Deciding What You Want

3 Things to Remember When Shopping for a Car

4 November 2016 by Alex Hale

When you are shopping for a car from a car dealership, there are certain things you are going to want to keep in mind to ensure that the transaction runs smoothly. This is also going to ensure that you have some control over the transaction so that you leave the dealership lot completely satisfied. Here are three things to remember:

Don't Accept a Trade-in Offer Right Away:

If you are going to be trading in your old car, it's important not to accept the trade-in offer right away. This is because you should first start negotiating on the price of the new car that you want to leave with. Once you settle on a price you are happy with, then you can talk about the trade-in offer for your car. You don't want this number to be used when negotiating on the price of the car you want to buy since it can make the price sound better than it really is. This way, you are actually paying an amount you are completely happy with for a new car on top of having a decent trade-in value. 

Check the Invoice:

Before leaving with your new car, you need to ask to see the invoice. This is going to show you what you are paying for exactly when you leave with that new car. Some dealerships will have fees, such as unpackaging fees in order for you to leave with the car. However, some of these take-home fees are unnecessary and definitely are something you can ask to have them leave off. For example, if they charge to check the oil before leaving the lot, ask them not to provide this service and then you don't have to pay for it and you can check the oil level yourself. 

Say No to Add-ons:

On top of charging fees for you to leave with the new car, the dealership is also going to ask you to add certain things onto your loan, such as a protection policy. There may be more than one of these types of policies that they ask you to add, so it's important to say no when you really want to. If you feel that the protection is not needed, just say no. You can then go over these things in detail on your own and add them later on if you want to. Most dealerships will give you a certain number of days to reconsider. 

When you keep these three things in mind when shopping for a new car, you can be sure that you are much more likely to leave the dealership completely satisfied with your purchase. 

Share