Companion to The Driver's Survival Guide
The Tools and Links
Worth Bookmarking.
The links planned for the Driver's Survival Guide (coming soon), plus the free tools we've built. All in one spot, so you can find them when you need them.
MED Tools & Resources
Everything Built for Everyday Drivers
Free tools, paid help, and a membership program. All of it is meant to help you get fewer surprises and pay less.
Free
10-Step Monthly Car Check
The printable walkthrough that catches most problems before they get expensive. Ten minutes, no tools required.
Coming Soon
The Driver's Survival Guide
Repair vs. replace, reading estimates, negotiating, what a car really costs to own, and more. Coming soon. Join the waitlist.
Waitlist
MED Fleet Program
Wake County membership for drivers who want shops they can trust, tools to keep costs down, and help with decisions before problems happen.
From $49
MED Advisory
One-on-one help with repair decisions, estimates, and buying a car. Three tiers, based on how complicated your situation is, and a written summary every time.
Free
Fix or Replace? Calculator
Enter your repair estimate and vehicle details and get a repair vs. replace answer in under 2 minutes.
Free
Teen Glovebox Card
A printable card for a new driver's glovebox: who to call and what to do when something goes wrong on the road. Print it and leave it in the car.
Coming Soon
Total Cost of Ownership Worksheet
The interactive version of Appendix D. Run your real number in under 20 minutes.
Valuation & Pricing
Know What Your Car Is Worth
Use at least two of these before any major buying, selling, or trade-in decision. Numbers vary by source. Where they overlap is usually close to the truth.
Kelley Blue Book
The most recognized vehicle valuation tool in the US. Use the Fair Purchase Price and Fair Market Range for both buying and trade-in decisions, not just the private party or dealer retail values.
Referenced in: Chapter 5 (Repair vs. Replace), Chapter 12 (Negotiating), Appendix D
Edmunds
Edmunds True Market Value (TMV) shows what vehicles are actually selling for in your area. Not sticker price, but real transaction data. One of the strongest negotiating tools available before you step into a dealership.
Referenced in: Chapter 5, Chapter 12 (Negotiating), Appendix D
TrueCar
Aggregates actual transaction prices from dealers nationwide. Particularly useful for new vehicle purchases. It shows what others paid for the same vehicle in your market.
Referenced in: Chapter 12 (Negotiating)
CarMax
Get an instant offer on your current vehicle, online or in person. The number CarMax gives you becomes your trade-in floor. No dealer should offer you less without a clear reason.
Referenced in: Chapter 12 (Negotiating)
CarGurus
Strong for used vehicle market pricing. Shows whether a listed vehicle is priced fairly, above, or below market, and how long it's been sitting. Listings that have been on the market longer often have more negotiating room.
Referenced in: Chapter 11 (Buying Without Regret)
Due Diligence
Research Before You Buy
The hour you spend here before buying is the best hour you will spend on that car. Reliability changes from one model year to the next, and you can look it up. Related reading: Used Car Red Flags to Watch For (2026).
Consumer Reports: Used Car Reliability
The best reliability data a regular buyer can get, compiled from hundreds of thousands of real owner surveys. Look up the specific make, model, and year. Reliability can vary significantly across model years on the same nameplate.
Referenced in: Chapter 11 (Buying Without Regret)
J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study
Annual rankings of long-term vehicle dependability by make and model. Particularly useful for understanding which brands and models hold up over three or more years of ownership, not just initial quality.
Referenced in: Chapter 11 (Buying Without Regret)
NHTSA: Safety Ratings
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's 5-Star Safety Ratings cover frontal crash, side crash, and rollover performance. Free, searchable by year, make, and model. Check this before committing to any vehicle purchase.
Referenced in: Chapter 11 (Buying Without Regret)
IIHS: Crash Test Results
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety conducts independent crash and safety testing, separate from NHTSA and often more rigorous on certain tests. Their Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ designations are two of the safety awards that mean the most.
