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Buying a teen’s first car can be a slightly traumatic experience for most parents. It seems like you just got done buying them their first pair of shoes and now they have a driver’s license; and are chomping at the bit to get on the road. But the stress of buying a teen’s first car goes beyond just making you feel old, although that’s bad enough.
There’s also the worry. Teenagers are, well, teenagers and therefore not the most responsible of creatures. When they move into having their own car, there is going to be a great deal of stress about what they are doing and whether or not they are being safe. These are genuine fears, but they can be at least somewhat alleviated by making the choices when buying a teen’s first car.
The first thing you need to consider, obviously, is safety. You want to buy the safest car possible for your teen and this means buying a car with the habits of a teenager in mind. So when buying a teen’s first car, look for a car that has an adequate but not too powerful engine. You don’t want them in a car that will go from 0 to 60 in four seconds, because that’s just too much temptation.
Don’t be fooled by things that seem safe but actually aren’t. An SUV may make you feel safer, but study after study has shown that they are nowhere near as safe as smaller cars. Another benefit of having a small car is that they use less fuel, which will keep your teen from constantly hitting you up for gas money.
When buying a teen’s first car, let them have some say in what they buy. A car that a teen helps pick out is a car that the teen is going to have a personal investment in. This means that they will be more responsible in the care and use of the car. The key here is the phrase ‘some say’; you don’t want the teen to make the entire decision.
You should also involve your teen in the buying process, even if they aren’t paying for the car themselves. They need to understand the ins and outs of negotiating for a good deal and it will be great for them to take part. This too increases their sense of ownership, which leads to a better first car experience.
When buying a first car for your teenager, you also need to keep insurance in mind. Insurance for teens is sky high, and this is another reason for buying a smaller cheaper car. Actually, given how expensive insurance is and how hard teens are on cars, it might be a good idea to get your teen a small, safe used car with minimal insurance.
Buying a teen’s first car doesn’t have to be a stressful experience or at least it doesn’t have to be as stressful. You just need to go in knowing exactly what you want out of the car and what you’re prepared to pay; and you’ll be fine.
By: Shane Smith. If you are looking for landscape or backyard lights then check out: http://makevoltz.com
If you’re asking yourself “what should I consider when buying a used car” then you’re asking the right question. Buying a car is rarely an experience that people enjoy. Oh, sure, we might enjoy having a new car, but roaming from car lot to car lot dodging the salespeople is not generally considered a fun time.
But knowing the answer to the above question can make the whole process a lot easier. By asking the question and knowing what the answers are, you can go into the car buying process; knowing exactly what you need. This will allow you to make the process go as smoothly as humanly possible and save money while you do it.
Type of Dealership
Your first question on your list is the dealership. If you want to get the best deal, you’re usually going to want to go to a larger dealership. Because they deal in high volume, they usually have access to better cars and, even more importantly, they don’t need to make as much on each car.
Smaller dealerships, by their very nature, need a higher profit margin on each car. This means that you’re less likely to get a good deal at these smaller dealerships, and more likely to get cars that have seen a lot of use.
What Kind of Car
The next thing you need to consider is the kind of car you want to purchase. Most of us just look for a car that we like and don’t give a heck of a lot of thought; to the matter beyond that. But when buying a used car, you should probably give it more thought than that.
However, the truth is, some cars hold up better than others. In fact certain types of cars hold their value and last well beyond the norm of most automobiles. Vans and minivans, for example, tend to have a much longer useful life than other cars. It's possible you could buy an older model with more mileage and still have a good vehicle. Likewise, Honda's and Toyota's are famous for holding up over the years.
What Kind of Financing
One of the things that rarely makes it on to a person’s "things to consider when purchasing a previously owned vehicle" list is the kind of financing you’re going to need. The typical method used to be to go the local bank and take a car loan. If you credit was good, then you got the loan and started paying.
These days, with the economy in shambles and many of us underemployed or even unemployed, it isn’t that easy. Banks have become far more picky and selective, and getting a car loan has never been harder. If you don’t have perfect credit, you may need to consider looking for your car at a buy here pay here lot. These dealerships arrange financing on their own and can be much more flexible in their financing.
Now that you know the answer to the "what should I consider when buying a used car" question, you should be fully prepared to go out and get a great deal.
By: Shane Smith. If you are looking for landscape or backyard lights then check out: http://makevoltz.com
There are four things to check when buying a used car that can save you time and frustration. Truth be told, there are dozens of things that you could check when you’re looking at used cars, but that would take far more time than most of us have. Looking at the four things to check when buying a used car listed in this article will take a fraction of the time and give you a good idea what kind of car you’re about to buy.
1. Vehicle History
This is actually one of the easiest things to check when buying a used car. Services like the constantly advertised, Carfax, exist to make this as easy as possible, and any decent, reputable dealer will be able to provide a vehicle history.
