So you're looking at buying a used car. Of course, you probably have a wish list with few models in mind, but which one to choose? With oil prices and the prices of everything increasing, not so good enough salary increases, we all want to get the best for our money and be happy with your purchase it? We all want reliability, low maintenance costs, safety, and above all, great fuel economy. Is it too much to ask? The best way to achieve this is by being an informed buyer!
First we start with brand and model. As noted above, you are looking for what fits you best personality, reliability, low maintenance costs, safety, and above all, great fuel economy. You may have a few models in mind that are made by different manufacturers. There are websites you can visit and compare more than one manufacturer for all at the same time (www.edmunds.com, www.carsmart.com, autos.msn.com, Carfax, www.iihs.org). My personal website is www.consumerreports.org. This site is not free, but cheap to join ($ 26 per year or $ 4.95 per month) and is useful for the investigation of many other consumer goods as cars! These sites (and others out there) can provide valuable basis for making a final decision on a model. Note that with new models, these sites are often incomplete and have not received crash test data from government agencies, etc, etc
After deciding which brand and model I want to buy the manufacturer's website and do some research on the packages available and if they are planning to launch a new model in the near future. This can be beneficial to get the time of purchase as when launching a new body style of the same model, which falls on the resale price of the previous generation vehicle for a bit. Every step counts and you can make a big clearance sales, lease returns, so if the timing is right.
The last thing to research before buying a new car is what a dealer to purchase (if you're looking at the dealers). This may take some leg work, since most of this research can not be done online. You need to get a list of local dealers and visit each one. This allows you to observe the atmosphere of the dealership, and see how friendly / orientated service to them. See what sort of guarantees they offer, just beware of some extended warranties because they require you to bring your vehicle to the dealer only for the service, which can be a nuisance, etc. On the other hand, buying from a private seller has their advantages and disadvantages. Advantage: Often a lower price, more room to haggle, and less intimidating type of award, offers no guarantee (unless one is already bought by a private seller and is transferable). Disadvantage: Higher price due to overheads dealer, little or no room for bargaining, pay extra for the extended warranty. As always, the biggest disadvantage / Gamble to buy a used car is its history. Unless the luck of stumbling upon a used car that is owned by an owner who has Immaculate service records and receipts for all service ever done on the vehicle, it is always a gamble. This is where a mechanic checked before confidence can afford, or buying an extended warranty to cover problems unknown to my harvest (and always!).
In this day and age, it is important to research products before buying them. For those of use without throwing millions of dollars on purchases of momentum, we need to know we are getting what we pay. There is nothing worse than buying a car only to have serious reliability problems or safety ratings horrible. Just because it looks or goes fast, does not mean it is reliable and / or secure! First research = informed decision and ultimately, the goal is to get your moneys worth when buying used.
