The Ins and Outs of Car Buying... Two Things Every Car Buyer Should Know

Autumn has arrived once again; leaves are changing color, kids are back in school, and you may find yourself in the market for your next new car. These days, car searches typically start online. As a dealer with over two decades of experience, it is my duty to help people understand the ins and outs of the online search process.

To this end, I have two very important pieces of advice for all car buyers. It is best to safeguard yourself from the aggravating pitfalls that may unfortunately litter this process.

1. Knowledge is Power—It is very important to first identify which options you must absolutely have in your next vehicle, as well as narrow your search down to one or two models.

Knowing the MSRP of your desired vehicle is crucial when communicating with car dealers; it eliminates the chance of receiving inaccurate, useless price quotes. Websites such as Edmonds, TrueCar, and those of most auto manufacturers are good sources of MSRP information for the car you want with your chosen features equipped.

Here’s the key: Familiarize yourself not only with the models you would like, but also the features available for their various trims. Research features that may be restricted by region; for example, equipment packages that appeal to Northern drivers may not be available in Southern markets and vice versa. When putting in a car inquiry online, it is always best to specify exactly which options you’d like and also the proper trim level; doing so will spare you from pricing on cars you don’t actually want.

1. Understand Incentives—Most car dealers offer incentives that lower the bottom line price of a new vehicle. Common rebates are granted to buyers for being in the military or college, or being a member or employee of a particular group or company. While these incentives can offer great savings, dealers may advertise them inappropriately in order to get you into their showrooms.

Here’s the key: Go into this process knowing which incentives are available to you eligible for use on the car you want. Having this knowledge handy is a good preventative measure against dealers quoting you prices that are simply too good to be true. In these quotes, some dealerships may include incentives for which you may not actually qualify, or will stack incentives that cannot be combined (in many cases, incentives fall into “one-or-the-other” territory). These dealers are able to advertise very low price offers by pre-qualifying all of their available incentives, and in most cases, the average consumer will not qualify for all of them. One main point to keep in mind is that if there is a huge disparity in new car price quotes from different dealerships, it is a safe bet that the one with an unbelievably low price is pre-qualifying you, which you will find is true after you arrive in their showroom.

A little research and knowledge can go a long way in preventing unnecessary aggravation that may accompany car buying. Beginning the process with a wealth of information will save you time and possibly money.

Happy car buying!

Adam York