If they don’t, you should probably walk away, but you can run your own history with the VIN number. In either case, what you’re looking for is a car that hasn’t been in any accidents or needed major work done.
2. Exhaust Smoke
You need to have the dealer start the car up for you while you watch the exhaust pipe. What you want to happen is for there to be maybe a little white steam coming out of the car. You shouldn’t get smoke out of the exhaust, unless you’re looking at a diesel, in which case a little black smoke initially is acceptable.
White smoke is usually an indicator of engine problems. Blue smoke means the car is burning oil, which is very bad news. Black smoke means there is something wrong with the way the car is burning gasoline. In any event, if the car smokes, you don’t want to buy it.
3. Brakes
Another one of the crucial things to check on a used car is the brakes. You’re going to need to take the car on a test drive to check this one. What you want to do is to take the car to an area without traffic, then go around 30 mph and press down hard on the brakes.
You don’t want to do this hard enough to slide, but you do want a quick deceleration. If the brakes vibrate or make any strange noises, they need replaced. If there are any problems with the brakes, you should probably walk away; although these are easily repaired, they usually indicate a car that hasn’t been properly maintained.
4. Interior
As far as things to check when purchasing a used car go, this one that doesn’t get as much thought as it should. What you are looking for here is a disparity between the interior of the car and the mileage.
If the car has low mileage and a really beat up interior, this is a sign of either poor maintenance or odometer fraud. On the other hand, if it has high miles and a like new interior, this can be a sign the car was owned by somebody who really took car of it.
These four things to check when buying a used car will give you a good picture of the quality of car you’re buying, and this will save you big money. This should only take a few minutes, so make sure you follow the steps and get a car you can rely on.
By: Shane Smith. If you are looking for landscape or backyard lights then check out: http://makevoltz.com
Should I pay invoice when buying a car is a pretty common question when you’re looking at buying anew car. The answer is no, you should not pay invoice for a new car. You also need to remember that the concept of an invoice only applies to new cars, despite what many dealers would have you believe. Used cars don’t have the kind of invoice that we’re talking about.
In theory, the factory invoice is what the dealership pays for the car itself. The key word in that sentence is theory. Because in practical terms, the dealership often gets rebates and other cash back offers that affect the answer to the should I pay invoice when buying a car question.
One of the biggest ones is dealer incentives, which are essentially rebates that are paid to the dealer. So, if they pay $25,000 for the car, they may get a dealer incentive payment of $5,000. The reason they do this is to allow the dealer to claim that they paid $25,000 for the car, which is absolutely true. What it doesn’t tell you is that they receive a big rebate back from the factory, so that they are actually making a good chunk of change when they sell the car at invoice.
There is also something called a factory hold back, which is another type of rebate. Unlike dealer incentives, which they get when they buy the car, the dealer only receives the factory hold back when they sell the car. So if the dealer sells the car to you, at the very least they will get back around 3% of the manufacturer’s suggested retail price.
Unless you want the answer to the "should I pay dealer invoice when purchasing a car" question to be yes, you’re going to have to do a little homework. Your key to getting a good deal on a new car is to have all the facts available to you; so that you can make a plan for buying your car.
First things first! You need to know what kind of incentives, hold backs and other rebates are being offered to the dealers in your area for the kind of car you’re interested in buying. This aspect of the should I pay invoice when buying a car question isn’t one that can be answered in this article, but a quick internet search can show you the answers. The most popular of these sites is called Edmund’s, but there are others. When you know this, you have an idea of what a fair price on the car actually is, which will allow you to negotiate successfully.
Surprisingly, the next thing you really need to know is when to buy a new car. Car dealerships receive monthly bonuses for meeting their sales numbers, and this gives you an opportunity to make a great deal. Because these bonuses can be tens of thousands of dollars, if they are short of their numbers at the end of the month, they may be willing to lose money on a deal to get the big bucks.
Should I pay invoice when buying a car? No, you shouldn’t. You should always strive to get the best possible deal and you can definitely do better than invoice with the right planning and the right timing.
By: Shane Smith. If you are looking for landscape or backyard lights then check out: http://makevoltz.com
Knowing the right tips for buying a new car can make a difference when it comes times to pay. Most of us look at buying a new car with a certain amount of justified dread. People don’t generally like confrontation and this is what we tend to view negotiation as. At the same time, we have to negotiate because we are afraid of getting taken for a ride when it comes to price.
Fortunately if you follow these five tips for buying a new car, you’ll be able to approach your next car purchase with confidence. You will have the information you need to find the right car. In addition you will have the information, which will allow you to get the right price, without feeling like you’re in a slug fest with the salesman.
Do Your Research
This is probably the most important of the tips when buying a new vehicle that this article will show you. When you are ready to buy a new car, you should have a solid idea of what kind of car you want. Furthermore you should know, what the average cost of the car is you like.
