What Questions to Ask and What to Avoid When Buying a New Vehicle

For many of us buying a car has been a painful experience to say the least. The looking part is fun, and even taking the car for a test drive is fun, but what follows usually isn't. The end of the transaction is when the salesperson seems to have traded places with the devil, and your pocketbook suddenly seems smaller. So, in order to avoid this when buying a new car what do you do? There were several things I learned about buying a car when I worked for a local dealership in Cincinnati. As an Internet Sales Manager I learned more than I bargained for, but it was a good experience as a consumer as well. I am here to share with you five tips that can really change the way you look at buying a car and make the process much easier for you.

Looking for a New Car

When looking for a new car, whether it is brand new or a newer used vehicle you should keep in mind the purpose of your vehicle. So, the first tip I have is to make sure that the car you are looking at will accomplish your goals. In order to determine if it does you should ask yourself a few questions such as: 1) How many people do I need to seat comfortably? Your whole family needs to be able to fit into the vehicle, so make sure that everyone can be seated. 2) How far and how often will I be driving this vehicle? If you are driving often than you want to make sure that your vehicle has good gas mileage. 3) The biggest factor and the one that should be considered the most is your budget, and that includes your monthly payment and what you potentially could pay in insurance. Many times this is the last thing that people think about, and the expectations of what they want and what they need are completely unrealistic.

My second tip is: when looking for a vehicle be sure to compare the price and the benefits that the dealer offers with a brand new vehicle purchase and the benefits and prices of newer used models. At the dealership I worked for, the owner gave a 7 year/100,000 mile warranty on any brand new vehicle that was sold, but with a used car it depends on how much time is left of the manufacturer warranty. Dealerships do offer a warranty, but it is usually a 60 to 90 day warranty from the dealer, or it may be "AS IS". You need to ask what their warranty covers, and read over everything because if you don't you could find yourself shocked and surprised if you buy it and two days later it breaks down. Always ask about the warranty and anything else the dealer offers such as free car washes, service specials etc.

My third tip is: when buying a car that is pre-owned be sure to get the Carfax. The Carfax report will give you any information on the vehicle including any accidents that the car was in. You should know up front what you are getting into, because if the car was significantly damaged that could cost you more in sudden repairs up front that you weren't planning on paying for. Many people are planning only for what they need to put down on their new vehicle and their first few insurance payments, but many of us are not planning to have to replace an engine right off the bat or anything else for that matter.

My fourth tip is: allow a salesperson to approach you without you looking for an argument. It is completely natural for a salesperson to scope out the lot, and they know people are looking so this is nothing new. Let them approach you, and just understand this is what they do because they have to. They are only commission in some cases, and in others they get a very small base salary which doesn't amount to much. These salespeople are motivated to sell a vehicle, and they want to appear as friendly but sometimes they just don't. I learned that overall they generally are friendly and want to help, but sometimes they are afraid because they expect an argument right off the bat from the customer. As I mentioned before, buying a car hasn't been everyone's favorite thing to do. Let them speak and say what they need to say, then respond. Just don't act quickly, and give some thought to what they have told you already.

Lastly, my fifth tip is: don't ever assume that just because you have your heart set on one car in particular that you will end up going home with that vehicle. I can tell you stories time and again about how someone would come into the dealership looking for an Altima Coupe, and then realized that not only did they like the sedan better, but they realized what a headache it would be to take a car seat in and out of a car like that with only two doors. Nevermind the carseat too, it is hard enough to unbuckle the child from around the door and pull them out. This was a lesson learned often by moms who just had to keep that sporty look, but ended up realizing it just wasn't practical for them. Don't prejudge other vehicles until you get a chance to look at all of your options. According to John Busam, of Busam Nissan in Cincinnati, Ohio nearly 85% of consumers leave with a different car than they came for.

Make your list and check it twice, and be sure to ask lots of questions. Car dealers are motivated to make a sale in a bad economy, and with the end of the year coming up you are sure to find a great price on new and used vehicles.

John Busam

Busam Motor Sales

Cincinnati, Ohio