Getting The Best Car Deals: 5 Simple Pointers
written by Credit-HQ ExpertFound your dream car? Now it’s time to get your dream price. You don’t have to settle for a clunker to save a little. Study the practical pointers below and get that car you’ve always wanted at a price that you could brag about to your friends.
Pointer No. 1: Surf the Net. It has never been easier or more convenient to compare prices online than now, and this works to the consumer’s advantage. Dealerships know they’re facing tough competition and so they have no choice but to offer their most affordable sticker prices.
Prior to seeing an auto dealer, search for your dream car’s MSRP, blue book price, and other specs which you believe can affect the price. Go the extra mile and create a spreadsheet of what you found over the Internet and print it out so you’ll have a ready reference when you visit the car dealership.
Pointer No. 2: Anticipate that you’ll have your credit report checked by the dealer once you start talks on car financing. It is therefore wise to assess your credit standing beforehand, because a good credit score means you might just qualify for financing offers that could save you a lot. You’ll also have greater chances of negotiating a better deal with the agent.
However, if your credit score is not too impressive, you would need to spend some time improving it to raise it to a more acceptable level before you march over to the car dealer.
Pointer No. 3: Check the car’s history. This is crucial as many buyers make the mistake of bringing the car home as soon as they can and then finding out months later that they ended up with a lemon. Remember, it’s easy to overhaul a car’s interior but it’s the internal workings of an automobile that would cost you an arm and a leg to get fixed.
The best way to avoid this scenario is to order a CARFAX report. This covers the history of used cars and trucks from 1981 onwards. You can get a simple version online by simply providing the car’s vehicle identification number (VIN) or get a more comprehensive report for a fee.
The VIN can be found on various places, such as the dashboard, the engine, or the door jamb sticker on the driver’s side. Included in the vehicle’s history are the number of previous owners and its accident history. You can also get reports on mileage accuracy, warranty check, recall check, and other valuable information.
Pointer No. 4: Study your car financing options carefully. Don’t depend on the auto dealer to find a financing entity for your purchase – more often than not, they get generous commissions for taking you to that direction. If you spend time comparing quotes from different banks or credit unions, you’ll be able to get a better payment scheme than any of those offered by the dealership. Try to shell out the biggest down payment you can manage and the shortest term with still reasonable monthly payments.
Pointer No. 5: Stubborn as it may sound, don’t purchase a car the same day you check it out. When you’re too eager to ride home in your new car, chances are you’ll breeze through the paperwork, fail to study the fine print, and get the worst car deal ever. Don’t let your knees buckle at the car dealer’s pitch that “this baby may not be around tomorrow.” If it was that good a deal, he’d be driving it home himself.
These are just some of the most important tips on how to get the best car deal, but there are several more, specifically pertaining to the nitty-gritty of car financing. Take time to study all your options and never be embarrassed to comparison shop.
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.