Tips to Help When Looking at Pre-Owned Cars

Are you looking to buy a car? The current average age for the cars you see being driven around today is 11 years old. In 2015, the average price of a new car was about $33,000 while the average price for a pre-owned car was about $16,500. If you need a new vehicle, looking at pre-owned cars may be a good way to go.

Tips for Buying Pre-Owned Cars:

Set your budget. The first thing you need to do when you are considering buying a vehicle, before you even look at affordable used cars, is determine how much you can afford to spend. You may want to run your own credit and see what is on your credit report, Look at your income and your expenses. Are you going to bring in a car to trade? This will change your options. Be meticulous in going through your finances and remember there are more fees involved beyond the price of the car. You have to insure it and register it as well.

Look into your financing options. Do you own a home? Have you had a car loan before? If you can answer yes to either of those questions, your first stop should be to talk to the financial institutions that have loaned you money before. If you answer is no to both, you should talk to the bank where you have your checking and/or savings account. The point is that you want to go to someone who knows you. The next option is to visit community banks and credit unions, who are both a lot more likely to take a risk with a car loam. Of course, if you have the money to buy the car without financing, you can do that. Most car dealers have some financing options that might be good for you and your situation but having a plan in place when you go look at used cars can only serve you well when you negotiate with the used car dealership.

Decide if you want to go to a car dealer or buy from an individual. When you are looking at reliable used cars, you may consider buying one from a person from the classified or Craig’s List or you may want to look at pre-owned cars being sold by a car dealership, Unless you know the person from whom you are buying a car, you will get a lot more in the way of assurances about the car from a dealer. There are some other advantages to buying from a dealer. They have a much larger selection of reliable used vehicles. You can go to the lot and test drive a few cards. You also may find that you can get more for your dollar with the dealer. They may have more flexibility in price, they can also offer to make certain repairs on the vehicle that an individual cannot do. If something goes wrong with the car after you buy it, you can do more with a dealer than an individual. They can also offer you financing options.

Decide your bargaining strategy. So, you go to the dealership and look at the pre-owned cars, what now? Talk to the salesperson about what they can offer in terms of the price, the features and the state of the car. Maybe they can throw in some features, servicing, reduce the price or fix problems with the car. People often think the salespeople at the car dealership are like vultures who will not let you off their lot until you have bought something. This is not true. They want you to be happy. Just be willing to negotiate and you can get a good deal.

Find a good dealer. Talk to your friends and family about where they bought their cars and trucks. Americans love to drive so you probably know someone who has bought a vehicle recently.

If you need to buy a vehicle, pre-owned cars offer a lot of benefits. You may be able to get a lot more fun features when you look at used cars and trucks than you can for the same amount of money that you would spend buying new cars and trucks.