Are you interested in buying a new car (or a new-used car)? If you are, I would guess that you’d like to find the best deal possible on the car you want. But, before you start randomly searching for cars, it would be best to research a handful of cars that would really fit your wants and needs.
Also, before you decide on the couple of cars that are right for you, you’ll want to find out how good they are on gas and how high the insurance typically is. Even if you find a great deal on a car, it might eat you alive when it comes to fuel and insurance expenses. Suddenly that great deal will turn into a nightmare of a liability for your checkbook.
Follow these tips, and you’ll find a great deal on your next car:
1) Never Buy From the Dealer – Unless the dealer is your dad, you’re going to be paying a premium on every car on the lot. Just think about it. They need to sell their cars for at least a thousand bucks more than they paid for them just to survive. That’s their only means of income, and you’re the one that is going to keep their business going. It’s a much better idea to buy a car from a private party.
2) Don’t Be Afraid of a Long Distance Purchase – Ever hear of the book “The World is Flat?” If not, it basically talks about how our world is becoming more global every day. The barriers are coming down and everyone in the world has access to make a purchase over a thousand miles away. While the book didn’t specifically talk about car purchases, it absolutely fits the premise. When I used to search for a car, I would check to see what was within 50 miles of my house and then find buy the car that was the best deal, but why not search 1,500 miles away? A plane ticket only costs a hundred bucks one way. You could get most of the details over the phone and through email, then go take it for a test drive when you get there. If it purrs like a kitten, drive it home. Do this and you’ll probably pay $1,000 less than any car in your local area.
3) Check Craigslist – If you’re afraid of buying a car from the other side of the country, then by all means, check for vehicles in your local area on Craigslist. There are still deals to be found, but you’ll need to be more vigorous in your search. To find the best deals, try to find those cars that are owned by people that just want to make $500 more than their trade-in offer (so they don’t feel like they’re getting ripped off). They’ll be happy to sell it to you, and you’ll be getting a great deal compared to the standard retail price.
4) Check the Country Roads – There are still some non-Internet people out there that sell things by putting them alongside the road. Since they don’t list their car online, they most likely have much fewer interested parties looking at it. With less interest, the greater chance you have to haggle and get yourself a deal.
5) Look in the Newspaper – The newspaper is a terrible place to advertise your car today because no one looks in the paper anymore! But, as a buyer you might be able to get a great deal because of the fewer number of parties that will see the ad. When sellers don’t receive many phone calls, they might assume that they are asking too much for their car and be quite willing to lower the price.
