Finding the great deals takes work, luck, and doing your homework! Did you say it takes homework to find the right car to drive around? You bet it does! But in this economy now you can do all of these things, and possibly go away with a car or two!
Dealerships are fighting for business! Jay Leno even joked about car dealerships selling cars. Saying that
we got one sold! Can it be that we can really find a deal, that is like this
"buy one, get one free?" Believe it or not it's possible and people
are making the call. It's a buyers market out there and it could turn into a
sellers market after the purchase.
Good Morning America even
had one of their reporters put a list of their wants for cars, and within
minutes car dealerships were calling her. They even were wondering if she
negotiated for a living. They were bringing down prices even faster then
Wal-Mart does while they were talking to her.
Amazing! Perhaps they were using
this website: www.carbargainsweekly.com.
Finding bargains by putting in your personal info: Name, telephone number, make
of car, and zip code. With in minutes you will get a call. This particular
website said that you maybe be able to get: factory rebates, dealer discounts,
low loan specials, trade-in prices, and more.
Economy is hurting and if you have
the money you should take advantage of the deal. Then if you can use a Kelly
Blue Book or a NADA for checking the value of the vehicle why not? Then turn
around and sell the second car that you got for nothing! Gee, does anyone see
the money maker here?
Couples might as well use this
privilege to get a new car or two. If you could actually buy a car for
lower then the listed price why not? Loan rates are low right now and this is definitely
a good time for bankers or dealerships to get the economy flowing again.
It's a booster to the economy, and maybe, just maybe it will keep the
bucks here in the good old U.S.A.
People often think that maybe
flipping a car isn't possible. They feel that the value of the car will go down
when they drive it off the lot. There are a few secrets out there that people
have been using to get the car of their dreams. The flipping house shows are
very popular these days by investing in the home to make more for their buck.
Finding a home below the value of the other properties in the area-putting
sweat equity into the home is what they are doing along with money
they may have borrowed. The same holds true when buying a car for cheap. I have
found some places you can actually get a great deal even for a car. There are
some exceptions for what you can do to the car when you are going to sell it
though. Adding certain features can make it worth more, but only if it's a
rarity.
CRAIGSLIST.
Is a classified ad for all different kind of things, and places from car
listing to house listings across the country? Click on the state you want to
buy from, and you get more info. Also,
when dealing with people from great distances can be a rip off threat.
Craigslist has many examples of people having prior ads that were listed like a
scam email. Let the buyer beware! Giving
personal safety tips is wonderful for the people who have never done this kind
of buying. Again buy locally if you do find something worth buying for a good
price. DO all the things that it takes to make you feel good about the
purchase. They have an agreement that is set up that you must not display
anything in your ad that is fraudulent. If you do, you must face the music.
EBay. EBay has been selling cars for
customers for sometime. We used this service a few years back when we were
going to buy a pick-up. They simply marketed the vehicle on EBay, and listed
all options with plenty of photos. Asked for offers, and we won the bid.
We were able to talk with the car dealership, and they provided some very
good options like driving the vehicle to our house, throwing in tax and
license, some other features. EBay also offers a way to help you find financing
on their website. We got a very good rate back then for 4-5% but that were
based on our credit and the time frame was 7 years ago. Hmm a one stop shop
isn't that the way to buy anyway?
The dealership was in Salt Lake
that we bought the pick-up from and one of our friends took the pick-up
for a test drive. My husband really did his investigations about the
dealership, the car, and was lucky enough to get a really good deal but that
was years ago. Not many changes have occurred about how to buy a car, or
checking out businesses but you need to definitely do your home work. We have
also had the experience of selling things on EBay and if you offer a fair
price, and disclose the items ups and downs that are going to help you sell
more. They also can rate the seller about how they do business. Honesty is really
the best policy here.
Liens. Paying the taxes is mostly what
is what the government (county, state, or federal) wants or what is in the
rears for what is owed on the car. Getting the car for cheap definitely has its
options. Check with local banks, or even the county court house might be a
place to start. If you have access to the VIN (vehicle identification number) you can check this with some services out there on
the Internet some are free and some of the have a fee. Examples of what you
will find: accidents, flood relate vehicles, history of the car, and here's one
that used car salesman might not like is the other problems that come with the
car like if it was a lemon that came off the factory floor.
Auctions. Estate sales or government
auctions are another way that you can get a good deal. At the estate
sales, maybe grandpa or grandma didn't drive the vehicle so it is going to be
in good shape, low miles, and low price. Check your local newspaper when
auctioneers will be having these sales or check in the Yellow Pages to look for
Auctioneers, or Internet. Government Auctions. Seized property from the
government. Most times you can definitely get a deal on pennies on the dollar
for the vehicles sold here. They don't want to hang on to them, so the public
if they are aware of the sale can take advantage of them. Start with this: www.treas.gov to
do your hunt for the car. There are services out there on the net that may cost
you a membership fee to get a list of car auctions which the government
had seized. It may even give you the 411 on all government auctions besides car
auctions. A few things I learned while researching for auctions is that
you might want to check out the ins and outs of buying the car at auctions.
Being prepared with the money, which days may be a better deal, learning what
vehicles are sold, and has there been an inspection done on the car. Best rule
of thumb is to do your homework before you make the buy.
Here is a more in-depth reason why
you should have the money because you can't go into an auction without it. This
is not a place where you want the car but you don't have the cash. The seller
would think why he wasted his time without a serious buyer. This certainly is a
valid reason to make sure that you are pre-approved for a loan or have cash on
hand to make your purchase. As a former banker I could prequalify a customer if
they knew they were going to purchase a certain type of car, the year, model,
and if they had it the VIN plus all their employment and other customer info
that was required to start the loan process.
Sometimes you are lucky enough to have a finance officer at the auction,
but why not have all your ducks have in a row?
I found a site on the internet
called DealerRater.com. A dealership can advertise for free, and put a customer
service seal on their site. They only can get this seal if they don't have
fraudulent business. This seal indicates the dealership means
business to get your business ...."Lets potential buyers know you're
serious about customer service." It also gives anyone but the dealership a
chance to give a thumb up or down about the service that they received while
buying a vehicle, etc. That might be a good place to start as well.
Getting a reference could be worth its weight in gold as well. Customer
service is certainly something that isn't a big commodity these days as well.
This site gives you reviews from all of the states.
While your at it you might as
well, save some dineros by checking with your insurance company to see what the
cost will be for driving your dream car. Maybe they can give you a break, on
your insurance. If they can't, perhaps you should start dealing to find a new
company that offers more perks, and a better savings.
After you have done your homework,
got the loan, got the keys, insurance, and checked on the options that make
cents to you. You can breathe easier because you did the right thing, and isn't
that KEY?
Karen Zortman-Loos has written for a local newspaper as a freelancer and have received a Bachelors of Journalism Degree from University of Nebraska-Lincoln. My interests are helping others with many subjects such as mortgages, music, inspirational, biographies, and much more. In my spare time I enjoy writing, reading, traveling, and taking in the atmosphere of the great Black Hills.
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