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How to Buy a Car

June 16th, 2011 Autos A Moms Choice

Making an informed Decision when Purchasing a Car.

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Buying a new or used car is a hard decision for a lot of people. Before you visit the wolves at the car dealership sit down at home and decide how much money you pay, and how much money you can afford comfortably. When I visited the car dealership I told them what I could afford for a car payment. This way they didn’t show me cars I couldn’t afford. I looked at several cars before deciding on a few I was interested in test driving. I didn’t make a decision right away to prevent any impulse buys. I went back to the car dealership after hours to look at the cars I was interested in buying. This gave me time to look at the small things while the salesman wasn’t breathing “buy me” over my shoulder.

Before I test drove the cars I went home and researched the cars. Some cars were better than others. My particular car dealership offered a free CarFax online. I checked out the cars I was interested in test driving online and did a lot of Google searches and read plenty of reviews. I didn’t take any one person’s review as gold. Remember every car performs differently so read lots because it’s a huge investment. Pay attention to places that have a lot of wear and tear. If a knob has a lot a wear it may mean there’s been an issue with the car. Ask yourself questions why? Don’t hesitate to ask the salesman a lot of questions. Remember it’s your money

Call your insurance company before agreeing to purchase a particular car. I’ve called my insurance company while I’m at the car dealers. Don’t take the car salesmen’s word at the cost of car insurance. If your purchasing a car that will need financed you’ll need full coverage on it. A sports car is going to cost more than a family sedan. The parts for foreign cars cost more money so the insurance is often more expensive than American made cars.

During the price negotiation of the car ask for things you’d like to be added to your purchase. I asked for an extended warranty on my car and for extra gas added to my car. Every little bit helps. I negotiated a deal that included free oil changes and tire rotation also. Don’t get sucked into being warranty poor.

When signing a contract for a new car pay attention to the fine print. Ask a lot of questions. Don’t hesitate to pull out a calculator to add the figures together. I did right in front of the finance manager. He didn’t like it, but I did it anyways. Read everything before you sign the contract. Don’t leave any areas blank. If you don’t feel comfortable with the terms walk away.

Buying a car is a huge decision so take your time on purchasing your next car. Take your time to shop around before choosing a car for your family. Remember it’s something you’ll have to live with for a long time. Don’t let other people decide on the perfect car for you.