In particular, you’re going to want to know how much the invoice is, and what kind of rebates and incentives the dealer is receiving. When you know this, you’ll be able to tell the dealer exactly what you’re willing to pay, putting you in a position of power when it comes time to negotiate.
Go at the Right Time
Believe it or not, when you go the auto dealership can actually make a big difference in the price you have to pay. Because bonuses are awarded monthly, if you catch the dealer towards the end of the month and their numbers are short, you can a great deal. If at all possible go to the dealership on the last business day of the month.
Use the Internet!
If you’ve followed the first of the five tips for purchasing a new car in this article, you should have already been on the internet. But you also need to use it to do some comparison shopping. Typically, we only look in our area, when a two hour drive might save you thousands of dollars. So use the Internet to search for good deals in a larger area.
Shop Around
Don’t just go to one dealership. You need to go to multiple dealerships to get a range of prices, so that you can use that information in your negotiations. If you don’t follow this tip, you are almost certain to pay more money than you need to for your new .
Be Prepared to Bargain
Probably the most difficult of the five tips for buying a new car is the negotiating the price; but it’s incredibly important. The first part of this is the research you’ve done, but you need to prepare yourself mentally as well. When you go to buy a new car, make sure that you are calm and relaxed and as well rested as you can be. Stay calm and focused and you will get the car of your dreams; for a price you never dreamed of.
Car leasing vs. car buying is an increasingly common situation most people have to deal with when trying to get a new car. Despite what you might have heard, buying isn’t inherently superior to leasing and leasing is not the work of the devil. Well, not all the time.
What makes the real difference when looking at car leasing vs. car buying is you. People have different needs and different styles. This means that the decision you make has to be right for you. There are situations when leasing might be the right option and the one that saves you money in the long run.
Generally speaking, if you’re leasing because it’s the only way you can afford a car, you’re leasing for the wrong reason. While leasing can easily allow you to drive a lot more car, than you could afford to buy, this is only a stop gap measure. The only time this makes sense is if you’re going to be getting a big pay raise in the intervening time, in which case it might make sense.
On the other side of the leasing vs. buying equation, if you are cash rich, credit poor and would like to drive a luxury car; then leasing might be an option to pursue. Especially if you know most banks won’t loan you more than thirty grand or so.
One of the best reasons to lease a car is if you’re a person who likes to get a new car every few years and you don’t want to bother with maintenance; then a lease could be a good idea. In this situation, you’re essentially using the lease to rent the car, while it’s in its prime, and getting rid of it when it starts to get old. To take advantage of this, you need to turn the car in at the end.
If, on the other hand, you want to eventually own a car, you should look towards buying the car straight from the get go. When you’re looking to get a car for the long term, then you absolutely need to be buying. In this case, car leasing vs. car buying isn’t even a contest. Leasing a car that you want long term, will only cost you more money in the long term.
One thing you need to consider before leasing is how you’re going to be using your car. If you’re planning on running it like you stole it or putting a ton of miles on your car, a lease is a bad idea. You will get charged for all the extra wear and tear at the end and this can end up being a huge cost. So if you have a long commute through bad neighborhoods, you should probably look into buying your own car.
So when it comes to car leasing vs. car buying, the winner is going to be the choice that fit’s into your life. If you don’t mind making payments forever, leasing new cars every few years can be a good choice. But if you want maximum freedom and the hope of not paying, year after year for a car, then you should definitely buy.
By: Shane Smith. If you are looking for landscape or backyard lights then check out: http://makevoltz.com
Advice on buying a first car is hard to come by. Well, no, I take that back; good advice on buying your first car is hard to come by. Bad advice is plentiful, but most of it, by dent of being bad advice, won’t help you get the right car at the right price.
If this is your first auto you probably do need advice on buying a first car. Buying a car is a pretty involved process and doing it for the first time, just adds an additional layer of nervousness. Getting the right advice will put you on the right track to getting the right car.
Your first thing you need to think about when buying your first car is whether to get a new car or a used car. Don’t immediately discard the notion of buying a used car because you automatically think of old beat up cars. Cars don’t immediately fall apart after two or three years, but they do cost substantially less. You can often find a "like new car", at a huge discount, if you look around. This is often an easier purchase for the newbie car buyer, so you need to give it some thought.
The best piece of advice on buying a first car, that anyone can give you, is to do your research. You should always take the time to cruise the car lots to find out exactly what cars are being offered and find a few you like.
Once you’ve done that, you need to go online and find out as much as you can about the cars you like. This actually serves two purposes, both of which are important. The first is that it will help you narrow down your choices and find out if the cars you like, are cars that will fit your lifestyle.
The second reason to do your research is to give you leverage when it comes time to actually buy. If you don’t have the information at your fingertips, you’re going to have to rely on what the car dealer tells you. However, this will almost certainly mean that you will pay more than you need to.
