Tips for buying a new car

Tips for buying a new car, because nobody wants to get ripped off when buying a car. Car dealers are pros at getting you to buy a car at a totally unfair price.

Everyone wants to get the best deal when buying a car. Nobody wants to get ripped off.

Car dealers are pros at getting you to buy a car at a totally unfair price. They want to make as much commission as they can. Here are some of the tricks they play to make you think you are getting a good deal when you are not.

Automobile dealer’s attitude towards the general public is to fleece them. They want to sell as many automobiles as possible with the highest profit margin while keeping their

customer satisfaction ratio high. They undergo much training to learn how to do this.

Before you go shop for a new car or truck you should do some research and make some decisions about what you want and what you are willing to pay. What is your financial

limit. What kind of a down payment are you willing to make, if any. In addition, check into the financing that is available through your own bank and other banks in the area.

The dealer will always offer to finance it at their bank, but the interest rates are always higher than what you can get on your own. They will also try to discourage you from

getting your own financing because they make money off of their financing.

You also need to know what kind of vehicle you want; a luxury sedan, a mini van, a full size van, a truck etc.? Do you want a two door vehicle or a four door? Do you want an automatic transmission or a stick? What kind of add-ons do you want, power locks, power windows, power steering, leather seats, air conditioning, cruise control, rust proof

paint, an upgraded stereo, pinstriping, a sun roof? Don’t get talked into “extras” you don’t want. You should know that many times a whole bunch of extra’s are put on the

cars even before they are put on the lot and you are stuck with them; but don’t think you have to pay for them!

The most important decision you need to make before you walk into a car dealership is, your attitude. You must decide that you will walk a way from a bad deal even if you

have totally fallen in love with the car and you want it so bad you could scream. Do not let your desires over take your good judgment. You need to be calm and friendly and get the dealer to want you to have the car so bad they will give you what you want at the price you want. Don’t be a jerk, the dealers won’t work with you. Don’t be a pushover

either.

Here are a few tricks that dealers play on buyers:

If a car or truck is being transported from the manufacturer to the dealer and gets damaged, scratched or even falls off the top of the transport truck it can still be sold as new because it has never had a title put on it.

Extensive damage can be done to the body or engine and the dealer never has to disclose this to you before you purchase it as a new vehicle.

If the vehicle you test drove is the one that you want to purchase, make sure you write down the VIN (vehicle identification number) because sometimes the vehicle is swapped with another one that looks identical to it when the dealer takes it back to clean it up or whatever they do. The car you are getting may have some more miles on it, or may be a few months older and sat on the lot for awhile. Or, it could be a vehicle that was damaged and repaired and they are trying to pass it off on an unaware customer.

If you are trading in a new car, do research on it to see how much it is worth. A current Kelly Blue book is a price index on used cars and tells what their low end and high end

values. There are sites on the Internet that can also help you figure out the value of your trade in. The dealer of course will want to give you a ridiculously low trade in for the car. Or if you think they are giving you a good trade in, beware, they are making up for it somewhere else.

If the dealer tells you that you are getting a discounted vehicle, they are saying that the car is being sold at below the price that is set by the manufacturer. You have to know if this is true or not. Most cars have a markup between 8 and 15 percent. You should know what the manufacturers recommended sales price is.

You should also know that dealers like to charge unreasonable prices for “extras” you really don’t want such as rust proofing for $1,000.00 or scotch guarding the upholstery for $500.00. Sometimes dealers will charge you for add-ons that are not really done.

Make sure that you are getting upgraded speakers if you are being charged for them, or pinstriping or a bedliner or whatever is listed. Remember the dealer will inflate the

prices on all of these add-ons to make up for any loss in negotiating price.