Avoid These 3 Mistakes When You Buy Used
Buying a new or used vehicle can be trying at the best of times, especially if you’re not familiar with financing, researching a vehicle’s history, or negotiating with a dealership. It’s easy to make a mistake when navigating the whole process, and that’s fine for first-time buyers! However, there are some mistakes that you can’t afford to make, and so that’s why we’re here today! Continue reading below to learn about three mistakes you’ll have to avoid when looking for a new or used vehicle!
1. Not Financing Before Shopping
A step that many don’t take before entering the market for a used vehicle, and often a new one too, is finding financing before they go to the dealership. Financing at a dealership can often be more expensive than finding financing elsewhere, and sometimes less convenient than if you financed through your own bank. That’s why we recommend that you try to find financing at other locations first before agreeing to the dealership’s offer.
2. Not Taking a Test Drive
A common mistake that we see here at Heritage Ford is that some used car buyers, about 20% of them, don’t take their chosen vehicle for a test drive. This is a huge mistake in our opinion. Taking the vehicle you’re interested in for a test drive can be an excellent way to find out if it’s really the one for you, and so we recommend you do so.
3. Not Running Your own History Check
While many dealerships, including our own, will provide history checks for vehicles at the start, it’s recommended that you run your own just to be safe! You can accomplish this by using a history report providing company such as CarFax or AutoCheck and by using the vehicles identification number (VIN). This will tell you how many owners your vehicle has had, what kind of work has been done, and if your vehicle was involved in any accidents. These are just three very common mistakes that our agents at Heritage Ford see from first time used car buyers! To learn more about what you should do when purchasing a new or used vehicle, or to learn about test drives, contact our dealership today.