Most people love new cars, but many hate the prospect of having to go shop for one. Given the substantial expense involved, preparing to buy a car requires a good bit of research in advance of your shopping trip. The article that follows below contains terrific guidance for anyone looking to buy a vehicle.
Watch out for the up sells in the financing office. When you reach the financing office, you will always be offered an extended warranty, interior protection, gap insurance and other such add ons. Make sure that you understand these well before making a decision to purchase them. Most are not worth the money you will spend, and you’re better off saving each month in the event that you need a repair or your interior gets a stain.
When negotiating, focus on the price of the car overall, not just the monthly payment. Dealers are able to get any car into a particular monthly payment level, but the terms of the financing end up making the overall cost quite a bit higher than you may have thought. Get the best deal you can on the total cost of the car. Once you have done that, determine what the monthly payments will be.
Do not wait until you go car shopping to think about how you are going to finance your car. You need to arrive at the dealership with your car loan pre-qualified at a decent interest rate. You are almost always going to be able to get a better deal than the dealership would provide for you.
If you don’t think that you can stay away from the pressure during any sales pitches, you shouldn’t go shopping alone for a vehicle. Take someone you trust to help facilitate negotiations and ask key questions. Before you even go out to look at cars, make sure you and your friend are on the same page regarding your budget and needs.
Test drive more than one car before you buy it. Any new car is going to feel fantastic if you’re used to driving an old one. Think seriously about how the ride feels, where the buttons are located, and how much of the road you are able to see. Test-driving more than one car will help you realize where you want to be.
Auto shows are a great way to narrow down your options. This is a great way to view many cars in a short amount of time. You can talk to the experts on hand as well. You will have a better idea of what you want in a car.
Be careful about putting your social security code out there. Some dealers will ask for this info upfront so they can run your credit. You should not let multiple dealers run your credit. Only give your number to the company you want to finance your purchase.
Keep the trade in you’re doing to yourself. Don’t disclose that you have a vehicle to trade in until you’ve negotiated a firm price for the new car you will be purchasing. The dealership might adjust the cost of the new car based on the fact that you have a car to trade in if they know about it beforehand.
Talk to your friends and neighbors before buying your car. Ask what their experience was like with various dealerships, and visit only the dealerships that you are hearing positive things about. This can save you a lot of hassle while you are shopping and make your car buying experience that much more pleasant.
Don’t hand over the keys to your trade in until the deal is signed. If they have your car “hostage,” they can use it to pressure you to buy the new car. Wait until the deal is done to ensure you keep control of the situation at all times during the transaction.
Not all dealerships and salespeople are identical. Although some salesmen can be pushy at times, not everyone tries to sell a car this way. Nowadays, dealerships are aware that pleasing their customers will ensure that they come back. You can always leave if the salesperson is not doing a good job. There are a lot of salespeople that will be eager to work with you.
If you don’t have friends or family in your area to ask for advice from, check the Better Business Bureau’s website to find out how the dealers in your area are dealing with customers. This will allow you to at least remove those with many complaints from your list of options.
If you see two price stickers on a car in a lot, you might want to head to a different location. This is a sign of a high pressure sales force who wants you to buy all the bells and whistles. If you think you can withstand their tactics, you can stay, but you may not get the best deal there.
Look into all of the fine print on your financing papers. Just because your monthly payment is lower does not mean that you are getting the car for less. It could just be a way to get you to buy the car for the original price so the salesman can keep the entire amount of commission that he set out to earn.
Do not try negotiating unless you see the car that you want is available. He might tell you that he can get it in for you, but you do not know if it will be the exact one you want. You do not want to waste your time negotiating for a car that you do not really want.
Take extra care when car shopping if you are a female. The sad fact is that some salespeople believe that women are uninformed buyers and will try to take advantage. Arm yourself with research on prices ahead of time, and don’t be afraid to walk away if your salesperson seems condescending.
The task of shopping for cars can be daunting, scary and of course, quite expensive. In order to make the most of the experience, it pays to conduct sufficient due diligence before heading to the dealership. Hopefully the information and guidance found above has provided you with the confidence you need to get the ball rolling.