How to buy the right car for you (part 2)

If you plan to use your old car as a trade in then you should know the true market value for your used car. It is not likely that you will get that amount by trading in your old car. If you do get that amount or more then the dealer will try to find a way to get that back on the purchase of your new car. They may charge more for the new car than they would be willing to otherwise or may not write off all the fees and costs they often to do help them sell cars faster.

Negotiating the actual price you are going to pay for your new car is the next step. Most dealerships and sales people are not willing to talk price until they have you in their office while Internet car sellers usually talk price with you very early in the buying experience. If the car matches the True Market Value that you found for your choices earlier in this article then you are in good shape and can look for ways to sweeten the deal for yourself. Call several dealers with the same car and see who gives you the best price. Then call them again and say that “so and so offered me this price, will you beat it?” They usually will beat the price up to a point.

Now that you have negotiated for the best price its time to start closing the deal. The price you are buying the car for is not all you are going to pay for it. You will have to pay taxes and other fees that can vary from state to state. There are many great tools on the Internet that can help you figure out these costs, you might want to try the calculators at Edmunds.com for this. You should ask the salesperson to fax you the worksheet and invoice so you can check the figures in the comfort of your home or office without the high pressure tactics used by many salespeople.

Now you have an agreed upon price and you are ready to sign some paperwork. There can be an overwhelming amount of paperwork to deal with when buying a new car or even a used car. At this stage of the game some finance offices may try to push you to purchase extended warranties and other options to significantly raise the price you already agreed to. You can turn down most of these options unless you feel. The only one of these we might recommend is the extended warranty.

With all of the paper signed you have one last change to inspect your car before it becomes yours. Make sure you walk around it and “kick the tires”. Check for scratches on the paint, burns or tears in the carpet and seats. Check the tires, engine compartment and trunk also. Do check the fluid levels for oil, transmission fluid and other fluid levels as well.

Congratulations on getting the right car at the right price.