Used Car Buying Tips
At ABS, we believe a "used car savvy" customer is better equipped to find the vehicle that matches his/her needs, and will appreciate the way we do business.
Is it better to buy from a dealer , person-to-person , or an individual ?
Benefits of Buying From a Professional Dealer - a dealer:
Offers a warranty and often an optional service contract
Will take your trade-in
Will, in most cases, assist you in getting financing
Has a reputation to protect
Knows his best source of new business is the referral of a satisfied customer
May have a service facility and offer the customer a discount
Can help you any time after the warranty period has ended by seeing that you get the best price on the repair by using his resources and contacts
In most cases will let your mechanic look at the car
You :
Risks of Buying a Vehicle Person to Person:
You :
May be dealing with a "curb stoner." (A person who buys and sells cars without a license for a profit)
Have no recourse if you buy a bad car
Forfeit most of all the advantages of buying from a dealer
Are stuck, in most cases, if you find the odometer has been tampered with
Lose the car and investment, if the car you purchase later turns up as having been stolen, whether the seller was involved in the crime or not
Benefits of Buying From an Individual:
The 10 Most Important Things to Know When Buying a Used Car From a Dealer:
Check the dealer's reputation and complaint record by calling your local consumer affairs office.
Ask the salesperson for the names of three people who have purchased cars there in the last 90 days, and ask that he do it on the spot while you wait.
Ask the salesperson if their dealership is a member of the state dealer association
Ask the dealer for permission to take the vehicle to your mechanic to have it checked over.
Ask to see what repairs have been done since the dealer purchased the vehicle, and have explained to you ,in detail, what the dealer has done to insure to you that this will be a good, reliable car.
Find out all of the details about the dealer's warranty and repair policy.
Ask the dealer to explain his price and to support it by a book value.
Ask the dealer what percent of his business is repeat business and referrals. If he doesn't know, he may not care.
Avoid high pressure and "you must decide now" techniques.
When leaving a deposit, do so with any and all conditions of the sale spelled out on the buyers order with yours and the salesperson's signature.
