Car Buying Tips! Cars.com

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Buying a car and getting a great deal is not as tough as many would lead you to believe. It is true that you can be taken if you don’t do the legwork, but getting a great deal on your dream car is possible as well. The key is to be thorough, don’t take shortcuts and never act on impulse.

​Here are a few Car Buying Tips to help you find that ultimate dream car!

1. Arrange Financing

Before you even start to dream up what type of car you will look fabulous cruising in, decide on the type of financing you'd like to use (loan, lease or cash). If you'll be going for a loan or lease, arrange for financing ahead of time so you know what your budget will be. Also compare rates offered by your own bank or credit union as well as other local banks to secure the most favorable terms.

2. Know Your Budget & Never Stray From It

Going outside of your budget is a surefire way to get buyers remorse. Determine your top dollar before you ever even begin browsing and stick to it regardless of the pretty shiny cars that come your way. At any given moment there are thousands of cars within your reach that you can purchase. Never feel as though a better opportunity will not present itself. It always does if you are patient!

3. Know Your Trade-In Value

While you'll probably get more money for your old car if you sell it yourself, you may not want to deal with the hassle. If you're planning to trade in your used car, make sure you know its trade-in value before heading to the dealer so yo get a fair offer.

4. Do Your Homework On Your Favorite Models

When you finally narrow the dream car search down, it then becomes very important to learn everything you can about those specific cars. Dig deeply into the different models and figure out common problems that they might have. Now that we are online as a society, it’s easy peasy to find a great deal of information about pretty much anything. One of my favorite resources is Cars.com simce they can help me arrive at the best decision when it comes to that dream car purchase. Doing that dream car homework before you ever even consider taking a test drive and making an offer is a must!

5. Take More Than One Test-Drive
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A test-drive is the best way to find out how a new car looks, feels and drives. Take the first test-drive by yourself and then bring the whole family (and all their car seats) on a follow-up test-drive. This will give you an opportunity to make sure everything (and everyone) fits comfortably.

​Since it is car seat safety week, even if you’re not searching for that dream car, cars.com can definitely help you out with all the car seat info you need!

6. Check For Service Records

Now that you found that dream car, before making an offer, ask the dealer for the service records and about any repairs that might have been done to the car. This particular step is not necessarily a deal breaker, but it can certainly play into negotiations. A car that is well-maintained and has all the service records to back it up is going to hold a better value than one that does not. If the dealer is missing the service records, but the car still checks out okay you can use that as a bargaining chip in your favor as well :)
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7. Have Your Mechanic Check It Out

Now that you know your dream cars history, take the car to your own mechanic and allow him to check it out as thoroughly as possible to make sure all that history is true. This is not going to guarantee you a perfect car, but it certainly will rule out most of the major problems. If the car history report comes back clean and your mechanic certifies that the car seems in good shape, you are well on your way to making an offer!

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Do You Have Any Car Buying Tips?