Buying a new car can be a very rewarding experience as well as a stressful one. I have purchased many new cars over the years and these are some things that I always do. I hope that you find it helpful.
Shop around. Get some friendly competition going on between dealerships. And if one happens to say to you “Well you need to pick one dealer and stick with them!” Well you just tell them, “When the right dealer has treated me correctly, then that is the one I will stick with! Is that dealer you?” Most will either do one of two things at that time! 1) “Yes Sir/Madam you have my full attention and I will do what I need to do in order to get your business.” Or 2) “Well when you make up your mind, let me know!” This is when you walk! I have purchased enough cars over the years that I know how to play the game and I play it well. If the deal doesn’t feel right I walk away. And I have never paid full price for a car. I have always gotten at least 10 up to 20 percent off the sticker price. Always! Don’t get ripped off when buying a car. The dealership always will have room to move don’t let them tell you otherwise. I use to work at a dealership so I know that little trick very well.
When you go to finance, check out all of your options. Don’t settle for what they offer, check your own bank or other local banks for that matter. Shop around for the right loan for you.
And don’t get ripped off in buying a warranty. Know and understand what you are being told. They are good to have but don’t get ripped off in price. The dealer has room to move around in the price of a warranty too! The person selling you the warranty makes commission off it, so they don’t want to move too much, but if they want the sell they will move. I have bought many cars warranties for very little money. If the sale depends on the warranty you will pick up on that right away if you are paying attention. You see those finance guys need to sell so many warranties each month, so listen carefully and read between the lines.
Don’t let the advertisement trick you either. Look at the fine print and read it! Understand it! Most good deals depend on your credit history and availability. Once when I worked at a dealership they ran an ad for a new Nissan truck for 8888.88. Well first of all the truck was not even available to begin with! And 2nd, if the truck had been available it was the plainest in all the land. This is a good trick for dealerships because most people want a car with some type of features on it. So of course the advertisement got you into the dealership but cost you more to get out!
And of course for the person who actually wanted the car for 8888.88 is going to be told there are none left. This is a completely wrong trick by dealerships. It’s a lie. The car was never available to start with but you the buyer had no idea. You will most likely believe it when you are told that they are all gone at that price. Then, once again you leave spending more than you wanted. You should check the laws in your area to find out what can be done about this type of misleading, if anything at all. I do know that a dealership can get into a lot of trouble for false advertising, but you have to be able to prove it!
Be sure that you look at the advertisements when you are ready to buy a new car. Read all the fine print! I cannot stress this enough! Don’t buy something that you are not going to be happy with. Those payments are hard to make and you have to feel good about making them each month.
If you are trading in a car and are upside down in it, well this is one sure fire way to get ripped off. First of all the dealer will tell you your car is only worth “X” amount of dollars and then they will agree to pay off the current loan for you. But then you still will owe that money to the dealer so they will finance that into the new loan or lease for you. Which means you are now paying for 2 cars in one payment spread out over 60 or 72 months. This is one of the biggest scams out there! Don’t do this. Know what your trade is worth when you go and know what you will take and won’t take for it. Remember the dealer is going to sale your trade and make a huge profit as well as make a huge profit with the new car.
Also, when you get one of those fancy adds in the mail. Throw them away! It’s a big time scam! Although I have found some dealers are true to their sales, but over all I have found them to be big fat liars! So be very careful. This is a big decision that you are trying to make.
And people with no credit or bad credit. Well you need to be even more careful. This is also another way I have found dealers to take advantage of people. Go to one dealer, then to another one. Asks questions and get answers, compare those answers. Then go to the dealership that really has what you want with all your new found knowledge and get the best deal there is for you.
Check out the service area. See if they have any rewards for having a great service department. This always makes me feel good. And you also want them to be friendly and clean. I have walked into service departments where the floors are cleaned daily! And then again I have walked into some where the floors are not! Does this really matter? Not really, but, if the dealership takes the time to clean up the place then chances are they have a good reputation.
Also, be honest about your trade if you are trading. Be sure to have your trade cleaned up and ready to trade. Have the correct paper work in order as well. This will make things go a lot smoother for all involved.
There are certainly a lot of things to consider when buying a car, but you mostly just have to do a little homework before buying. Never let a salesperson see you sweat! This is a big NO, NO! Once they see it, then they think they have you hooked. Remember if it doesn’t feel right walk away. And if it seems to good to be true, then it probably is.
And another thing dealers like to say to you is “If we can make a deal with you today will you buy?” Well DUH! That’s why I am here in the first place! But also sometimes they will word that statement differently by saying something like “If we can make this deal the way you want today, will you buy?” Be very careful with this one.
I have always put on the dealer sell forms “Contingent upon my approval not yours!” And don’t ever let a dealership tell you that you can’t see that paperwork. You certainly can and tell them it is your Consumer Right to see it! If they tell you no, then get up and walk away. It is really amazing what getting up and walking away will do for you.
Be stubborn and don’t budge from it. This is your money not theirs. You are the one working hard to pay the payments, not them. So don’t get sucked in by the ad’s, by the percentage rate, by the flyers in the mail, etc. Think, do your homework and be prepared to buy a car before you start. Shop around!
I hope that this has helped in some kind of way.
God Bless!
©LKD 2002