Referenced in: Chapter 11 (Buying Without Regret)
CarEdge
Plain car-buying education and negotiation help. If you want to go deeper on the buying and F&I process than Chapter 12 does, this is the best independent resource we know of.
Recommended resource, not in book
Used Vehicle Protection
Vehicle History & Recalls
Run all three on any used vehicle you're seriously considering. Each one tells you something the others don't.
Carfax
The most widely used vehicle history report: accident history, title problems, odometer readings, service records, and number of previous owners. Don't skip it on a used vehicle. Many dealers provide one; for private sales, it's worth the cost.
Referenced in: Chapter 11 (Buying Without Regret)
AutoCheck
An alternative to Carfax that draws from some different data sources. Running both on the same vehicle occasionally surfaces discrepancies worth knowing about. Worth doing for any vehicle you're close to purchasing.
Referenced in: Chapter 11 (Buying Without Regret)
NHTSA Recall Lookup
Enter any VIN and see every open safety recall on that vehicle, free. Recalls are fixed at no cost by dealers, but only if you know they exist. Check before buying a used vehicle, and check your current vehicle annually. Open recalls on vehicles you already own are surprisingly common.
Recommended check: applies to vehicles you already own
Finding & Vetting Shops
Shop & Repair Resources
A shop you trust is worth a lot to you as an owner. These tools help you find and evaluate one. Related reading: Quoted $500 for Brake Pads? What They Should Really Cost and What a Repair-Quote Second Opinion Looks Like.
ASE Shop Locator
Find repair shops with ASE-certified technicians near you. ASE certification means technicians have passed standardized competency testing in specific repair categories. It doesn't guarantee a good experience, but it's a decent starting point when you're sizing up a new shop.
Referenced in: Chapter 6 (Avoiding Repair Overcharges)
RepairPal: Repair Cost Estimator
Free estimates for common repairs by make, model, year, and zip code. Use this alongside Appendix B to evaluate whether an estimate you've received is in a reasonable range for your market. Not a substitute for getting multiple quotes, but a useful starting point.
Recommended tool: extends Appendix B
Google Maps: Shop Reviews
Filter reviews by "Most Recent" rather than reading the overall rating. Look for how the shop responds to negative reviews. That tells you more about how they handle problems than five-star praise does. Consistent patterns across multiple recent reviews matter more than any single comment.
Referenced in: Chapter 6 (Avoiding Repair Overcharges)
Ongoing Ownership
Ownership Tools
The resources you'll come back to over the life of your vehicle, not just at purchase time.
fueleconomy.gov
The EPA's official fuel economy database. Compare the real-world fuel cost of any vehicle against alternatives. Useful both before buying and for understanding what your current vehicle actually costs per mile. The side-by-side comparison tool is worth bookmarking.
Referenced in: Chapter 3 (True Cost of Ownership)
Owner's Manual Lookup
Don't have yours? Most manufacturers publish full owner's manuals online, free. Your owner's manual is the authoritative source for your specific vehicle's maintenance intervals. It's more reliable than shop recommendations and more accurate than generic interval charts.
Referenced throughout: Chapters 6, 7, 9
OBD-II Diagnostic Scanner
A Bluetooth OBD-II adapter plugs into your vehicle's diagnostic port and lets you read warning light codes before your next shop visit, so you know what you're dealing with and can't be told something that isn't there. Recommended device coming soon.
Referenced in: Chapter 9 (DIY Checks Anyone Can Handle)
Coming Soon: Wake County
The MED Fleet Program
A membership for drivers who want lower ownership costs, access to vetted shops, and better decisions before problems happen. Founding members lock in the best rate and help shape the program.
Join the Waitlist →
$49/year founding rate
One-on-One Guidance
Not Sure What to Do? Get a Direct Answer.
Repair estimate you don't trust. Buying decision you can't afford to get wrong. Major repair on an aging vehicle. MED Advisory gives you a straight answer on your specific situation, with a written summary every time.
See Advisory Options →
From $49 (member rates for Fleet members)