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The Process of Buying a
New Car... Page 3
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- Decide whether you will lease or buy your new car. Leasing has grown in popularity by
leaps and bounds in the recent past, mainly because of the high selling price of new cars.
While it's generally true that compared with conventional financing, a lease will have a
lower monthly payment, you need to be aware of a leasing truism: the lower the monthly
payment, the more likely extra charges may be lurking in the fine print. For all the
details on this important financial decision, see " Lease or Buy: Deciding on
Financing Options.
- Visit dealerships and test drive cars. From the list you made of vehicles best suited to
your life-style, find the dealerships in your area that handle those cars. You can do this
by going through the yellow pages of your phone directory or by checking the automotive
listings in the classified section of your local newspaper. Most papers run an auto
section on Saturday or Sunday. Personal recommendation is the best way to decide which
dealerships have the best reputations. Ask people at work -- or in your family. You can
also call your local Automobile Dealer Association and inquire about which dealers have
few or no complaints lodged against them.
It is important to separate test drives and price negotiations. They need to be two
different efforts and should be done on separate visits to the dealership, or the
negotiations should be done over the phone. For details on the test drive click on " Test Drives and Dealerships:
Evaluating New Cars.
- Negotiate your deal. Here's where the "knowledge is power" and "time is
your friend" axioms holds forth and all your work begins to pay off. If you've
performed Steps 1-6 faithfully, you will not be intimidated when the negotiations start.
You will be prepared and in control. Our " Dealing with Dealers: How to
Keep Control of the Negotiations " offers help as you near the climax of your car
buying process. Once the deal is done, make a list of all the features and options agreed
upon, including any "extras" the salesperson may have thrown in to sweeten the
deal.
- Take delivery. The car is nearly yours. Just a few things left to do, like taking an
inventory of everything you purchased and checking it against the list you made in Step 7.
Be sure the spare tire (and any other "removable item") is in the vehicle and
that the "prep" work actually happened. For details on this subject, see " Taking Delivery
The auto world now recognizes that it
makes good business sense to pay attention to the concerns of the woman new car buyer
because we now buy more than half of all new cars sold. As a result, women are being
blatantly wooed by nearly every ad campaign for vehicle models available in the
marketplace. Notice how many more women are in the driver's seat of the cars being sold in
the current crop of television commercials? And not just the obvious vehicles, like
minivans or small cars, either. Women are driving sporty cars and luxury autos in a number
of today's automotive TV spots with all the skill and pomp formerly exhibited solely by
male drivers. And check out automaker's magazine ads. Note how many women are pictured
entering the driver's side of the featured vehicle. Women new car buyers are wanted --
wanted by a mass of automakers who produce a mind-boggling number of vehicle choices.
Reprinted with permission of WomanMotorist.com.
Woman Motorist is the leading consumer automotive publication for women on the web
reaching half a million readers annually. It's modern, user-friendly interface, along with
in-depth feature articles and striking photos provides a comprehensive resource for all
things automotive in a female-friendly environment.
Automobile Calculators:
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• Should I lease or purchase?
• How much will my monthly payments be?
• Which is better: a rebate
or special dealer financing?
• Which is better: new or
used? |
