Seven Tips to Determine If a Car Dealership is Reputable

If you're an inexperienced car buyer and you've ever tried to buy a new car without help, you know how frustrating the process can be. Deciding where to buy your new car is a big decision. Do you homework before you buy. Know your car dealership! Here are some tips for how to determine if a car dealership is reputable:

1--Begin visiting your local dealerships as far in advance as 6 months before you plan to buy. Walk around the lots, meet different sales people, and tell them you are just planning for your dream car. Also, find out which dealers have sales reps that listen to rather than talk at you. Never wait until "the last minute" to buy a car. Dealers may sense your urgency and vulnerability and take advantage.

2--Put your ear to the ground--what do your friends and neighbors say about dealerships where they have shopped or purchased cars? Gather information from people you know and trust. Ask co-workers, neighbors, or any people you know about their car-buying experience.

3--Educate yourself about the types of vehicles you are considering before you go to the dealerships. Use reputable websites to get clear ideas about pricing and options. Knowledge is definitely power in this case.

4--There's safety in numbers. If you are concerned you will be manipulated into a sale, take a friend or relative with you.

5--Talk to your lending institution. Many banks and credit unions have recommendations for specific dealerships. Read on for an illustration of this point:

Ann went to the credit union to be pre-approved for a car loan. The Loan Officer inquired what make of vehicle she was planning to buy. Ann told the woman "Car A". The Loan Officer said, "Oh, we recommend you purchase Car As at Joe Blow's Dealership in the town that's 40 miles away."

Interestingly, Ann's town also had a Car A dealership. Yet, the Loan Officer did not recommend them. Alas, rather than heed her lending institution's suggestion, Ann went directly to the Car A dealership in her own town. The sales staff were highly manipulative and basically, tricked her into buying a car at an exorbitant price, making her wait over 4 hours before releasing the car to her.

Within a month, one of her co-workers asked where she bought her Car A. When Ann replied, "At the dealership here in town", her co-worker replied, "Oh, so did they rip you off the way they do everyone else?"

What's the moral to this story? Read between the lines when you are buying a car. If your lending institution does not recommend a local dealership that you are considering, there is a reason for it. Perhaps they have a reputation that is less than stellar. To review, if your lending institution does not recommend the dealership you are considering, this is a big clue not to take your business there.

6--When you visit dealerships, notice if the sales people are using high-pressure tactics. Do they let you wander and look at all the cars? Do they keep talking while you are browsing the lot? Do they allow you to look at the vehicles you want to look at, or do they steer you toward particular vehicles? If you do not feel comfortable, do not consider buying a car there, no matter how much you might want it. Never give in to high-pressure tactics.

7--Before you make the final decision to buy a vehicle, give your area Better Business Bureau a ring. In just a few minutes' time, staff there can share any information they have about complaints or concerns they have received about the dealership in question.

Finding a reputable car dealership is not easy. But with just these 7 tips, you can arm yourself with information to help determine which dealerships in your locale are the most reputable.