How To Buy A Car

After deciding that you are ready to buy a car you will need to make a decision on whether you want a used or a new car. Now is a good time to take advantage of incentives and rebates, auto sales are sluggish and dealers are anxious to sell. Take time to research and keep an open mind even though you might have strong preferences already. If you intend to purchase a new car, several things need to be decided before going into a dealership.

Know the type of shopper you are. A price shopper wants the lowest available price. A value shopper wants a low price but is willing to pay a little more for quality. An image shopper is only interested in what the car says about him. A methodical shopper covers every base, becoming an expert on new cars. A safety conscious shopper only wants his family to be safe when driving on the road. Use these helpful tips below when you are ready to buy a car of your dreams.

1. Determine a fair cost for the car you want. You can get help figuring this out by getting invoice pricing on the vehicle. There are two businesses that provide invoice pricing, Edmunds and Fighting Chance. Edmunds is free of charge but Fighting Chance has a fee of $35.00, however it can save you money in the long run.

2. Get financing for your vehicle. Knowing your credit score will be helpful before applying for financing and can be obtained from True Credit, Equifax, or Experian. This credit score helps to determine the APRfor the loan on your new car. You will get the best rates from online lenders such as Up2Drive or MyAutoLoan since they have a large variety of lenders that deal with different credit histories. 

3. Get insurance on your car. Major categories of insurance for your car are liability, no fault, collision, uninsured motorist, and personal injury. Most states require that you have liability insurance but only fifteen states require personal injury coverage. It is optional in all the other states.   

4. Get new car warranty quotes. By going online to look at warranty quotes you can save up to 60% over a dealer’s price.     

5. Trade or sell your vehicle that you are driving now. Selling your vehicle privately will give you a higher amount but it would make it simpler by trading in and saving on the sales tax. Finding the value is easy by looking it up in Kelly’s Blue Book.   

6. Be sure to test drive the vehicle. Don’t rush in on your lunch break but pick a time when you can relax and test drive it before you buy a car in a hurry. Test for speed, handling, and suspension by driving on bumpy and curvy roads and highways. Brake and accelerate hard to get a feel of its handling capabilities. Check the A/C and heater, inspect all the interior, push buttons, turn knobs, it is the only way to tell if it is a cheap car or a winner.      

7. Do your researching on the internet.  Almost everything you need to know when ready to buy a car can be found online; financing, credit reports, price quotes on insurance and warranties, and fair market values.

If you decide to buy a car that is used it is important to find out everything concerning the history, including how many owned it previously, was it involved in any accidents, any mechanical troubles, and maintenance and care of the car. Many times a used car might be relatively new and you can be happy and satisfied as if you had a new one!