Hi there. I'm new to the forums. I think the advice you've gotten here on car buying is excellent. Can I touch for a minute on your relationship with your parents? I know it's hard, but you have to make the break at some point if you're going to experience freedom. My mother has been controlling in the past. I stopped falling for it years ago and now I have no problem asserting myself. I don't even get worried about it any more. If I were buying a car, they wouldn't even know about it until the next time they saw me driving it. Not because I'm keeping it a secret, but just because I wouldn't even think to mention it. And if they did have a huge opinion about it, I'd ignore it. It's not their decision.
My husband, on the other hand, comes from a very close-knit, dysfunctional and controlling family. It has been a HUGE issue in our marriage, and if I could go back in time, I never would have married him in the first place. If you're looking to eventually get married or have a committed long term relationship, there is absolutely nothing sexy about a man who allows his parents to control him. My husband has made some positive changes, but the damage done to me and our relationship is massive and likely impossible to uncover from.
Maybe your situation isn't as bad as ours, but it's still a good idea to work on setting some healthy boundaries. They'll freak out a little bit at first, but they'll eventually accept it. A great book on how to deal with controlling or manipulative people is "In Sheep's Clothing" by George Simon. It's a great book for anyone, because even if your nuclear family isn't controlling, there are always controlling people around.
Here's a great sample conversation.
Parents "atrian. How is the car buying going?"
You "I'm still considering my options."
Parents "The local dealership is offering 0% financing. I can go with you this afternoon to check out a Nissan Altima."
You "Thanks, but I've got it covered."
Parents "But I'd really like to do this with you."
You "I appreciate that. If I need some help I'll let you know."
Parents "But why can't we go over there? We're just looking!"
You "Thanks. But I said I have it covered. Why aren't you hearing me?"
See? What you do is state your boundary twice. If they still ignore it, the issue is no longer the car. The issue is now that you've stated your boundary and they're stomping all over it. A nice way to say "back off" is "Why aren't you hearing me?" Now the conversation is about their lack of consideration and no longer about the car. It takes some practice to become assertive, but it's an important skill to learn. And, stopping the information train goes a long way toward not even having the confrontation in the first place. I realize in this case, the car you're driving has to go back to them, so it makes the conversation more likely to happen, but in the future, these types of decisions are yours and yours alone. Don't even mention it to them.
Controlling people only have the ability to control you if you let them. Once you let that truth sink in on a heart level rather than just in your head, it becomes incredibly freeing. And I totally empathize with you. It's taken me a long time to get here and I'm sure I still have even further to go. Best of luck!!