Apart from deciding which make or model you should buy, the most important thing to think about before buying a new car is the car finance you will need. If you have the money to buy the car outright, you’re in the pink, but if you need finance you will be far more restricted to what you can buy, since the finance company will dictate what they will be prepare to lend.
Be careful not to over extend yourself financially in the current economic climate. The worst may yet to come – unemployment rates may rise or you may lose your job. Car finance companies are particularly vigorous in pursuing debt and you may find that three of four agents will call you all day long to harass you for your monthly payment. Insurance policies promising protection in case of redundancy or long term illness are usually not worth the paper they are written on, since they only kick in after three or six months of unemployment or longer illness. By that time the car finance company will have removed your car or will have driven you to distraction with their constant phone calls chasing any debts you might have run up.
You could go to a dealership to get a new car or try buying a new vehicle through fleet sales. Buying new car accessories online is already a popular way of saving money, so why not try to purchase a car online? There is a vast choice and online car auctions often have nearly new cars for sale, which may save you a great deal of money.
Although fleet sales are aimed at professional buyers purchasing in bulk, some fleet departments are happy to sell to private individuals. Your purchase will be wholesale, cutting out the middleman – otherwise known as car dealership – who drives up the price with their mark-up. Unlike a car dealership, the fleet department will not spend a great deal of your time trying to persuade you to buy a vehicle you cannot really afford. Their aim is to shift cars quickly and cheaply. You will need to be clear about the type of car you want to buy before contacting a fleet sales department.
Be prepared to negotiate on price. When buying new car parts or tires people are typically accomplished at haggling over price, but when it comes to negotiating with a car dealership professional many people are intimidated, feeling out of their depth. Car dealership sales people are adept at smug and smooth sales talk but soon cave in when faced with a customer who knows how car dealerships actually make their money.
Fleet sales departments and dealerships make their money on volume discounts. The dealership may have to purchase a car for the wholesale price of $25,000, but they will be buying dozens of the same model and once all of them are sold, the dealership will get a rebate of several thousand dollars on each vehicle sold at the end of a specified period, usually a full year or per quarter in the UK.
Also see: Tips on Buying a Car
Tips on Buying a Car
When it comes to purchasing a car at your local dealership, there are a few things you should be aware of to assist you in receiving that great deal. For starters, do your research on the type of car you want. Once you know that the actual price of a car is considerably lower than the stated price, you can enter into vigorous haggling with the dealer.
Before signing on the dotted line of your contract, you must test the car type you wish to purchase. Instead of buying a model you have never tried before through a fleet sales department, simply go to a regular car dealership and ask to test drive the model you have decided upon. Immediately afterwards make notes, so you don’t forget to ask about theses points when it comes to actually buying. Ask around for advice, does anyone you know drive this type of car and can tell you how it will handle in rain, sleet, or snow?
You will be in a better situation to negotiate price with the dealer, if you sort out your finance prior to looking for a car. Speak to your bank or credit union and see how their rates compare to the rates offered by the car dealership’s finance advisor.
Be careful of extra long loans of more than 36 months. Your new car depreciates in value really fast. If you try to sell your car before the long loan is paid off, you might not even get enough for it to pay off the loan. Loans of 60 month were offered to people who could not afford to buy the car in the first place.
When shopping around for finance, remember that the interest rate charged is very important, as it can add thousands to your loan. You may need to have a particular credit score or may have to be a house owner before qualifying for a particular rate with your bank, but if you do fulfil their requirements your car loan is likely to be far cheaper than the deal offered by the car dealership.
The finance arranged by your car dealership should instantly tell the dealer, if you qualify for the rate they offered you and usually they will ask you to sign the paperwork and will allow you to drive away in your new car.
However, quite often they will later do a more in-depth credit scoring on their new customer and will then contact the buyer a few days later with the news that the monthly loan repayments will be larger, because the credit rating was less satisfactory than the dealer’s finance company would like it to be. Taking out a car loan with your bank will be handled in a far more efficient – and open – way than this. The credit report taken from a bank’s customer is instant and fairly comprehensive. There will be no call back after several days have passed – the loan will remain as discussed and signed for.
If you are worried about your credit scoring, go online and order a credit report on yourself to be prepared.