Another neglected piece of advice on buying a first car is to look at your financing options before you start shopping. This will give you a good picture of what you can afford to buy, which will help you find the right car. It will also give you another piece of leverage to use when you’re buying the car. Many dealerships also provide financing and you can use the finance information you already have to help negotiate a good deal.
This last, but certainly not the least valuable piece of advice, on buying a first car, which I can give you, is to be prepared when it comes time to negotiate. This means that you need to go in rested, ready and prepared to get the best price you can. Don’t let the dealer intimidate you and remember that they need you, you don’t need them. Just follow the advice here and you will be on right track for buying your first car.
By: Shane Smith. If you are looking for landscape or backyard lights then check out: http://makevoltz.com
There are five basic steps in buying a used car. There should be five steps, anyway, but a lot of people manage to skip most of them and end up with one step; go to a car dealership and pay too much.
But if you follow the right steps in purchasing a previously owned auto, you can get a great car at a great price. If you don’t, you’re going to spend more money than you need to and you may well end up with a crappy car in the process. There are great used cars out there waiting to be bought, but you have to follow the steps to get them.
Step One – Know Your Financial Status
This is one of the steps in buying a used car that people often don’t give the attention it deserves. Before you even start looking for a car, you need to know how much cash you have for a down payment, how much you can afford each month and what your credit is like. Once you do, you’ll have a realistic base to begin looking for a car. This can save you a great deal of time looking at cars you can’t afford.
Step Two – Shop Around
Once you’ve followed the first of steps in buying a used car, it’s time to move on to actually looking for a car. You need to go to multiple locations to get a good picture of the car prices ranges in your area. You also need to look on the Internet to make sure there aren’t great deals within driving distance but out of your normal driving range.
Step Three – Do Your Research
Once you’ve found a range of cars you like, you need to get online and do some research. There are two things that you want to look at here, the reputation of the car and the average prices. You want to make sure the cars you think you might like to purchase and see if they are holding up over the years. Then, you need to see what they usually cost at dealerships in your area, which is something you need to know when it comes time to deal.
Step Four – Find the Right Dealership
Finding the right dealership is crucial. Generally speaking, you’re going to want to go to the larger car lots, especially those associated with new car lots. The reason you should do this is because these lots have higher standards for the cars they sell, and they don’t need to make as much on each sale, so you’re going to find the best combination of value and price.
Step Five – Bargain Hard
Once you’ve done all that and found the right car for the right price, then it’s time to bargain. If you’ve followed the steps in buying a used car that this article has recommended, you’re going to have a fairly easy time of it. Just stick to your guns and demand a fair price. Remember that there are other dealerships and other cars out there, and don’t stop until you get the car you want.
By: Shane Smith. If you are looking for landscape or backyard lights then check out: http://makevoltz.com
A good checklist for buying a new car is essential to getting a good car and a good deal. You can skip it of course and just simply buy a car willy nilly or you can hope that you’ll just remember all the right stuff. Which might work, but the odds are you’ll be leaving money on the table and probably not getting the best car for your cash to boot.
Basically, a checklist for buying a new car should include everything you need to know to make a good decision. This isn’t just limited to checking out the actual car itself for damage, which is usually as far as people take it, but a comprehensive list of all the things you need to check before you decide to buy.
Your Essential Checklist for purchasing your new car:
Financing – Before you even go to look for new cars, sit down and figure out how much money you have to put down and how much you can pay each month. After that, you need to check with a bank to see if you qualify for a car loan. While most dealership will arrange financing, checking off this step will allow you to find the best deal and let you know where you should be looking for your car.
Research – You need to go online and check out any cars you’re thinking of buying. This is rarely on anybody’s checklist for buying a new car, but the more you know, the better you’ll be able to make the right choices. At the very least, you need to know the manufacturer’s suggested retail price and any special deals being offered in your area.
Dealership – You should checkout the various dealerships in your area and comparison shop. Not every dealership will be able to offer you the same deal and they will not all offer the same kind of deals. In general, the larger the dealership, the better the deal you will be able to make, but you should still check to make sure.
Car – Now you’re getting to the relatively fun part of your car buying experience: the car. A new car should be flawless and in perfect working condition, but they aren’t always. You need to check underneath the car for fluid leaks, as well as checking the tires and the engine.
Everything should be perfect. Do not take a car on a test drive unless you are dead serious about getting the car; you’ll want to buy it if you drive it, a psychological fact the dealers rely on.
Deal – This is probably the most important thing on the checklist for buying a new car. The maximum you should really pay for a car is the factory invoice. You would think that this would mean that the dealership would make nothing, but the invoice price already has profit built in. If you can’t get this price, you should consider walking away.
You also need to be on the look out for vague or hidden fees. You need to make sure to have every one explained to you, and bargain hard on anything that seems unnecessary.
