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By admin, July 16, 2010 5:36 am

Buying a new car is a big buying decision, and you want to be sure that you make the right choice.

First of all, you should make a list of what you need your vehicle to do be have. For example, when I bought my vehicle, my list included:

– 4 wheel drive
– towing capacity for a bass boat
– a nice stereo
– etc

Making that list will help keep you on track to choose a vehicle that meets your needs. Once you have your list made, you can pretty quickly narrow the options down to several vehicles that have the features you need, and that you like.

Now is where the work begins finding out which vehicle is most likely to give you the most reliable, safe use. Here are several important factors that you should check and consider.

Safety Ratings
Your dealer can probably provide you with safety data on the new cars you are looking at. Remember that there are multiple safety tests front collision, side collision, rollover, etc and you should take every test into consideration.

Reliability Ratings
If you go on MSN or other car websites, you can get reliability ratings on past year’s models based on customer feedback. While there will be variation between years, it should give you some idea of a model’s overall reliability.

User Feedback
If you know people who own the model you are considering buying, ask them for advice. They may not only be able to tell you if they are happy with the car, but give you information on which features are hot and which are not.

The bottom line is: the more data you can gather from different sources, the more likely you are to make the best buying decision. Your dealer is an excellent source of information, but it’s important to gather data from other, un-biased sources, as well.

Happy new car shopping!

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By admin, July 2, 2010 5:36 am

Buying a New Car: Its Time We Are as Vigilant as Ever

It seems as though everyone is out to get our money. Costs are skyrocketing and more and more products and services are out vying for our attention. Media is focusing its attention on “rear attacks” by directing its advertising on our children, our needs, our fears and emotions. Okay, well, that part’s not new, but it’s certainly more effective.

Brand recognition is critical for highly competitive retail items and customer service and reputation is the variable that either makes or breaks the deal.

So, why hasn’t any of this competition changed the way we buy cars?

Remember back in the 70’s? The good old days when buying a new car meant strolling down to the nearest cheesy car lot, getting battered by a slick, fast-talkin’ dude all decked out in his disco best.

How is it that, even though the attire and cheese-factor have changed, the slick, fast-talkin’ dudes still exist? And seem to be doing better than ever.

Today’s car dealerships boast increased customer support and service; touting special employees that are there to serve only you. They preach their employees are very customer-focused and are there to serve your every need.

But are they?

As consumers, we really have developed a false sense of security when it comes to car dealers and buying our cars. Surely things can’t be the way they were just a few decades ago. Companies that don’t adhere to the growing customer-is-always-right mantra are certainly companies that don’t last long.right?

Well, I’m here to say that the wolf has certainly stepped out of the disco-70’s garb.and is now wearing a clean white dress shirt, slacks and tie. Folks, the wolf is alive and well and is waiting for you to come fall victim to his fake loyalty to you.

How did they slip through the cracks? How did they manage to maintain their huge profitability through all of society’s demands for increased customer service? How is it that we still have to endure the experiences we do when we go to buy a car?

I’m here to say, the auto dealers have adapted quite well. No longer are they wolvesnow they are lions.

Our generation of car buyer has been given a false sense of security due to the internet. We think that simply by knowing what the internet says the dealer invoice is that we have some sense of power over them. Well, actually, all we know is what they supposedly paid for the vehicle. That doesn’t mean they are going to gnash their teeth and say, “Oh darn it, Frank and Betty Smith found out our hidden secret invoice amountnow we HAVE to sell it to them for that!”

Not at all, my friend.

Sure, the dealer is motivated to sell cars. If they don’t sell you a car, they don’t make any profit. But, if they don’t make and profit, they don’t sell you a car.

The myths surrounding the dealers still exist; the secrecy is what has kept them so profitable through the turn of the millennium.

Who monitors the car deals to make sure it was all handled fairly and you paid a fair profit for the car? Who watches out to make sure those people with bad credit are really put back on the right track to rebuilding their life with their auto loan?

It’s like putting the witch in charge of Hansel and Gretel’s health regimen; the “what’s in it for her” is much greater than the “what’s in it for them.”

The only people watching out for you when you are car buying is YOU. It is up to you to be vigilant and protect yourself, your credit, and your money. You can count on the lions stalking you when you call or go in to the lot. You can count on them wanting to still make more money off of you than you make in a month or two at your job. Count on it. And if you aren’t careful, it’ll come true.

It’s going to take more than the internet to protect you from these predators. You will need to look at buying a car in a whole new light. A new breed of car buyers needs to emerge to keep these dealers in check and not let them bully and trick us into handing over all of our hard earned cash and credit rating.

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By admin, June 25, 2010 5:36 am

Buying a new car is one of the largest purchases most people make in their lives. Therefore, it is worth taking care and making sure the deal you get is the best possible.

Financing

If you need to obtain credit to fund the purchase of the car, you should be aware that the financing offered by the dealer is often not the best deal you can get. If you shop around for loans you may get financing at a much better rate. You should compare the annal percentage rate (APR) as well as the length of the loan and the amount of monthly repayments. Always look at the total amount repayable and compare this to the price of the car to see the cost of the finance.

Sometimes, dealers will offer you a very good financing rate on specific models that qualify. It may not be possible to negotiate on the price of these models and you should check to see if this is cheaper than buying another model that can be negotiated.

Make sure you have a copy of the contract and before you leave the lot, evaluate whether the repayment terms in it are affordable. If the dealer asks you to buy credit insurance, you should add this into the price and see if the car is still attractive. You should also check your existing insurance policies as you may be covered already under another policy.

If you are considering a trade in, bring it up only after you have already negotiated the best possible price for the car you want. You should also research the value of your old car so that you know what it is worth. This information will help you see what the dealer is effectively offering you for your old car and if it is a fair price.

If you are considering a service contract you should be clear on what it offers. They have many exemptions and you will already have some cover from the manufacturers warranty which is included in the cost of the car. You should certainly ask the following questions:

What does it offer over and above the warranty?
What repairs are covered?
Is routine maintenance recovered?
Will they pay for parts, labor or both?
Who performs the work?
How long does the contract last and what are the cancellation and refund policies?