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- How To Purchase a Car
How To Buy A New Car is a learned skill. It's important to learn this skill to avoid your car dealership's tricks and scams.
Some Preliminary Must-Read Info
- New Car Buying Tips
It's to your advantage to go car shopping at the right time when car sales are slow. Never go car shopping if you are desperate. Salesmen can sense this and will take advantage of you.
- Financing A New Car
- Bad Credit New Car Loan
- Never Do These Things
Don't lie about the condition of your trade-in or about your credit report. Both of these things will be discovered by the dealer anyway. It only hurts you to lie about your own situation.
- What Kind of Buyer Are You?
Don't ever be an "impulse buyer" because the dealer will take advantage of that. The salesman will try to get you to buy the most expensive car on the lot.
- The MSRP
The MSRP, or Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price is negotiable; don't ever pay the MSRP. This page includes a handy formula for figuring your offer.
- Negotiating Debt
Negotiating Debt is really what's going on when you negotiate with a car dealer. It can be an art, but it's really preparation.
- Dealership Scams
Dealership Scams - The New Car Sale Price Trick is simply when the car dealership raises the price of a car more than the amount of the rebate.
The Top Ten Dealership Scams
- The VIN window etching scam
Don't fall for the VIN window etching scam. It's an add-on service that you don't need and it adds hundreds of dollars to your price.
- The Financing Scam
The financing scam works like this: After driving home the dealership calls you and tells you that your loan wasn't approved at the interest rate you thought you'd qualified for.
- The Credit Score Scam
The credit score scam works like this: the dealership tells you that your interest rate will be higher because your credit score is bad.
- The Forced Warranty Scam
The forced warranty scam requires you to buy an extended warranty to get a lower interest rate.
- The Dealer Prep Scam
The dealer prep scam requires that you pay around $500 for the dealer taking plastic off the seats and putting oil into the car.
- The Dealer Mark up Scam
The dealer markup scam just adds more money to the MSRP for profit.
- The Payoff Your Loan Scam
In the "Pay off your loan scam" the dealership offers to pay off your existing loan but sock high interest rates on the remainder of the balance.
- The Used Car Sold As Is Scam
The used car "sold as is" scam--- "as is" means you won't be getting any warranty whatsoever with your car because it has been wrecked or worse before.
- The Bounced Check Scam
In the "bounced check scam" the dealer tells you that they can't accept your check or bank draft so that they can charge you higher interest rates.
- The Forced Credit Application
The "Forced credit application scam" makes you fill out a credit application even though you may want to pay cash for a vehicle. This allows them to sock high interest rates on you.
Be Aware of These Too
- More Dealership Sales Tricks and Scams
13 Sales Tricks and Scams that you need to be aware of before setting foot on any car lot. It's guaranteed that at least a few of them will be tried on you.
- How to Avoid Car Refinance Scams
Be careful when refinancing through a car dealer. They are in the driver's seat, so to speak, and will make you pay dearly.
- The Extended Warranty
The Extended Warranty can be a huge amount of extra money that you will owe on your car if you allow the dealer to sell you their top warranty. Most times, you don't even need it.
- Common Extras at Closing
Common extra costs at closing that can add up to $97 more per month that you will have to pay on your car loan.
Come Prepared With Knowledge and...
- Consumer Reports Car Buying Guide
Your Buyer's Folder should have these items. Ideally, you will also have the latest info from Consumer Reports about the vehicle you plan on looking at.
Up-to-the-Minute USED Car Guide
Other Car-Related Articles
- Car Cleaning Products
A clean and shiny paint job will do wonders for selling a car outright. Even trading it in will yield a higher trade-in value.
- Car Safety
Car safety has sure come a long way since arms were broken from simply trying to start the cars!
- Factory Car Stereo
The factory car stereo is one of the most important considerations when shopping for a new vehcle nowadays for many folks.
- Buying A New Car
Buying a new car is often a stressful experience. But it doesn't have to be this way.
- Best Gas Mileage SUV
The Best Gas Mileage SUV sounds like a contradiction in terms. But some SUVs are better at fuel economy than others.
- Best Time To Buy A New Car
The best time to buy a new car can be around Christmas time. This is because everyone is busy shopping and most people can't afford to buy a car this time of year. Great deals await you.
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