Car Buying Problems, Dangers and Secrets Exposed – Car Buying Scams

For most of us, a car is a major purchase. Not only is it expensive to buy the car, but it’s also very important to get the right car. Reliability and maintenance costs are very important. You can save thousands of dollars just by doing your research. It’s worth it to take the time and spend a little bit of money to do your homework before you start talking to a sales person. Fortunately, the internet makes that easier than ever. Car dealerships know that customers want to do their research online, so many of them put model, sale and current inventory information right on their website to make it easy.

Which Car Do You Want?

You already know what kind of vehicle you want. A sports car, a Sports Utility Vehicle, a small economy car? You probably already have a model in mind. Now you need to research that model a little more. First, check out what Consumer Reports and Car & Driver have to say about the model you’re looking at. The information on Consumer Reports is only available to subscribers. It’s well worth the price to get make an informed purchase on this car alone. You’ll also have access to consumer information about everything from cell phone service to toasters. Then check out a few reviews from regular people. Just do a search on the model and see what comes up. Chances are that someone who owns the car you’re looking at has written a review and posted it on the internet.

Now use the same resources to check out a few of this model’s competitors. Do any of them have higher rankings, a better price, or a feature that’s important to you? You may have to take two or three models into the next step.

Still uncertain? A lot of dealerships have a tool for comparing the features of various models. Go to a website like Palm Springs Mazda and select Compare Cars under Shopping Tools. You can do a side by side comparison of up to 4 models at a time.

Price the Options

Next you need to price out the car with the options you’re interested in. The price of the options may be a factor in which options you want. Find the Build Your Car page under Shopping Tools. Select the model you want to see what the price is. You can even compare cars with different options. This analysis will give you an idea of which options are worth the price to you.

Who Has Your Car?

Now that you have the details of exactly which car you want, and maybe a backup option, you need to find out who has the car you want. Many dealerships, like Palm Springs Motors now put their entire inventory on their websites and update it daily. In the case of used cars, you can often see multiple photos of the vehicle and see mileage and other information. You probably won’t find the exact car with the exact features you want, but you can find the best available option.

Go directly to the dealership’s website. If you go through a site that collects leads, the dealership has to pay that company for the lead. Logic says that the lower the cost to get you in the door, the more negotiating room the dealership has.

Price Homework

Before you go to the dealership, there’s one more thing to do. Get your backup ready. The pricing you’ve seen so far is good for comparison purposes, but now it’s time to negotiate. Consumer Reports sells Pricing Reports specific to the car you’re looking at for about $14 each. This is WELL worth the price. If you are still considering more than one car, get a report for each. Take the Consumer Reports Bottom Line Price, add in the prices of the options on the car on the lot, and start negotiating. Keep in mind that you’ll be able to get a better price on a less popular model and that you may have to pay a premium for a car that’s in high demand.

Lastly, go to the internet and do a search on prices paid for that vehicle. You’ll find forums where other customers tell you what they paid for a particular car. Decide now what is the maximum that you would be willing to pay for this vehicle.

Financing Research

Once again, go to the dealership’s website. Use their loan calculator to figure out what your payment would be and review your budget to see if you can afford this car. Look at their Specials page to see if any special financing is offered. This information is available on the Consumer Reports’ Price Report too. Next you need to compare the financing rates to an outside source. Your credit union or bank is a great place to go. They can give you the rate and terms over the phone or on their websites. Dealerships often offer better financing as incentives to purchase their vehicles, but you should compare to make sure.

Buy Your Car!

Armed with all of your research, it’s time to go shopping! If you can arrange it, go to the dealership when it’s not too busy. You’re likely to get more attention on a weekday afternoon or a rainy than you would on a sunny Saturday when there are a lot of other customers on the lot.

Test drive the car. If there’s something you don’t like, you need to take the time to think about whether this is an issue that would make you reconsider this model or this car. If you are someone who has trouble thinking objectively when the sales person is talking to you, then you need to leave the lot to do your thinking. It may be time to sleep on it or go test drive your second choice.

Assuming that the test drive went well, make an offer on the car. Be sure to state it in terms of purchase price, financing and trade-in, if appropriate. Don’t negotiate based on monthly payment. That can vary based on the term of the loan or lease. You’ve already figured out what you’re willing to pay for the car and whether you can afford the payments. If the sales person presents you with a counter offer, find out what the purchase price would be. If you are unsure, don’t be afraid to walk away. Unless it’s an extremely popular car, it will still be there tomorrow.

After the Sale

While you’re enjoying that new car smell, take the time to go back online and contribute to the forum that helped you. Tell them what you bought, how much you paid and what your experience with the dealership was like. The next guy will appreciate it!

Jim Ellis Automobile Dealerships

More Info about Car Buying:

5 Tips to buying used auto car

Know some necessary information about used cars from Used Car Buying Guides that are available at related websites and book stores. This information will be useful for bargaining with the car owner or the car dealer.

How to Buy a Car – Useful Advice and Tips on Car Buying

This article is about car buying strategies and includes tips on buying new and used cars. When you are thinking about buying either a new or used car, like most of us you want to get the car you want at a price you can afford. 

Why Isn’t The Car Buying Experience Better?

There’s even inconsistencies by car model from the same dealer. Trying to figure out the net-cost is quite difficult. Shouldn’t it be easier?

Author: Coleen Bennett

Build your dream car and see current inventory at Palm Springs Mazda and Palm Springs Motors in Southern California.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Coleen_Bennett

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