When I want to buy a car, I usually look at a few sources. First of all, I’ll check out some classifieds ads on the Internet. Just in case, I will look at my local newspapers too. Quite often, I will end up buying cars from dealerships. After all, you’re less likely to end up with a lemon. But, there are times where the deal doesn’t always go my way. Around 12 months ago, I spent a lot of money on buying a car from a dealer. But, there are some things I know today that I wished I had known a year ago.
First of all, they would have made me more “savvy” to the whole car dealer buying experience. And, second, there’s no denying that I would have saved some money on the car I bought! Still, at least I’ll know more precisely for the next time when I buy a car from a dealer.
Here are the pointers that you might find useful too if you’re going to buy from a dealership soon:
Negotiate the Price First, and then talk about Trade-ins:
Have you ever noticed that car dealers always ask you if you’ve got a car to trade-in for a new one? At first glance, you might think that they’re offering to do you a favor. Why? Because you don’t have to go to the hassle of selling your car. They could just offer you a price, and they take it off your hands.
What you don’t know is that trade-ins are a lucrative source of income for them. First of all, they’ll offer you a price way below the market value. They might spend a few bucks servicing and cleaning it up afterward. But, they’ll then sell it on for a vast profit.
So, what you might think is a “good deal” will, in reality, only benefit the dealership!
Good Car Dealers can “find” specific Vehicles for you:
Let’s say you’ve got your heart set on a particular make and model. If you can’t find one for sale in your region, you might give up at that point!
I’ll let you in on a little secret. Many of the bigger auto dealers out there can source the car you want. How? They use car dealer CRM computer systems. It can help them locate vehicles in their group stock. If another “branch” has the car you want, they can have it brought over so you can view it.
Just because you can’t find your dream car for sale doesn’t mean dealers can’t find it for you elsewhere! Often, the cars they find might not even be for sale yet. They could be vehicles they’ve just bought.
You can Haggle on the Price:
All auto dealers across the planet know one thing. Most folks will only pay the advertised price for a car. That’s because they don’t feel like they can negotiate on the price.
The good news is you can. Dealers assume you might need hence why they “markup” the price! The technique works best when you’re buying used cars. That’s because you can get the price lowered if the vehicle you want needs some repair works.
Good luck with your next car!