Buyer Tips

Is this your first time purchasing a new car? If so, and even if you've bought a car before, you'll need some general advice about going through the process. Some dealerships try to prey on new buyers and take advantage of them. As long as you go to a dealership armed with some knowledge about what you're doing, you won't have that problem. Here are our most important buyer tips:

Get Qualified!

Before ever going to a dealership, get yourself approved for auto loan financing! This way, you'll set your budget first and save yourself the frustration of financing through a dealership. Not to mention that you can definitely get auto loan financing at a lower rate than what the dealer offers. This is definitely one of the most neglected, yet most important, aspects of purchasing a new car.

Pick Out the Model!

You should be able to narrow your car search down to a couple models before you go to the dealership. Once you've done that, you can do some research as to how experts and real customers review the vehicles. You'll probably be driving the car for quite a while so you want to make sure it's something you'll be happy with.

Separate Needs from Wants

Ask yourself what you really need out of your vehicle and what you can live without. For instance, do you need 255 horsepower or a built in DVD player? Chances are you do not and these extras will only increase the price of your vehicle. Our next page will explain how to reduce your fuel use so you can save even more money.

Drive the Car!

Seems obvious right? Well it's surprising how many new buyers don't even bother to take the vehicle out for a test drive. Like we said, you'll probably have it for awhile so you want to get an idea for how the car drives and feels.

Find the Right Dealer

In case you didn't already know, all dealerships are not created equal. Some are much better than others and you obviously want one that will provide you with good service and not give you the run around. There are several websites that can provide you with ratings and customer reviews about dealerships in your area.