Top 10 Tips to Choose Best Car Deal :
1. Determine your Budget
You may have your heart set on a specific car; the best car deal for your budget is to spend no more than 25 percent of your monthly household income. This figure should include not only monthly car loan payments, including fuel and car insurance.
2. Decide: New, certified pre-owned or used? Buy or lease?
The choice between new or used ultimately comes down to a new car, they are in perfect condition. If you consider certified pre-owned options they are not going to be more than probably 5 years old. You will get the best car deal for your budget if you buy used cars, but a shorter warranty period. A new car for the same budget will have a full warranty and a lower interest rate, including free maintenance and roadside assistance.
3. Narrow down your choices
Narrow down your choices and once you have set your budget the best car deal is there to fit your criteria. Assess the features that are important to you to see what is available in your area.
4. Assess your ownership costs
Assess the ownership costs that would choose the best car deal to fit into your budget. This provides a general overview of ownership costs, which will vary depending on your personal situation. It is better to do your own calculation for accuracy, based on the number of miles you drive annually.
5. Secure financing
Dealers don’t just want to sell you a car because they typically receive a flat fee or a commission on the auto loans they facilitate. Also, several dealerships are offering low promotional interest rates if you qualify, to get the best car deal for your budget. Heading to the dealership with a preapproved offer is always a good idea. You can check with local lenders, which tend to offer rates that are 1 to 2 percentage points lower than the bank rate.
6. Financing at the dealership may not be the best car deal
You may be drawn to a certain car because those super-low advertised rates are especially enticing. Only a small percentage of car buyers qualify for taking an automaker’s cash rebate to get the best car deal.
7. Get all the pricing information
The research you did should have included the invoice price (for new cars), as well as the manufacturer’s suggested retail price. While invoice pricing on third-party sites isn’t 100 percent accurate, it’s the best place to start your negotiation. You’ll also want to ask the dealer for a detailed price quo to get the best car deal for your budget.
8. Research all possible discounts in advance
If the dealership is promoting any cash-back deals, these discounts can be stacked and combined to get the best car deal for your budget. When dealerships have their big sales events, typically you’ll see an influx of leased cars returned. These are the best car deal for your budget to buy used and certified pre-owned cars. Outgoing models will drop to their lowest prices and meet year-end sales goals.
9. Take your time with the test drive
Make appointments for test drives if you want to make sure you are driving the exact vehicle that you want. Do your own research to get the best car deal for your budget; models change so much over the years. Use the salesperson to fill in any gaps in the information that you need because most car shoppers these days keep their cars for five years or more. Take your time with the test drive to ensure you like the driving experience.
10. Use smart negotiating strategies
When you are ready to make a purchase of your new car make sure you have already researched your current car’s value online. Use smart strategies to negotiate with facts to get the best car deal for your budget. If other dealerships are offering better deals on your vehicle and seek a price match, go over all of the details carefully. Make sure that you aren’t paying any unnecessary fees that everything you negotiated verbally is also spelled out in writing.
