When my wife told me it was finally time to get her a new car last year, as
most people do, I cringed at the thought of the whole car buying process and
having another car payment. She knew she
wanted an SUV but wasn’t sure what make or model. That was some sigh of relief
because the process of narrowing your decisions can be endless!
Once you have decided on a type of transportation you should do your homework. Consumer Reports (www.consumerreports.org) offers a great website that gives you information about different vehicles with an unbiased opinion – it’s simply their facts and findings. We read dozens of reviews before she decided on a particular model and also test drove one to be sure it rode to our liking. We started our search on the web because there are some great sites available that allow you to view inventory, prices, and other vehicle information like Auto Trader (and you don’t have to deal with the annoying salesman until it’s truly necessary!) UMassFive also offers an online inventory listing of our preferred dealers on our website here. When you are shopping for a vehicle you should consider:
Once you have decided on a type of transportation you should do your homework. Consumer Reports (www.consumerreports.org) offers a great website that gives you information about different vehicles with an unbiased opinion – it’s simply their facts and findings. We read dozens of reviews before she decided on a particular model and also test drove one to be sure it rode to our liking. We started our search on the web because there are some great sites available that allow you to view inventory, prices, and other vehicle information like Auto Trader (and you don’t have to deal with the annoying salesman until it’s truly necessary!) UMassFive also offers an online inventory listing of our preferred dealers on our website here. When you are shopping for a vehicle you should consider:
- The number of previous owners
- Whether the car has been involved in an accident
- Any previous mechanical problems
- The maintenance history of the car
After we viewed several vehicles in our area that we were interested in we
decided to take a trip to see it in person and test drive it – after all there
is only so much you can see in a picture.
After road-testing the vehicle if you are interested in pursuing it
further you should do a walk-around in-side and out of the vehicle to make note
of any imperfections, dings, or scratches. Ideally the vehicle should be in
good shape, but sometimes minor flaws are inevitable – but that can be used to
your advantage when negotiating the price!
You should have the vehicle inspected by your mechanic to ensure the vehicle is in proper operating condition and that there is nothing wrong present. Any reputable dealer will be more than willing to allow this. (if they don’t that’s a red flag and I wouldn’t buy the vehicle just because of that alone.) I had a similar experience after the purchase when the car salesman asked if I wanted to have the car inspected at their facility. While this seemed like a convenience, it’s was my last chance to see if something was wrong. For that reason, I actually opted out of that offer and took it to my normal inspection station. If for nothing else you have the peace of mind that someone without an interest in the car is looking at it. Getting a vehicle history report to see if it was in an accident, stolen, recalled, etc. is a good idea too. You can get them free and easy at Car Fax – www.carfax.com. The dealership I purchased my vehicle from actually did this for me and printed it out. – a good sign they have nothing to hide about the vehicle.
When it comes time to financing the vehicle do your best to negotiate the rate and term – as most dealers use several financial institutions to fund their vehicle sales. If you have decent to good credit, there is even more of a case for you to negotiate and leverage your positive credit.
At the end of the day you need to be prepared and do your homework. The process can take longer than you want, especially actually finding the one you want – but if you follow these steps you will be on a better path that you should be happier with and your wallet may thank you too! To read more about used card buying, visit our online Resource Center at umassfive.coop.
You should have the vehicle inspected by your mechanic to ensure the vehicle is in proper operating condition and that there is nothing wrong present. Any reputable dealer will be more than willing to allow this. (if they don’t that’s a red flag and I wouldn’t buy the vehicle just because of that alone.) I had a similar experience after the purchase when the car salesman asked if I wanted to have the car inspected at their facility. While this seemed like a convenience, it’s was my last chance to see if something was wrong. For that reason, I actually opted out of that offer and took it to my normal inspection station. If for nothing else you have the peace of mind that someone without an interest in the car is looking at it. Getting a vehicle history report to see if it was in an accident, stolen, recalled, etc. is a good idea too. You can get them free and easy at Car Fax – www.carfax.com. The dealership I purchased my vehicle from actually did this for me and printed it out. – a good sign they have nothing to hide about the vehicle.
When it comes time to financing the vehicle do your best to negotiate the rate and term – as most dealers use several financial institutions to fund their vehicle sales. If you have decent to good credit, there is even more of a case for you to negotiate and leverage your positive credit.
At the end of the day you need to be prepared and do your homework. The process can take longer than you want, especially actually finding the one you want – but if you follow these steps you will be on a better path that you should be happier with and your wallet may thank you too! To read more about used card buying, visit our online Resource Center at umassfive.coop.
No comments:
Post a Comment