You can do all of the reading, research, and learning before you walk into a dealership to buy a new or used car, but you are still at the mercy of the salespeople who sell cars for a living. You buy a car every, what? 3 years? 5 years? 10 years? never before? The problem you face is that you are at a big disadvantage when working with a car salesperson. They do this for a living, but you are a buyer only on rare occasions. Even if you are prepared for their tactics, they'll hit you with techniques and strategies that are subtle but tilt the odds in their favor.
Don't believe it when the salesperson tells you that they would loose money on a deal.
Don't let the salesperson obscure the actual price of the vehicle by massaging the numbers including the vehicle you might be trading in. You must get from them the actual price of the vehicle you want. Don't settle for a single bottom line number. Insist that they show you the vehicle price, TTL, trace in value, and the cost of whatever other crap they're selling you like warranties.
It goes without saying, but don't get suckered into the discussion about how much you want to pay per month. If you do this, you are guaranteed to pay too much. Instead, do your homework beforehand and know how much of a monthly payment (for how many years) will buy a car of a certain price.
Ideally pay cash for a vehicle and avoid buying a loan. If you're currently in a car that will probably last a few more years, start saving the money now. Sock away money each month as if you were paying on a car loan. Do this for 5 years. Then use that saved money to pay cash for the next vehicle.
Don't settle for the 2 or 3 cars that might be presented to you. Instead, insist you walk the lot with the salesperson so you can see everything they have that might fit your requirements.
Don't be afraid to walk out if you are uncomfortable with the situation or they don't have what you really want. Don't believe the salesperson when they say you're passing up the deal of a lifetime.
When you go to the finance department to pay, don't get suckered into dropping yet more money on add-ons, more insurance, and other stuff that you may not need.
On a related note: Don't get sucked into the common herd mentality that you have to drive a nice car. Dumping money into a car is just that: dumping it. You will never see all of that money back again. You may never see most of that money back. Buy a low cost car that meets the basic needs. While you can buy a $30,000 car, trade it in in 3 years and get a bunch of money back on it, you are still a slave to the system. In the end, you are still spending a lot of money each month for a vehicle. One way operate is to spend the least amount of money on a vehicle each month as possible. Even if you pay cash, you can spread out your cash outlay over the likely life of the vehicle and quickly see what it cost per month to just buy the thing. On top of that you still have fuel, insurance, repairs, and maintenance. If you want to put money into something that has a chance of growing and not depreciating, then invest it in mutual funds or buy a house in an area that is likely to increase in value over the years.
Don't believe it when the salesperson tells you that they would loose money on a deal.
Don't let the salesperson obscure the actual price of the vehicle by massaging the numbers including the vehicle you might be trading in. You must get from them the actual price of the vehicle you want. Don't settle for a single bottom line number. Insist that they show you the vehicle price, TTL, trace in value, and the cost of whatever other crap they're selling you like warranties.
It goes without saying, but don't get suckered into the discussion about how much you want to pay per month. If you do this, you are guaranteed to pay too much. Instead, do your homework beforehand and know how much of a monthly payment (for how many years) will buy a car of a certain price.
Ideally pay cash for a vehicle and avoid buying a loan. If you're currently in a car that will probably last a few more years, start saving the money now. Sock away money each month as if you were paying on a car loan. Do this for 5 years. Then use that saved money to pay cash for the next vehicle.
Don't settle for the 2 or 3 cars that might be presented to you. Instead, insist you walk the lot with the salesperson so you can see everything they have that might fit your requirements.
Don't be afraid to walk out if you are uncomfortable with the situation or they don't have what you really want. Don't believe the salesperson when they say you're passing up the deal of a lifetime.
When you go to the finance department to pay, don't get suckered into dropping yet more money on add-ons, more insurance, and other stuff that you may not need.
On a related note: Don't get sucked into the common herd mentality that you have to drive a nice car. Dumping money into a car is just that: dumping it. You will never see all of that money back again. You may never see most of that money back. Buy a low cost car that meets the basic needs. While you can buy a $30,000 car, trade it in in 3 years and get a bunch of money back on it, you are still a slave to the system. In the end, you are still spending a lot of money each month for a vehicle. One way operate is to spend the least amount of money on a vehicle each month as possible. Even if you pay cash, you can spread out your cash outlay over the likely life of the vehicle and quickly see what it cost per month to just buy the thing. On top of that you still have fuel, insurance, repairs, and maintenance. If you want to put money into something that has a chance of growing and not depreciating, then invest it in mutual funds or buy a house in an area that is likely to increase in value over the years.