5 Steps To Take Before Buying A Used Car
Buying a car can be a stressful experience for some. Whether you’re buying new or previously owned, a purchase of that magnitude brings with it concerns that are difficult to shake. You may be left wondering if you’re spending too much, if the car you are buying will really be what you need once you get it off the lot, or what problems might pop up with the car in the near future.
But, by taking a few precautionary steps, all the worry of purchasing a previously owned can turn into consumer confidence. That is why we have put together a list of 5 steps to take before buying a used car.
Set a budget – Setting a budget is the first step of the process because unless you know what you can spend, you won’t know what you are actually in the market for. How much can you afford overall? How much do you plan on financing? How much is your trade-in worth? What do you want your monthly payment to be? How long do you want to pay a car note? By answering these questions you can effectively set a budget to purchase your next vehicle.
Narrow your choices – Setting your budget should narrow the field a bit, but there are more than just pricing concerns when it comes to buying a car. How many people will you regularly have riding in the car? Will it be primarily for short commutes, or longer drives? Is gas mileage a concern? Is the driver’s seat big enough for you? Does it have the look you want? If you research these and any other criteria you have before stepping foot on a car lot or dealership, you can save yourself and the dealer a lot of time.
Test drive – Once you have your field of potential choices narrowed, you want to find those vehicles in your area and give them a test drive. You definitely want to test drive more than one vehicle. After being in your car for an extended period of time, sitting behind the wheel of another car is going to have a different feeling. You want to compare and contrast between the different types of cars on your list rather than making what you currently drive the point of reference.
History Report – This is quite possibly the most important step before buying a used car. If you are at a dealership, like ours at Southpoint Volkswagen, that offers a certified pre-owned program, this won’t be a problem. A reputable dealer is often out front and eager to share the vehicle’s history with you. However, there are some used car dealers that, for one reason or another, aren’t as open about this. Make no mistake, this is a deal breaker and you should be ready to walk away if they can’t provide the car’s history. Also, if they offer a deeper discount in lieu of a history report, this should serve as a warning that they are trying to hide something.
Find where price and choice meet – This step is kind of an encapsulation of the previous steps. Sometimes once we get shopping, our wish list of what we want in our next car starts to get too long, and we forget about that original budget. If you don’t keep your budget in mind, you’ll end up shopping for a car you can’t afford. If you find the car you’re looking for at a dealership that has either priced the car too high or can’t help you with financing, don’t be afraid to walk away and keep shopping.
Speaking of walking away, it is important to remember that you can do that at any point along the way. We, like most reputable dealerships, go out of our way to make purchasing a previously owned vehicle as smooth and pain-free as possible. We understand it is a big decision and want you to be comfortable with that decision. If you have any questions along the way, give us a call at Southpoint Volkswagen.
