Now It’s Time to Go Car Shopping.
By now you are armed to the hilt. You have determined the exact type of vehicle that will best suit your wants and needs, and you have the money to pay for it at the best interest rate in town.
The best time to go look at cars is when there are no car salesmen around to distract you. Go to the car lot either at night after the dealership is closed, or very early in the morning before they open. If you know of a dealership that is closed all or part of the day on Sundays, then that’s the time to go.
At this point, you’re just window shopping and looking around the lot without being bothered. This allows you to concentrate on finding the ideal vehicle for you. Once you find a car that suits your needs and wants, check the price. Remember the absolute top price you are going to pay is what the bank told you the loan value is for that car.
Some dealers will put the price in plain view, and some will have it in “code”, but it’s still on the car. This “coding method” allows the salesperson to “size you up” and maybe even tell you the price is more than the dealer expects. This may sound underhanded but it happens every day of the week, every week. The way to figure out this code is pretty simple. This code will be on a small piece of paper taped to the inside of the windshield or one of the windows. It will have 6 digits on it. Two of these digits are the year, two are the price, and two are the mileage. For example, if the code read 041532, then it will be pretty obvious that 2004 is the year, and the car has either 32,000 miles on it and is priced at $15,000. This same code might be written 320415 or any combination at different dealerships.
You can be certain that the price marked on the car is going to be well above the loan value (your maximum price), but don’t let that dissuade you. This car is at a dealership, and when you come back during their working hours, you are going to do just that--deal.
You should go to at least three different dealerships and find at least three different cars that suit you. You may have to go to eight dealerships to find three cars that suit you, but you need to have at least three choices. One of these three cars you are going to buy, and that adds a LOT of bargaining power to your side when it comes time to deal with the dealer. You have choices, and when you have choices, you have bargaining power.
You may find two cars that suit your needs and wants on the same lot. There’s nothing wrong with this. You need three cars on YOUR list though. However, if there are two cars that you are interested in on the same lot, don’t let the salesman know that until you have decided that for some reason the first car you are looking at will not fit your situation for some reason. Then and only then, tell the salesman you would like to look at your second choice on his lot.
Once you find a car that suits you in appearance, size and approximate price range, you need to inspect it. Of course if you go to a dealership at night make sure you have brought along your flashlight and a notebook. It may even be a good idea to print out the first section of this guide and take it with you also. I’ll explain why in a minute.
Going at night with your flashlight will also help you to spot irregularities in the body, which is one thing you’ll be looking for. If you see something that looks “wavy” and that same area looks flat on the other side of the car, then you can be pretty sure it has had some body work done to it. Run your hand over this area and see if you can detect any difference in the feel of it as compared to other areas of the car. Look along the metal of the roof, trunk and hood from the side. Has this car been in a hail storm?
Look at the seams where the hood rests next to the fender. Is one seam a lot wider than the other side? If so this car may have been in a wreck and either had some body work done to it or had a new fender and/or hood installed. Inspect all the other seams around the trunk and doors. Look for any small dings dents scratches and scrapes on all the body.
Take a close look at the tires. Do you see any uneven tread wear? What kind of tires are they? Are they some cheap brand or are they Michelins or Bridgestone’s? Expensive tires could, just maybe, might mean that the previous owner maintained this car well. It’s not a sure sign that he or she did, but it’s a plus for that car and maybe something that you’ll compare to the other cars you are going to look at on the other lots. Jot down little things like this so you can sit down at home and compare these notes. If it has chrome wheels, are they rusty? If they are then it could mean that the previous owner didn’t pay attention to maintenance very well.
Get down on the ground and shine your flashlight underneath the car. Many cars from the northern states will have a lot of rust due to the salt on the roads there in the winter. You do not want to buy a car that has been through three or four northern winters with no underbody protection. While you’re down there looking at the underside of the car, look at the pavement and see if there are any oil spots.
Look inside the tailpipe. It should be relatively clean and not have any black soot build up nor should it have any kind of sticky residue.
Take note of the interior. Does it have leather seats? Cloth seats? Bucket seats? Any other issue that you might like or dislike about the interior, write it down.
For a more in-depth checklist, you may want to have a look at PocketCarinspector.org. It’s an easy to use car inspection guide.
Now, you need to go back and re-read chapter one of this guide. You DO NOT need to fall in love with this car. Oh, I promise you, some people will want to fall in love with this car, but don’t do it! If you go home and just start dreaming about how nice it’s going to be to have that one particular car, then your resolve will melt away to nothing, and everything else you’ve learned here will be for naught. When you show up on the dealer’s lot during business hours, you might as well have a ring pierced through your nose for him to drag around by---if you fall in love with this (or any) car.
After you have done your general price, year, mileage and overall tire kicking research on this car, go find another one at another lot that is similar to this one, and do the same thing again. Get at least three good candidates.