How To Save Money On A New Car

The price of cars these days is just out of this world. You can figure on spending upwards of 30,000 for a family van. No wonder a lot of people are opting for used cars. Even with prices creeping up and up there are still ways for you to save money if you have your heart set on a new car.

The first advice I’ll offer is to do your homework before you approach a dealership. There is an endless amount of information available on the internet. Every car manufacturer has a website, dealerships have web sites. See what deals they are offering on what models. Check on the edmunds.com website for information on retail prices for new and used cars of any make and model. You should, before you even pull into the dealership, have a ballpark figure of what your new car should cost, including any special packages you may want.

A lot of dealers have taken the haggling and pressure out of new car buying, which many of consumers like. Remember the days when you’d ask what the price of a car is and the salesman would reply “how much can you afford to pay a month?”. You never knew exactly what you were paying for your new car until you were at the desk ready to sign the contract. Today we are educated consumers and those days are gone forever.

You will be able to get a good deal during the end of model year sales. The dealers will make just about any deal to get an older model off the lot to make room for a new one. Also, go into the dealership at the end of the month. Your salesman will be doing his best to sell a few more vehicles to up his commission payment.

Get the bottom line price for that new car before you talk about a trade in. Generally the first thing a salesman will ask is if you have a trade in. Say “no”. If your salesman knows you have a trade in it will affect the price you pay for your new car, no doubt. If he makes you a ridiculously good deal for your trade in you can believe that the price of your new car will reflect this. Make sure you know what the value of your trade in is. Again you can check edmunds.com. Take you car to a variety of dealerships and get an idea of this price from them.

The bottom line is to do your homework. Get a price for the new car from several different dealers. There is nothing wrong with each of them vying to give you the best deal.

Consider your finance charges. Get a quote on the interest rate you’re offered from the dealership, then check with your bank or credit union to see what type of interest rates they offer.

Choosing A New Car

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!

Cars: The Used And The New Are Beautiful

Whether buying used or new cars, both options have advantages and disadvantages that the car buyer alone would be the best person to be knowledgeable about as he or she would know what would work well as according to hisher needs, wants, preference, budget and whim.

The following are basic factors to consider in buying a used or a new car:

The price.

Those on a stringent budget would find used cars a good deal. Though there are a handful of new cars that sell for less than ten thousand pounds, the ones that cost less usually have only a few amenities, with some having none of the following: air-conditioning, stereo. Sometimes the cars come with only two doors or one of the power windows is broken, if there are power windows at all. On the other hand, the availability of three to four-year old used cars loaded with more than the bare-boned features of a basic used car such as a CD player, air conditioning, airbags gives the used car buyer a great deal.

But still, the pricey new cars are costly because of the updated safety features they carry: de-powered airbags as well as smart front and side protection airbags. New vehicles also carry whimsical features such as: beverage holders that keep drinks cool or hot.

The choice depends on you, your priorities and your purchasing power.

The warranty.

New vehicles usually are under warranty for a minimum of three years to a maximum of ten. Hyundai and Kia provide ten year warranty for their vehicles. DaimlerChrysler offers a seven year warranty for their Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep models. So does Isuzu.

Some eligible late-model used cars could complete their original warranty and could just as well be extended if they are protected by the vehicle certification program. If not, used car owners could shell out a few hundred to be able to extend their service warranty or contract.

The mileage.

Newly-bought used cars come with mileage already spent. New vehicles basically do not need maintenance for the first thousands of miles, and if they do, car manufacturers cover the oil change and their tune-up as well as other fundamental maintenance services.

Specially made cars

Used car buyers usually have to content themselves with as-is vehicles whose color may not be that perfect shade of red, green or blue. Buyers of new cars however, have the option of a varied range of colors or car features that used cars have not. Car dealers usually cater to the tastes and impulse of a car buyer and usually would even satisfy a customer by specially-ordering a vehicle.

Buying New And Used Cars Online

Buying new and used cars online is a great way to open up your options when it is time to buy your new vehicle. Too often individuals simply go to their neighborhood dealership, find a car they like, get financing and ride home in their new or used car never realizing they may have paid way too much for that particular vehicle and could have found the same thing online significantly cheaper. So, if you are in the market for a new or used vehicle consider shopping online instead of the traditional dealership.

When you begin your search for new and used cars online you should keep in mind there are literally thousands of online car sellers and while many of them may be legitimate, there are some that are not. Because of this risk you need to take extra care in choosing which online dealerships to trust and those to avoid. However, dont be alarmed because it is relatively easy to spot the really great websites that sell cars as opposed to those that are simply out to get your money.

Websites that sell new and used cars online are generally very well laid out, have a lot of options, not to mention a feedback page where you can read about different experiences from past customers. In addition to this, many are rated by car magazines, car directories and the like. Additionally, when you find a car website you are interested in you can look it up in a search engine and find different reviews about individuals past experiences. This is perhaps the best way to find anything online, reviews on other websites about particular sites. Once you feel comfortable with several websites you can begin shopping.

When you begin shopping you will notice you have the option of searching within your zip code, searching particular cars within your zip code or a certain area, and many other search options for a vary wide or narrow search. Of course, the wider you leave the search options the more options you will have. Regardless, you can search comfortably from your computer for the car you want and that includes from exterior color to interior and extras.

When you find the car you want online, then you will have the option to buy. Of course, there are a variety of ways you can purchase the vehicle online. Some allow you to buy online; others allow you to contact the seller to arrange payment if the site is representing private sellers, sometimes you will be directed to the dealership where the car is located as well as a variety of other payment options. The best thing about buying new and used cars online is you can find the best price and just the car you are looking for without the hassle of salespeople trying to change your opinion on certain cars or talk you into something you are not interested in. Go ahead and search some car selling websites and you will surely become an automatic fan.