Tips and Tricks for Buying A New Car

If you have ever wanted to get your money’s worth out of buying a car, don’t just go to the nearest car dealer and talk to an agent. Buying a car is like going to war, you must be armed and you must be well protected with the different sales strategies that car dealers use.

If you are looking to buy a car you should begin with these tips:

1. Knowledge of car buying tips and tricks is essential especially for people who are looking to the best value for their money. People should be careful with making major purchases especially now that we are undergoing a recession.
2. When you talk to a car dealer be sure you are armed with excellent negotiating skills. These agents are also armed with their own set of tricks just to lure you into buying a car from them. You must be able to counter their moves with your own “ammunition.” Remember that when it comes to buying a car, everything is almost negotiable.
3. There are two times a year when it is best to buy new vehicles. The first is in December – there seems to be a lull in car buying around the holidays, so dealers will cut their prices. The second is between July and October because dealers are reducing prices to get rid of their current vehicles to make room for newer models.
4. Collect vehicle price quotes – If you don’t have an idea of the value of new cars, then you’ll end up overpaying. Go online and collect free price quotes for new cars from websites such as Cars.com, Autos.com and Edmunds.com. Once the dealers see the lower quotes, they’ll be forced to give you a better deal or they know you’ll be taking your business elsewhere. Comparison shop to scope out the competition – once you see what various dealers are asking for your car, you’ll be able to get it at a fair price.
5. A good place to start when physically going into a dealership is to bring a copy of your credit score with you.It can lower your interest rates on your car loan. Now, your car dealer should not know more about you than you do…right?  But for some mysterious reason, the dealer often comes back from the “managers office” with a credit report that isn’t as good as you thought!  (I wonder how this happens)  This results, of course, in the dealer telling you that your interest rate for your vehicle will now be higher.  Don’t fall for it!  Have your credit report handy to protect yourself from this scam.
6. Sometimes a car dealership may not have all of your options and must order the car directly from the dealership.If this happens they will often ask you to pay $500-$1000 for a deposit on the car. Try not to pay more than $500 and be sure to pay with a credit card.   Why?  Because sometimes the dealership will tell you that there was a price increase on the vehicle and will want more money…if you pay with a credit card you’ll have room to dispute the amount being taken from you.  You’ll be able to cancel the charge; If you pay by check, you can just consider the money gone and they know that.
7. Know the value of your trade-in – Look through the Kelley Blue Book to estimate the value of your used car to make sure that the dealer offers you enough for your trade-in. Never trade in a vehicle that you still owe payments on, because there is no guarantee that the dealer will pay off your loan in time, and you could get charged late fees.