By: Shane Smith. If you are looking for landscape or backyard lights then check out: http://makevoltz.com
A tax credit for a new car purchase is one of the best ways to save money in 2009. Oddly, for all the discussion of the government stimulus package in the news, the tax credit for buying a new auto has been kept pretty quiet. This is kind of odd, since it’s one of the pieces of the legislation that can directly benefit a lot of people this year.
Basically, if you buy a new car in 2009 or at least the right chunk of 2009, then you can deduct the amount you pay in taxes on the car from your federal taxes for the year of 2009. This can be a pretty sizable amount of money, depending on where you live and what kind of car you buy.
As you know the auto industry is a major source of jobs for Americans, but it’s in dire straights right now. Most of the major American car companies are on the verge of going under, so the government is using the tax credit for new auto purchases to help buoy them up. This being the government, though, there are a few catches.
First off, you need to complete or have completed your new car purchase between February 17, 2009 and December 31, 2009. The deal has to be completed between those times, not just started. If you’re before or after those dates, you’re out of luck, unless they do it again next year.
Your credit for a new car purchase covers the first $49,500 of any car, light truck, motor cycle or RV you buy. If your purchase price exceeds that amount, the credit will only apply to the first $49,500 of the cost; after that, you’re on your own. It also has to be a new car, fresh from the dealership, not just new to you.
Unsurprisingly, the tax credit is only available to people who make money below a certain threshold. Fortunately, the threshold is set high enough that the vast majority of us will qualify. Basically, if you make more than $125,000 as a single person or more than $260,000 for a couple, then you’re going to miss out on the credit.
Your tax credit is applied to your 2010 tax return, allowing you to deduct the amount of tax you spent on the car from your income. This is an above the line deduction, so you can still use it even if you don’t itemize.
While getting a tax break for a new car is a nice perk, it’s not really a big enough benefit to justifying buying a new car just for that reason. You may well be able to find a low mileage used vehicle that doesn’t qualify for the tax benefit, that is still a better deal, so you need to consider that when deciding to make a purchase. That said, if you were definitely planning on buying a brand new car anyway, it’s a nice bonus.
The amount that the tax credit for new car purchase will benefit you will vary from state to state, with people living in states having the highest sales taxes benefiting the most. But if you buy a new car in 2009, make sure to take advantage of this opportunity to save a little, or even a lot of, money.
By: Shane Smith. If you are looking for landscape or backyard lights then check out: http://makevoltz.com
There are tips for women buying new cars that can really help make the car buying process a lot less unpleasant. Sadly, the idea that knowing about cars is a guy thing hasn’t entirely left us yet. Which means that women will not get the kind of respect, they deserve, when they go to buy a new car. This can lead to overaggressive selling and bullying behavior from the sales staff of the dealership.
The end result of this is that the car buying experience for women ends up being even more unpleasant than it is for men. Fortunately, these tips can help you get the respect you deserve and even better, the car that you want.
Be Financially Ready – One of the best things you can do when buying a new car is to go to your bank or credit union and get pre approved. You can often get better rates arranging financing yourself and at the very least it will allow you to negotiate a better deal at the car dealership.
Comparison Shop – When buying a new car, you should always shop around, and you should never impulse buy. This is the one of the best tips for for everyone, not just women, that anyone can give you. You need to have a good idea of what you want to buy and where the best place to buy it is before you sit down with a dealer.
Do the Research – One of the keys to getting a good deal and having an at least halfway decent car buying experience, is to make sure that you’re as well informed as possible. You need to look online to make sure you have a good understanding of the value, performance and prices of any cars you might like to buy. Aside from making your decision easier, it will also allow you to negotiate more effectively.
Consider Hidden Costs – One of the lesser-known tips for women buying new cars, but an important one. You need to think about the maintenance and expense of driving the car. If a fancy sports car needs 4 new tires, costing $500 each, replaced every other year, this will add up quickly over the lifetime ownership of the car. Another example of this would be driving an SUV; if you have an hour-long commute each day. All these incidentals need to be considered when buying a car.
Be Prepared to Bargain – The salesperson is there to make the sale. Period. They’re not there to make friends, or even to help you out. It’s good if they can, but their first goal is always to get the maximum price out of you. Your job is to make sure they don’t get it. You need to keep this in mind during the entire bargaining process. Be polite, but be stubborn. Walk away if you can’t get what you want.
If you use these tips for women buying new cars, you will find that getting your new car will go much smoother than you ever imagined possible. Just make sure you take your time and don’t allow anyone to push you into a deal you’re not comfortable with.
By: Shane Smith. If you are looking for landscape or backyard lights then check out: http://makevoltz.com
Learning the risks of leasing a car is important even if you don’t have any intention of leasing a car. That’s because when you know the risks and the rewards of leasing a car, then you can realistically weigh the pros and cons. By doing so you might just find out that leasing a car makes solid financial sense for your situation.
It is true there are risk involved in leasing a vehicle. But the truth is there are risks involved in buying a car, too. The trick is knowing which risks will apply to you and how to manage the risks.
