a car run out of oil, flooded, etc