Buying a used car -- Does that little phrase strike fear in your heart? It doesn't have to. Buying a used car can be an enjoyable experience by:
- Knowing what you want in a car
- Doing your homework and knowing the value of the car under consideration
- Verifying the vehicle's maintenance and title history
- Performing a pre-purchase inspection
Food shopping can be quite an experience without a list. Have you ever done it? -- wandered aimlessly throughout the store, guided by appetite (buying everything in sight) or emotion; maybe feeling uninspired -- nothing looks good. Take the same task -- develop a list based on specific menus (a plan), go into that store with a purpose (sounds like Tony Robbins, huh?) and a full stomach. Voila! the shopping experience is pleasant, efficient, and productive!
For many people, the car-buying experience is comparable. They shop with no specific direction, wandering aimlessly, hoping to "run into" the car of their dreams. It just doesn't work that way! To have a positive car-buying experience, have a plan and follow certain designated steps.
Point one -- know what you want in a car. Take the time to drive some cars with the equipment and style that appeals to you. You might find out that it isn't what you wanted or needed at all. The only way to find this out is to test drive a few cars. A side note here, shopping for a car under pressure (for example, you need immediate transportation) is equivalent to grocery shopping when you are hungry. Who knows what you will end up with. Hasty and emotional decisions are usually costly. Plan ahead for major purchases so there is time to work through the buying experience, finding the best product for the least cost.
Point two -- once deciding what is necessary and desirable in a car, research the price. Never before has there been so much pricing information on cars available to "Joe Public." Libraries have virtually every pricing guide at your disposal. Also, The Internet has an abundant amount of information on every vehicle model manufactured. Use the resources at your disposal to determine what to pay for a car!
Point three -- with the boom of the used-car market, it's easy to understand how a few "bad apples" might get into the mix. Rebuilt wrecks, flood victims, manufacturer buybacks (or lemons), insurance totals, odometer rollbacks, and many other cars with questionable histories find their way into the mix. Look for two things when buying a used car:
Maintenance history: This helps verify a car's history and health.
Title search: Through the use of a vehicle title search company such as CarFax. (CarFax is a company that researches the history of vehicles for any title discrepancies as protection from vehicle fraud. The phone number is 1-800-FIND-VIN.)
These two areas can provide peace-of-mind when buying a car. In addition, try to get in contact with the previous owner to get a history on the car. The more that is known about a car's "pedigree" (or history), the more your liability is decreased and the better you will feel about the purchase.
My fourth and final point -- before buying the vehicle (assuming it passed all previous qualifiers), have a pre-purchase inspection done on the car by a reputable repair facility. This will be the final test. Have the technician do an under-the-hood check, safety inspection, undercarriage inspection, road test, and engine analysis. You will have to pay for this service, but it's worth its weight in gold! This is a valuable resource, use it.
If the car passes, return to the dealership or owner and negotiate your best deal! Happy car buying!
Til next time -- keep rollin'