Probably one of the biggest dangers, when leasing an automobile, is going over the allowed mileage. When you are leasing a vehicle, the company makes money by essentially charging you for the depreciation. Basically this means that to make money, they need to get the car back in good condition, because they need to be able to sell it after you’re done using it.
Because of this, all leases have clauses that limit the amount of miles you can put on them. If you go over this limit, you’re going to have to pay, typically quite a lot, up to a quarter or more per mile. This can get expensive fast, so if you have a commute that will put you close to the limit; you really need to consider that aspect.
Another of the larger risk is that if you are unable to make the lease payments, you’ve got no equity in the car. Whereas, if you make four years of payments on your own car and are then unable to keep paying, you can at least sell the car and hopefully cover the rest of the cost.
But with a lease, you don’t have equity, so if you find yourself in a bad financial situation, then you’re going to be left with nothing. The sad thing you’ll still be on the hook for the payments, even if you give the car back. You will either have to pay the rest of the lease, pay a huge termination fee or arrange a lease transfer.
This is a particular problem if you’re using a lease to allow you to drive more car than you can reasonably afford. This is an all too common reason for getting a lease, and should probably qualify as one of the risks of leasing a car in its own right. Dealers will often try to sell you on the idea of driving a car you wouldn’t able to own as a reason to lease.
This is an argument that you should never pay attention to. Leasing is a good idea for people who changes cars every year, or are planning a change in lifestyle a couple of years down the road. But using them to try and impress your friends or even yourself is a bad decision. The economy is far too unstable to do that, and it’s not wise even when the economy is stable.
If you know the risks of leasing a car, it can be a good choice, but you need to go into the process clear eyed and with a level head. If you do that, you will be able to make the choice that gets you the best car.
By: Shane Smith. If you are looking for landscape or backyard lights then check out: http://makevoltz.com
There are several used car purchase terms that you absolutely need to know if you want to buy a used car. Like any industry, the used car business has its own jargon and ways of doing things. Knowing the ins and out will allow you to get the best deal possible, without getting the run around; from a possibly slimy used car dealership.
These used automobile term are generally designed and used specifically to put everything in the best possible light. which is how we ended up with terms like ‘previously owned’ and other euphemisms. What this will do is allow you to navigate those dangerous waters of vague and misleading terms with confidence.
Used Car Purchase Terms
Buy Here, Pay Here – A used car lot that offers their own financing. More specifically, they cater to people that have damaged credit and tend to specialize in lower priced cars. They can be a good choice, but they can also be pretty shady.
As Is – This term basically means you will be buying the car As Is or "What you see is What you get." The car dealer will not be responsible for any problems the auto may have, once you have made the purchase.
Salvage or Rebuilt – This is a car that has been destroyed, more or less and rebuilt with other parts. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it is something you should be wary of. Most of these cars have been repaired just enough to be sellable. If you’re going to buy one of these, insist on a warranty.
Chopper – This is very much like a salvage or rebuilt vehicles, only more so. What happens is they take two cars that are destroyed, and assemble them into a functional vehicle. Or at least a semi functional car. This certainly can work, but a car like this is not a wise purchase.
Gun Decking – This is one of the used car purchase terms you’ll rarely hear, but it is something you can do. Basically, you need to go to both ends of the car and sight down each side of the car, looking for ripples. This will show you if the car has been in an accident.
Vehicle History Report – This is a comprehensive report on the car. The reason it’s being mentioned in this article is that they will used this term to justify charging you a bunch for a report that costs about twenty bucks. This is a Car fax report, and you shouldn’t have to pay for it. These reports will tell you everything you need to know about the car, and you should always get one.
Hopefully, knowing these used car purchase terms will put you in a better position to get a good used car at a great price. If you can get that, then the only term you need to know is ‘Goodbye’.
By: Shane Smith. If you are looking for landscape or backyard lights then check out: http://makevoltz.com
Knowing negotiating tips in used car purchase can save you a lot of time and hassle. I know that you don’t like to go car shopping. Nobody likes to go car shopping, especially when it comes to used cars.
At least with new cars, you have some idea that the car will be of high quality. With used cars, that’s a crap shoot and then you have to deal with the salesmen. Not all used car salesman are stereotypes, but there certainly are enough out there that are. This is why you really must be prepared when you go used car shopping.
So without further ado, the top five negotiating tips in used car purchase:
Shop Around – It’s tempting, if you see a car you like, to just buy it. What you need to do is shop around. You may see a car that you like even more, but the real benefit is that it will give you an idea of what the car is going to cost. This will allow you to bargain the salesman down when you do go to buy.
Know Your Car – Once you have a car or type of car in mind, do a little bit of research. At the bare minimum, you should know how much the car is worth for the model year you’re looking for and the life expectancy of the model year, with proper maintenance. But the more you know the better you will be able to negotiate. Having information is one of the best negotiating tips in used car purchase that anyone can give you.
