In 2020, around 14,575,347 people purchased vehicles in this country. That’s a lot of cars.
Are you interested in buying a car? If so, you can go to any car dealer in your area to find the right vehicle for your needs and budget.
Before you buy a car, you might want to ask the dealer some questions. If you’re not sure what questions to ask, here are seven essential questions you should ask the dealer before buying the car.
1. How Much Is the Total Price?
When you first arrive at a car dealership, you might see hundreds of vehicles on the lot. If you have a budget, you might want to talk to the dealer about your budget.
From there, the dealer can show you vehicles that you can afford. Before you test drive them or offer to buy one, you should ask for the total price.
You might see a price on the car, but that is not the total price. You’ll have to add the other costs to this price, including the taxes and title fees. There might be other fees, too, and the dealer can explain them to you.
When you learn the total price of the car, you’ll be able to decide if you can afford it or not, which is why it’s important to ask for this information.
At this point, you can also ask if the selling price is negotiable. Some dealers negotiate, while others don’t, but it doesn’t hurt to ask.
2. Do You Offer Financing?
As you look for a car dealer near you, you might want to stick with one that offers financing. If you don’t know if they offer it, ask them.
Most car dealers offer financing services to qualified buyers, and they can help you apply on the spot. You’ll have to agree to a credit check before they can approve you for financing, but it doesn’t take long to get the answer.
3. What Is in the Vehicle History Report?
Another excellent question to ask a dealer is about the vehicle history report. Every car has a history report, and most dealers have these reports on file.
For example, if you visit http://gatesauto.com/, they’ll likely have a history report on every car they have on the lot. Brand-new vehicles won’t have a report like this, but used vehicles always do.
A vehicle’s history report reveals a lot of different things, including the following:
- The owners the vehicle had
- The purpose of the vehicle
- The accident and claims history of the car
- The service records
Reading through the report can help you determine if you want to purchase the vehicle or not. For example, you might want to find a car to buy that was never involved in an accident.
If you see an accident listed on the report, you’ll know that you want to get a different one.
4. What Work Did You Do to It When You Purchased It?
If the auto dealership purchased this vehicle as a trade-in or from an auction, they might have completed some work on it.
In most cases, dealers will evaluate the vehicles they purchase. They record the work the cars need and the services they complete. If you ask a dealer for this information, they’ll provide it to you.
By reading this information, you can determine what problems the car had and the steps the dealer took to fix them.
5. Does It Come With a Warranty?
When you purchase a vehicle, you might want to buy one that comes with a warranty. You can get a warranty by purchasing a brand new car, but you might not get a warranty on a used vehicle.
Even the best car dealers around don’t always offer warranties on used vehicles. In many cases, though, you can buy extended warranties for most cars.
When you sit down to discuss the prices and costs of the cars you like, ask about the warranty. If you can purchase an extended warranty, ask what it covers and how much it costs.
If you buy an extended warranty, it will increase the total cost of the vehicle. Therefore, your payments might go up a little each month.
6. What Gas Mileage Does It Get?
You might also want to ask questions about the car, such as what mileage it gets. Many cars state these facts on the sticker in the window, but you can ask if it doesn’t say this information.
The gas mileage of a vehicle tells you how efficiently it uses the gas you put in it. Most cars have two listings for gas mileage. The first is for highway miles, and the second is for city miles.
Highway miles are always more efficient than city miles, as city travel requires more stopping and starting.
If you’re hoping to find a car that gets great gas mileage, tell the dealer that this is one of your goals when you first arrive at the dealership.
7. How Much Will the Payments Be?
Finally, you should ask how much the payments will be if you buy a particular car. The dealer might not be able to give you a definite answer until they work through the financing, but they can give you an estimate.
If the payments are too high, you could consider extending the loan an extra year or two to reduce the monthly amount. You can also choose a different vehicle if the one you like is too costly for your budget.
Ask the Car Dealer All Your Questions Before Buying It
You can ask the car dealer as many questions as you’d like, and you should. Asking questions is a great way to learn more about a vehicle before buying it. Test driving the car is also a good move to make before you purchase it.
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