10 Things You Should Know Before Going to the Dealership

Posted on July 1st, 2009 by Janelle -

In the May of 2009, the Better Business Bureau in Fort Wayne Indiana reported that among the top 10 Inquiries and Complaints that it received, auto dealers showed up twice. No doubt, whether you are a seasoned veteran of buying and selling cars or if you are new to the experience, there are several things that you should keep in mind if and when you go to an auto dealership.

10 Things You Should Know

Research- Knowing what you want ahead of time isn’t enough. Figure out what the different statistics are on vehicle safety, mpg and other features that may be important to you.
Credit- Know your credit score ahead time, this way you’ll be better able to negotiate a good rate for the car that you are interested in. Additionally, it will save you time (and possible embarrassment).
Stand Your Ground- Sales people can be intimidating and (unfortunately) manipulative. Remember that you are there to buy a car- not a new best friend.
Insurance- When purchasing a car, do research ahead of time to figure out how much the insurance would be. Depending on the make and model of the vehicle as well as your driving history, your insurance could be astronomical.
Consider Used- Not every car you purchase has to be brand-spanking new. There are plenty of reliable used cars available, and in today’s economy, more people are turning towards these!
Learn to Negotiate Financing-After you’ve decided on the car that you want, you’ll be ushered into an office to work out the deals surrounding your financing options. BEWARE. Car dealerships often make the bulk of their profit from the financing of your vehicle as well as the sale of all the “extra bells and whistles” that you somehow realized you wanted in your car. This is where it helps to arrange your financing prior to even stepping foot on the parking lot. Additionally, you may also want to try to negotiate the interest rate as well as reconsider all of the “extras”.
Safety- You may be attracted to a particular type of car, but how safe is it? Go online or ask around prior to going to the dealership to determine whether or not the vehicle is even worth it to buy.
Look Around- Just because a dealership is conveniently located near your house or workplace doesn’t mean that you have to buy your car from there.
Bring an Experienced Friend- As a general rule of thumb, you should never go to an auto dealership alone-especially if you are a woman. It is unfortunate that there are still many dealerships out there where the salespeople assume that women are less informed about vehicles than are men. Regardless of your sex, having an extra set of eyes and ears will help you catch things that you might otherwise miss.
Have a Plan- Figure out a budget on paper and stick to it. Knowledge is power, and knowing what your needs versus your wants are is a great way to narrow down your options for the type of vehicle you will end up getting.