Make Them Work for It – Do not give the car dealer anything. If you go in and for example, tell them you you’re not prepared to spend more than $5,000 what you’ll actually do is tell them you’re willing to pay $5,000. Bad move. The first person to name a number is the person who won’t get the better end of the deal.
Remember that the Dealer is Not Your Friend – Car dealers are friendly, pleasant people. They are easy to like. They have to be, it’s essential to selling cars. Because of this, it’s important to remember that they are not your friend. They are there to extract the maximum amount of money possible from you. Always remember what you are there to do and that is to pay the least amount of money, for the car you want .
Walk Away – This isn’t just one of the best negotiating tips in used car purchase, it is the best tip. The ability to walk away is always your best weapon. In fact, you should probably walk away no matter what. You need to take your time and think about the purchase when the dealer isn’t breathing down your neck and going home to sleep on it is maybe the best way to do it.
But walking away is your ace in the hole, because no matter how the dealer makes you feel, you are the one in charge of the negotiations. If you don’t forget that, you won’t have any problems closing the deal.
By: Shane Smith. If you are looking for landscape or backyard lights then check out: http://makevoltz.com
If you’re buying a car, then it is vital that you know what not to pay for when buying a new car. You need to know that there are absolutely things that you should never pay for when you go to purchase a new automobile. The car dealership will always try to get you to spend as much money as they can and this will often come in the shape of things that you don’t need to pay for.
There are five basic things that you need to look at. These range from useless, but expensive, to useful but should be included in the deal at no extra cost.
The Paint Sealant
Pain sealant is usually just a fancy word for wax. That’s right, just a simple wax job. Now if you do decide to pay for this, you definitely shouldn’t spend more than forty dollars or so, but I recommend not spending it at all. Car dealerships will usually let this one go, which can save you hundreds.
Rustproofing
This is definitely a big one on the what not to pay for when buying a new car list. Actually, you should probably include fabric proofing in with rustproofing, because both of them are things that you will get charged big bucks for that either don’t work or could be done far more cheaply on your own.
The Extended Warranty
This actually isn’t a waste of money, unlike the previous two items, on your "what not to pay for when buying a new car" list. A warranty is always a good thing, but all most all dealerships will massively overcharge you for it. Instead, look at third party warranties that you get for a fraction of the cost of what the dealership will milk you for.
Prep Fees
There are a bunch of different fees that they will try to stick you with. If the name of the fee is something vague, then chances are, these are made up fees to allow them to extract just a little more of your hard earned money. The keywords to look for here are dealer prep fees, valuation fee or import tariff. All of these are just there to get you to spend more and don’t represent legitimate expenses on the part of the dealership.
Extra Interest
This is probably the least known of all the things on the "don't pay for" when purchasing a new auto. Car dealerships will usually arrange financing for you, which is convenient for you and a source of lots of extra money for them.
Basically, they have an agreement with the bank to provide loans at a set interest rate and then they add a percentage point or two to the interest they charge you. It always pays for you to check with your local bank and see if you can’t get a better rate there. It’ll save you hundreds or even thousands over the course of the loan.
You knowing, what not to pay for when buying a new car, can save you hundreds, if not thousands, over the life of your ownership of the car.
By: Shane Smith. If you are looking for landscape or backyard lights then check out: http://makevoltz.com
If you’ve been hit as hard by the hard economic times as everybody else, you may be wondering how to buy a car with bad credit. This can be easier than you think, and buying a car and making the payments successfully is a great way to start to rebuild your credit score.
It doesn’t take much for you to damage your credit these days. Because so many people are losing their jobs, many of us are forced to rely on credit to get buy. This means that we get deeper and deeper in debt, and eventually you start getting buried under the bills. You do your best, but suddenly you’ve got a bad credit score.
Making things even worse, and making it vital you know how to buy a car with bad credit, banks and other finance institutions have become far stricter than they used to be. The freewheeling days of easy loans are over and now credit that would have been acceptable even a few years ago is no longer enough.
Fortunately if you know how to buy a car with bad credit, the process isn’t going to be too bad. You just need to know where to buy a car and make sure that you buy the right car for your current situation.
Generally speaking, you’re going to need to look at a buy here, pay here type of car lot. These lots are dedicated to showing people how to buy a car with bad credit, and they are expert at it. The dealerships will guide you through the process in order to get you in a car and start rebuilding your credit.
What a buy here pay here car dealership does is provide the financing themselves, instead of going through a bank or other financial institution. Because of this, they have the ability to be much more flexible with how they finance. Indeed, the whole point of doing this is to be able to get cars to people who don’t have great credit.
The car dealer will sit down with you and look at your credit, your job and other factors to determine how much you can actually afford. Once you’ve done this, then you go look for a car on their lot that you can buy for the amount of money you have. This is how to buy a car with bad credit; by only buying what you can afford.
