Automotive Journal

1. A great way to buy a car nowadays is to use the internet. Your can search multiple dealers at once and wait for good incentives. You can print of all of the best deals and take them with you to the dealerships. Having proof of a lower quote can be a great bargaining tool.

2. I highly recommend visiting FightingChance.com for the best deals currently available on new cars. It is a great resource for excellent advice when buying a car. Visiting this site before you go out to purchase a vehicle can potentially save you thousands.

3. One of the best times of year to buy a car is Christmas. Most people are busy buying gifts which means they are not wanting to paurchase a new car. Dealers are more likley to give larger discount as a way to maintain sales figures.

4. Between July and October is another great period to purchase a car. Dealerships are trying to get rid of older stock quickly so that they have space for the new models that are released.

5. You should never buy a car when you are in desperate need for one because a dealer will see that and take advantage. You should never wait until an old car is dead before searching for a new one because you should give yourself time to shop around for one and get the best deal possible. Desperation often clouds your judgment

6. Bring your credit score report when going to the dealer to buy a car. It can help you get better rates on car loans.

7. Some dealers try to give higher rates claiming your score is worse than it really is. This is a common scam and another reason to bring your report with you.

8. Another common scam by dealership salesmen is for them to tell you that they have found you a lower rate, but that they want you to re-sign your loan papers. Usually, that is a downright lie. Once they pull up your financing information, they have the upper hand if you don’t know the details about your credit information. You can get a copy of your credit information online at equifax.com for about $10-$15. It’s better to pay $15 now than thousands later.

9. Avoid trading in your vehicle if you still owe money on it. It is unlikely that dealers will pay the remaining money on time, so you could end up paying late fees to your lender. If you must trade it in then get a letter from the dealer stating that they will pay the balance within 10 days.

10. Sometimes a dealership may not have all of your options and must order the car directly from the dealership. If this happens they will often ask you to pay $500-$1000 for a deposit on the car. Try not to pay more than $500 and be sure to pay with a credit card because sometimes the dealership will tell you that there was a price increase on the vehicle and will want more money. If you pay with a credit card you have room to dispute the amount being taken from you. If you pay by check, you can just consider the money gone.