Friday, January 31

Buying a Car Without Getting Taken, Part One


Car buying is one of those things that make many shudder with fear. I really hate the whole process, but it is a necessary one if I don’t want to overpay. What I have learned is that by doing your homework you can save a lot of money, a lot of hassle, and a lot of time. I said to myself, "This time it will be different. I'm not going to feel like I got screwed, I'm not going to over pay for this car and I'm not going to pay too much for my financing. I'm not going to let the heat of the moment and the excitement of a new car over to get to me and force me into a decision that I will regret". Due diligence is always important when looking for a new or a used car. If you take the time to do your homework, take the time to research and print out the spec pages and ask the right questions, you can be better prepared. DriversEd.com Talk to your friends and ask them if they're happy with their car. Ask them if they're happy with the dealer and would they go back and buy the same car again the same way or what they do things differently next time? This month, I've been looking at new cars. My 2007 Hyundai Elantra has been very good to me and I'm looking for a newer model of the same car. Hyundai's have really come up in quality and I have had zero problems with mine, save for a new belt, tires and brakes. I really like the look and technology of the new ones so I am looking specifically at the leftover 2013 models so I can save some money. Since I usually keep my cars for several years, I don't worry much about depreciation and Hyundai's warranty will cover my purchased for 60 months worth 60,000 miles, the term of the loan I am seeking. In the past, my car experience has not always been a happy one. Like many others, I really don't like to sit in a car dealership to go see a price or finance or options because in the back of my mind I always feel like I'm getting screwed so, this time, I want the experience to be different. This time, I'm doing things differently because I feel that I was a little bit taken by the fact that I really liked the car and I had decided on that specific one and the price I was willing to pay. This is something car dealers love. Once negotiations were done, I allowed them to raise the price by convincing me to add things on like a remote starter, clear coat paint protection, extended warranty, gap insurance etc so the price of a car that I was paying went from about nine or ten thousand dollars to over $12,000 with warranty. This caused my payments to be higher and I ended up with a longer loan term. Because I am looking at a new car with a warranty that will cover the entire term of the loan, I don't feel it I need to have extended warranty, I won't need gap insurance, the paint will be covered and I don't think I'm going to need to have anyone install anything like a remote starter right away. If I want to have a remote starter put in,I can have that put in for lower cost on my terms if and when I want to do it.