The one tip I would give is leave early if you are doing something that is time sensitive. Lots of things affect the traffic around here. Weather is a big one. If it hasn't rained in a while, then it starts raining, the roads are slick. I also think sometimes people that aren't from here don't know proper braking distance. Another thing that can cause problems are accidents of course. I find in most cases it isn't actually the accident that cause problems, but rather the people that slow down to look at the accident. In all cases I would just err on the side of caution, and perhaps check traffic cams to see how the freeway looks at any given time.

There are lots of car lots in Puyallup on River Road. I'm pretty sure they have the largest concentration of used and new car lots in the south end. Not sure about pricing, but I'm sure they are pretty competitive. I would also recommend automatic over manual. Unless you are really good at driving a stick, it could prove to be a pain on the hills. Especially if you plan on visiting downtown Seattle at any time. I bought a car on Craigslist, and it lasted as long as I needed it to, but I would be careful going this route. I would definitely take any car bought from a private seller to the mechanic to get checked out. Mary's Auto In Tacoma(she happens to be on 6th aver) is really fair, it's a family business and they don't up charge much.

Well in this city traffic can be pretty bad. My favorite experiences have been when traffic was light and I have been running late for work. I have been living in the are for several years so I am pretty good at finding alternate routes when traffic is bad on I-5 The main freeway. This particular day I was on my way home from work. I'm usually not as anxious about traffic on the way home but, I do usually want to get home as soon as possible after work. It's always a gamble getting off of the freeway when traffic backs up because you never know, it might clear up in the next mile or so. This day I decided it was worth the risk. I got off of I-5 and hopped on Pacific Highway. On this day apparently I do so at the right time it was all clear. Pac Hwy is adjacent to I-5 so I could see the traffic on the freeway. On this day it didn't clear up. Nearly all the way home it was bumper to bumper while the road I was on was all clear.

6 Avenue.. I enjoy this road even though it isn't the fastest route to use. I like it mainly because once you get to a certain point it is littered with all kinds of cool shops. It also has lots of places to eat on this road. It is part of an upcoming area where a lot of younger people (20's) migrate. It is a pretty long stretch of road that goes from downtown Tacoma, all the way to the water on the other end, towards University Place. There aren't too many lights so it is rare to be waiting long. Friday nights are probably the worst for traffic. There are several nice restaurants and night clubs on this road so weekends are pretty packed. I have gone to a few of them, even went to a tattoo shop on 6 aver Over all seems like a nice neighborhood to live in, everything you need is within walking distance. I just like driving down the road and observing all the different people and shops.

Pretend that you are "invisible" to all other drivers. Drivers here are literally from all over the world as we have a very large military presence. Learn to use your signals well in advance of changing lanes and/or turning corners. Be polite instead of obnoxious. People here tend to not pay attention to where they are driving and/or easily distracted.

There are huge amounts of car dealers on South Tacoma Way from about Gravely Lake north to 38th Street, and also Pacific Highway South from around 168th St S north to 38th St. As for using craigslist, one needs to be especially mindful of what they are getting into. There have been several "scams" on craigslist and one needs to do their due diligence when purchasing a vehicle.

Driving in Tacoma is rather irksome. Many of the drivers are very rude and cut in and out of traffic without actually looking around them. When the weather is changing one has to be on the lookout. There is normally not any snow here so people do not tend to know how to deal with snow. The entire city seemingly grinds to a halt. I was driving home from the store one evening well after dark. I drive a large van with accessibility equipment and was coming down a hill and had my right turn signal on in preparation to turning into the driveway to my apartment parking lot. One of our most memorable drivers came up from behind me as I was slowing down and getting read to turn into the drive when the driver suddenly passed me on the RIGHT side of my van using the pavement and graveled side of the road to pass me rather than slowing down or passing on the left which would be appropriate. It was like all time came to a stand still for me. I literally thought I was going to be hit and hit hard. The person was definitely speeding and just kept going. I turned into my parking lot and parked my van in my assigned handicap parking spot, transferred from the drivers seat back into my wheelchair, opened the side doors with my remote, deployed my wheelchair lift, released my chair from its ezylock and rolled out onto the wheelchair lift platform exiting my van. Once lowered to the ground, I rolled away from my van, stowed the wheelchair lift and closed the doors with my remote control. I sat there rather dazed for quite a few moments contemplating hanging up my keys and not driving any longer.

Pacific Ave South. I can drive Pacific Ave South all the way to Mountain Hwy (southbound) without having much of a hassle, giving me access to several grocery stores, warehouse markets, and retail stores. Going (northbound) I can drive all the way into downtown Tacoma without the need to deal with the interstate highway. There may be quite a few stoplights to deal with but I would rather deal with stoplights than wall-to-wall gridlock. I am of the age where I do not feel safe driving on the interstate within the city if I can avoid it.