Car Buying 101: Finding the Right Dealer

Now that you've made "the decision" to buy a car, crossover or truck, the next step is a little harder; finding the right dealer. Let's face it, with all of the Internet webvertising, television and radio advertising and mailers flooding you with information, this is a pretty overwhelming step.

In the space of three of four towns, you may have four or five dealers of the same model who are advertising substantial savings and throwing mailers your way or sales calls or emails. It can be downright confusing, so what can you do?

Here's where word of mouth comes in handy. Ask a neighbor who has purchased a vehicle recently (or a co-worker or friend) about the brand, such as a Honda or Mazda or, maybe, a Ford.

Or, you can trust the mailer, television or Internet and head to the dealer who seems to be offering the best deal available. For instance, Jeep has made some pretty interesting television offerings of what it will add in addition to the "clunker" voucher.

If you have dealt with a specific dealer, then you may like the service you have from a particular salesperson and you make the choice as a result of that experience.

This is perhaps the best way to do things because you already have a relationship established with the salesperson and the salesperson, who likely wants to keep your and your family's business, will go out of the way to make it as pleasant a deal as possible.

If you dissect this, you'll find that this actually looks more complicated than it really is. It all boils down to two things: 1. the model you want and 2. the dealer that will give you the best deal on it.