When the time comes to purchase a new car, whether new or used, you have to be sure that you are properly educated on the subject. If you’re not, there is a chance that you could end up with a less-than-ideal car. Allow the following tips to be your guide when car shopping.
Prior to even stepping foot in a dealership, you need to know what kind of car you want. If you have kids, maybe you should be looking for a van or large SUV. If it is just you, maybe you want something more sportier. Either way, knowing what you want will make the whole process of shopping for a car easier.
Don’t forget to calculate ownership costs when selecting a new vehicle. That bargain priced SUV might not be such a good deal if it means you will be spending twice the amount you used to on gasoline to drive it. The same goes for sporty racing style cars or models favored by car thieves that both can come with increased insurance rates.
If you aren’t concerned about getting the absolutely latest model, consider car shopping in November or December. During this time frame, dealerships will offer deals on the current models. They want to clear out their inventory to make way for shipments of the next year’s models. This means that you will be offered more incentives, lower sticker prices, and more room to negotiate!
Never discuss down payments, incentives, or trade-ins until you’ve established an actual price on your desired car. These different things should be deducted from the final price. You can get a fairer deal if you do it this way.
A great tip for those looking to buy a used car would be to research what the resale value of the car is. Look at the Kelly Blue Book value and compare it to the condition that the vehicle is currently in to see whether or not the price is fair.
Don’t fold to pressure. The salesman doesn’t want you to walk out of his dealership, so he will tell you whatever it takes to get you to sign a contract at that moment. Ignore him. Do what is best for you, and if you need to have some time to think about it, take the time you need.
While you may want to buy a car today, buying off the lot may mean that they don’t have a car with the features you desire. You can always ask them to call affiliated dealerships to see if they have the car on the lot, but don’t sound desperate or they’ll raise the price.
Wait until a new model isn’t so new, if you really want it. There’s no point in being the first person with the latest car, if you have to pay more for it. Usually, prices go down after the initial launch. So, if you can hold off your excitement for a few weeks or more, you may get a better deal.
Never sign unless you read first. You could be getting in some serious trouble if you’re out there blindly signing money away. Once a contract is signed, you will be legally bound to this document. If you don’t feel okay doing all this reading at the dealership, inquire about the possibility of taking the document home so that you have time. If you cannot do this, get a copy of the agreement.
A dealer with a great reputation may offer you a better deal than one which advertises great prices. You may find that a dealer who people like to buy from offers perks which aren’t available elsewhere, including reduced pressure sales tactics and lower overall price due to freebies thrown in to the sale.
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.
Take the time to find the car that you want before heading to the dealership. Learn about the available options for that car. Furthermore, research to find out what other consumers are paying for that car with the options that you want. This way, you can better be prepared to get the dealer to sell you the car for what it’s worth.
When you want a car with certain features, you may have to special order it, but you may not be able to if the car comes from overseas. That said, the dealer may be able to call other lots to find the exact model you want and have it brought over for you, so ask for that option.
Hone your negotiation skills before you go to the lot. Practice with friends and family to help you prepare for the big day. Read online to find out what sort of sales tactics dealers use. This will give you the answer to any question they ask, keeping the power in your hands.
If you have a few cars in mind that you’d like to look at, be sure to check out the insurance cost first. People tend to forget about the cost of insurance until after they’ve made a purchase. This can lead to having a larger monthly bill than you expected, which may make the car too expensive for your price range.
An unfortunate truth of car shopping is that women are often targeted as easy sells. If you feel as though you are not being respected, leave that dealership. It is possible to find a female saleswoman, but there are also many dealerships that are modern and understand that women are equally informed.
As mentioned at the start of this article, you should really be well-educated on shopping for a car. This is so you can avoid getting a car that does not make you happy. If you properly use the advice this article has provided you with, you will be pleased with the car you get.