Pre owned cars and auto sales have been on the rise for seven consecutive years. Despite this, there are still plenty of car buyers who are being taken advantage of and are making terrible mistakes when it comes to actually finding, negotiating, and purchasing used vehicles.
Make sure you’re avoiding these common mistakes when buying pre owned cars:
- Neglecting to research — When it comes to buying a new or used vehicle, it all starts with the research. The majority of used vehicle buyers are not doing nearly the amount of research they need to be doing before making a purchase. Talk to people who have bought similar models, research all kinds of brands online, and spend a few hours each day during your search to ensure that you know what you’re getting yourself into.
- Starting your search too late — In order to be in full control of the purchasing process, you can’t be boxed into a corner. Don’t wait until you absolutely need to buy a car before you start your search. If your current vehicle is slowly on its way out, start at least thinking about how you’re going to go about researching and starting your used vehicle search.
- Neglecting auto maintenance — Another common mistake when it comes to buying a used car is not having a mechanic look over the vehicle before making a purchase. Even if you feel great about the vehicle you’re going to buy and think it’s the perfect fit, you could end up having some major problems on your hands down the road. Most auto shops provide a maintenance service onsite, but make sure you’re asking for a professional mechanic to inspect the car you’re thinking about buying.
- Only taking one quick test-drive — Simply test-driving a car for a mile or two or just driving around the block is not enough to give you a real feel for the vehicle. Since you’re planning on driving this vehicle for years, you need to give it at least a half-hour of drive time.
If you want to learn more about how to effectively buy pre owned cars or if you just want to visit a helpful used car dealership, give Auto Sales and Service a call today.
