Make Shopping For Your Next Car Stress Free

Shopping for your next car? Here are some great tips to help make the process easy and stress-free.

How to pick the best local car dealer?

• Knowing what you’re doing is essential to purchasing a car. You are strongly discouraged from visiting a dealership without first doing your homework. Learn as much as possible about dealers, manufacturers, and models; this ensures that there are no surprises along the way.

• You can judge car dealers by the way their lot looks. There are various dealers that will sell garbage that should not be driven at all. A lot that looks unkempt is one to skip.

Dealing with the dreaded car salesman.

• If a salesman is pressuring you to buy a certain car and making you uncomfortable, then do not hesitate to request someone else. You don’t have to feel overwhelmed or pushed into a decision. If you feel this way, you should talk to a manager, or go somewhere else.

• The goal of a salesperson is making top dollar. This may seem obvious, but it can easily be lost when faced with a pro. Be wary of extras they try to tack onto a closing sale. Good deals can quickly become bad deals in this way.

How to get a deal on your next car?

• Know what your budget is when shopping for a new car. List the cars that fall into your price range before car shopping.

• If you aren’t a good negotiator, bring a good negotiator with you. It is smart to know what an appropriate price for the specific car is in advance so that you can decide how much you want to pay.
• You need to find out about the incentives they are offering. You must learn about bank fees, warranties, trade-in values, rebates, and other incentives. If you understand what the dealer is offering, you will be more apt to negotiate successfully.

• Research your car’s trade-in price and negotiate based on its value. By knowing how much you’ll get out of your car, you’ll have a better idea of how much you should pay for the new car.

• Try not to purchase a car when it is brand new to the market. Otherwise, you will pay a very high price for the car. Instead, bide your time for several months. Once the car isn’t as “hot,” go back and see what kind of deal you can negotiate.

• Head out to buy a car in the last few days of the month. You may be the last sale the dealer needs to make the quota for the month. Give yourself some time to negotiate so that near the month’s end you can score a great deal.

• If there are advertising fees associated with the car’s main price, inform the dealer that you’d like it removed. You should never pay that fee. Threaten to walk out on a deal if they keep it. This will force them to waive the fee in the end.

Buying A Car Online

• There are millions of cars being sold online. Learn all you can about the vehicles you are considering before you even step one foot on the car lot. With a few clicks and Google searches, you can quickly locate information on safety ratings, fuel economy, resell value, and reviews.

• Spend time shopping for a car online before you leave your home to visit the lots. You can get information about how much you may have to pay for the cars you are interested in buying in your area. You can also find out other details about the car, including any available options.

• There is no reason to visit a car dealer these days. Rather, you can search large sites like Cars.com or Autotrader.com. This way, you can find the deal you are looking for before heading to the lot.

• There are tons of online sources to help determine the value of your trade-in or the car you are interested in. You can use Kelly Blue Book or NADA to determine what a car is worth.

Don’t Buy A Lemon

• Before buying a used car from a dealership, ask to have it looked over by a third-party mechanic. If the dealership says no, go somewhere else. Good mechanics will be able to see major problems like previous wrecks or water damage.

• If there are larger issues, then you might want to search for another car. However, if these issues aren’t a big deal, then you may attempt to negotiate a lower price.

• Never sign an As-is warranty when buying a used car. You may wind up getting the short end of the stick. The minimum you should accept is a 30 to 90-day warranty. If your transmission goes out, or the engine after driving away, you have to pay for the repairs.

• Always test drive a car you are considering purchasing. If you don’t drive it, you’ll never know if you like driving it. If the car isn’t in stock at one dealer, find one that has it in stock.

• A lot of people bristle at the thought of buying a car, but as you can see, you do not have to stress out about it. You can do several things to give yourself a more positive experience. Use the tips you just learned to have less stress and to locate a great car.