Information about Cheap Cars, Car Parts, Car Loans and Others

If you’re thinking about a purchase or just looking for a little advice, this guide can help. The following information will help you begin to research, compare, build, and price new cars quickly and conveniently. In the end, you’ll get better prices on any of the models you are interested in. That means, for example, obtaining multiple quotes, from multiple dealers, before you ever step foot in a dealership. (Of course, you can do it all via the Web.) Having at least three different quotes during negotiations gives you a distinct advantage. Think of these quotes as a reference point – the difference between a good offer and a bad one.

In less than a decade, buying new cars has become a much easier process via the Internet. There are two types of sites. The first will sell you new cars directly. The second doesn’t sell directly, but will provide referrals to hundreds of the most credible dealers. Both sites, however, are going to save you money. They’ll display invoice, MSRP, options, incentives and rebates clearly. The most credible online resources will have no hidden fees and virtually eliminate the inevitable haggle with salesmen.

But there’s more. The following is a step-by-step breakdown of the entire buying process from beginning to end.

New Car Buying Guide Step One – Research prices online
Search for new cars to determine what average prices are, so you know the difference between good and bad offers. Be sure to do thorough research, so that you’re paying a price near the invoice and never over the average MSRP. Many sites offer invoice pricing as well.

New Car Buying Guide Step Two – Request price quotes
After figuring out fair prices, request free quotes for your favorite new cars from as many credible dealers as possible – you can do this online. Afterwards, the most qualified companies will have their dealer internet sales managers contact you, requesting more details on the new cars you may be interested in purchasing. