There are a few things that you should always look for if you are buying a used car. Here are the tips that you will need not to get a lemon.
1. Warranty Facts
You can sometimes get a car that is still under warranty. If this is the case, check with the warranty (perhaps call the number in the warranty book) to ask if there is anything that you need to do to keep the warranty when you buy the car. This often just involves sending out a letter with the purchase information to the dealership.
If you buy from a car dealership, you can often get warranties on used cars. If you want peace of mind when purchasing, consider this option for sure.
2. Warning Signs
If the odometer reading doesnt match the wear and tear of the car, then you should definitely ask for some records.
If there is any vagueness about getting the service records for the car, you might want to walk away.
3. Getting a Good Price
Because the cost of new cars is going up, there is more of a demand for used cars. This means that some dealerships believe that they can take more money than the car is worth. There are a few things that you need to do to get a good price.
Do your research; check online and in used car guides (often available at the local library) to find out what the prices of cars listed online to sell are. If you are uncertain about buying a car online, then dont. Often purchasing a car online means that it will come from a long distance, and as such, you will have to pay exorbitant shipping or delivery costs, which will not be worth the money that you are saving off the sticker price.
4. Making the Payments
Instead of getting a car loan from the dealership and paying the dealer or the seller monthly payments, consider taking out a loan from the bank. You will often get better interest (or financing, as it is called with cars) rates. Go to a bank or credit union before you go shopping for your car. Salespeople will try to talk you into going with the dealerships rates; you will be better off if you already have your financing set up. Credit unions can sometimes offer even better rates than banks on loans and are an often-overlooked choice.
5. The Information to Get
In Ontario, and in some states, you can ask to get the used vehicle information package. This will have the details of the previous maintenance and ownership history of the car.
Always do a complete visual inspection of a car. Even if you are buying a car from the internet, buy one from your province or state so that you can go and check it out first. Alternatively, agree with the seller that you have the right to return the car for a full refund (including shipping) if it does not meet your standards.
6. What not to Trust
Dont judge the use of a car by its brakes; a dealer can buy new brake pads for less than $10, which is often an easy fix for a car.
If a car has rear-door-hinges that are very worn, it might have been used as a taxi, and you should probably find another one. Check the roof of the car to see if there have been any holes filled in; this could have been a sign for a delivery vehicle. They also often have been used a lot.
Be careful if a car looks like it has been freshly painted. This could mean that it has been in an accident that is trying to be covered up.
7. And finally
Buying a used car can be a great deal for you. You can save money on the car itself, and you can get a safe means to travel. Remember, the condition of the car is more important than if it has had multiple owners, or even the odometer reading. Good luck shopping!
Tags: Buying A Used Car, Car Dealership, Car Loan, Car Salespeople, Case Check, Delivery Costs, Exorbitant Shipping, Local Library, Long Distance, New Cars, Odometer, Odometer Reading, Peace Of Mind, Purchasing A Car, Scams, Sticker Price, Vagueness, Warning Signs, Warranties, Wear And TearRelated posts
Buying a new car is a major purchase with major amounts of money leaving your pocket. Ask an honest car salesman and he will tell you that he is trying to get his potential customers to buy something they dont really need. Ask a dishonest salesman and he wont tell you why. That about sums it up plus it opens the door for all kinds of scam artists to try to use tricks to get you to buy a new car. Arm yourself with all the information you can when buying a new car. Here are some tips:
There are some classic scams that car salespeople use to get you to sign the dotted line on a sales contract. Get on the internet and see what these scams are. Car salespeople are probably the most persuasive type of salesmen/women (most tend to be men) that you will come across. It is very tempting to give into their hype.
Dont be afraid to say No.
If there is ONE thing you dont like about a car dont buy it. That one thing will bug you down the road as you make those expensive car payments and the honeymoon has worn off. Often, people find the need to purchase another car than keep mending the current one, because of their poor decision making when purchasing the existing one.
Dont give the salesperson a feel for what you like and dont like. Dont get too personal with the salesperson. Scam and con artists are skilled at getting into you head and detecting something you have an emotional or preference stake in. Keep focused on buying a car and try to avoid the small talk with the salesperson.
How much is that car really going to cost you in terms of maintenance, insurance, and fuel? There are web sites where you can get this information. Another bit of knowledge to arm yourself with is knowing how much that car loan is going to cost you in terms of interest.
Check your credit report and correct any errors that may be there. It will help to get your loan approved faster.
Read reviews on various cars and educate yourself before going to the car lot. The internet has a wealth of information resources for buying new cars.
Today, there are many places where you can purchase a car. There are classifieds in your local newspapers, local car dealerships, car magazines, the internet, with a huge array of sites, also offers many great deals. Ebay is also an increasingly popular destination to find cars and not necessarily just to from it. Ebay can also be used for researching the car you are looking to buy. You can use it to gain an idea of how much cars in general go for based on your specifications and conditions. There are many, many new listings every hour that you can browse through to help find your new car.
Tags: Buying A New Car, Car Loan, Car Lot, Car Payments, Car Salesman, Car Salespeople, Con Artists, Decision Making, Dotted Line, Expensive Car, Honeymoon, Hype, Maintenance Insurance, Poor Decision, Sales Contract, Salesmen, Salesperson, Scam Artists, Scams, Stake