Before driving off in your new car keep a few ideas in mind. Nobody intends to buy a lemon but mental laziness combined with a bit too much assuming can spoil your day. If you’re willing to do a little bit of legwork you’ll have few issues with your new ride.
Patiently get as many facts as possible about both the car and the dealership. Get to know staff by paying a few visits to the showroom. Don’t buy on your first trip to the dealership. Let sales people know that you’re a patient, discerning buyer who won’t be pressured into an impulse buy. If you can keep these things in mind you’ll find your ideal car without any hitches.
Use these 3 tips for buying a new car.
Walk the Showroom Floor
Patiently walk the showroom floor to look for clues. This observation session should be heavily focused on factors you may have ignored in the past. Is the dealership clean? Is the staff polite, accommodating and pleasant? Make sure the vibe suits you. For example, if you meet a pushy sales person the moment you step through the door run to the next dealership. Pushy sales people are broke sales people and broke sales people don’t have your best interests at heart.
Make sure the dealership is clean and orderly. This business is based heavily on presentation. Look for spotless showrooms to indicate that you’re dealing with a reputable, serious business.
Use the Internet to Leverage your Presence
Reduce your time driving from dealership to dealership. Use the internet to leverage your presence. If you have an ideal car in mind you’d be smart to search local dealership websites for stock. Read review sites to get a feel for a dealership. If customers offer largely positive, inspired reviews you can have greater confidence in the business. As with any review type scenario read negative reviews with care. Some people offer their take after having a bad day. If most reviews are positive you can feel confident in the dealership.
Build a watch list of all dealerships with your desired car in stock. Narrow down your list based on both the reputation and location of each dealership.
Go for a Test Drive
No matter how sold you are on a car you shouldn’t buy it until you’ve taken it for a test drive. Put a car through its paces before making a big investment in the vehicle. You may dislike how the car handles after taking a few left hand turns or maybe you’ll fall more in love with the car after you take it for a cruise on the highway.
Go parallel parking, practice K turns, accelerate into traffic, practice breaking to a complete stop, cruise in the neighborhood and do whatever you’d do to get a feel for the ride. By taking the car for a test run you can make a confident decision when it comes down to buying time.
Buy a new car after doing thorough research. Doing your homework on the front end helps you purchase a reliable, dependable automobile.