The downside to this is that the interest rates that you will get from buy here pay here lots are going to be higher than you would be likely to get from a bank. This is because the car lots are accepting people that are credit risks, so they need the higher rates to make sure they turn a profit.
Hopefully, this article will have shown you how to buy a car with bad credit. All you need to do is find the right dealer, and be prepared to get a car that is not the newest, hottest car. You can get that a little later when your credit has been repaired.
By: Shane Smith. If you are looking for landscape or backyard lights then check out: http://makevoltz.com
What is the best day to buy a car is a slightly trickier question than it sounds like. The fact is that when you buy your car actually does matter, and it can matter a lot. Because there is so much money involved in the car business, and because of the way the car business works, going to buy your car on the wrong day can actually cost you thousands of dollars.
There are a couple of factors that influence what is the best day to buy a car. The easiest one is related to the way that the car dealerships make their money, but that’s not the only thing determining when the best day is. The others are related to psychology, both of the buyer and the seller. Knowing and understanding the factors that decide what is the best day to buy a car is essential to you getting a good deal.
If you have luck on your side and the proper plan, you can actually take advantage of all these factors at the same time. This isn’t something you should overlook. Because getting this one simple thing right, can help you get the car you want; for a price that you might not even believe is possible.
The first thing that determines what is the best day to buy a car is the time of month. Specifically, you want to be at the car dealership on the last day of the month that they are open for business.
New car dealerships are expected to meet certain sales quotas each month. If they do, they receive large bonuses from the car manufacturers. This means that if you get to a car lot on the last business day, the odds are good that the dealership will be looking to sell so that they can hit their monthly numbers.
If they are close to the line, but just under it, they maybe desperate enough to get the bonus that they will actually sell a car to you for less than their wholesale price. They will actually be willing to lose a little money in order to get the big bonus money.
The other answer to the ‘what is the best day to buy a car’ question is that you want to get to the car lot when the salesmen are off their game. Generally speaking, this is going to be late in the day on a Friday.
Salespeople are like anyone else, and by the end of their work week they are tired and just want to go home. Because of this, they won’t negotiate as hard as they might earlier in the week, when their energy is at its peak.
The other thing you need to consider when figuring out what is the best day to buy a car is yourself. The best day for you to buy a car is the day when you are operating at your peak. It needs to be a day when you feel good, when you’re clear headed and ready to negotiate.
So what is the best day to buy a car? The absolute best day would be the last business day of the month that falls on a Friday. These come along fairly often, so you have the advantage of being able to pick your time. If you do it right, you could save big.
By: Shane Smith. If you are looking for landscape or backyard lights then check out: http://makevoltz.com
There are many reasons why you may be asking can I turn a car lease in early? Maybe you found the car of your dreams for the price of your dreams. Maybe you’ve hit a long run of bad luck and the payments are just too much. Regardless of your reasons for asking the question, the answer is yes.
Actually the real question you need to ask is how can I turn a car lease in early; without losing my shirt in the process? This question is a little trickier. You can always turn in a car early, but most lease agreements will impose a hefty penalty if you try to get out of the payments.
Basically the reason you are asking, will be the determining factor here. There are basically four methods for terminating a lease early. However, the one you should use is largely dictated by which ones you can use.
If you’re asking because you’re moving somewhere you won’t need to be driving or any other situation where you can make the payments, but just don’t need the car, then you can simply turn the car in at the dealership. Now, you need to understand that you will still be on the hook for the payments, even though you don’t have the car any more. Because of that, this isn’t ideal, but it can be better than just parking the car somewhere and letting it sit. You should relaize there are usually better options, which we’ll get to in a bit.
Perhaps you're asking because you’ve found a new car you want, you’ve got options. Many dealers will allow you to fold the remaining payments on the car into the payments for the new car. While this is convenient, it can still be pretty expensive, if you have more than six months or so left on the lease.
If you’re trying to get out of the lease because of bad luck and inability to make the payments, you only have one good option. You could just turn it in and stop making payments, but the car dealership will try to get the money out of you, and this can destroy your credit rating in the process. Needless to say, this is not a good option.
The better option and this is actually an option for anyone trying to get out of a lease, is to transfer the lease. Basically, what you’re doing here is finding someone to take the car and take over the lease for you. With this option, you don’t have to lose money at all.
You can either do this yourself or use one of the online services. Either way, the person is going to need to qualify creditwise, and the dealer will have to approve. Some leases don’t allow this, so make sure you read your lease agreement carefully.
So the answer to the "can I turn a car lease in early" is yes, and you have options. Make sure that you do your research and find the option for breaking your lease that costs you the least and doesn’t damage your credit score.
Next weeks blog will be on "What is the worst time to buy a car?"
By: Shane Smith. If you are looking for landscape or backyard lights then check out: http://makevoltz.com
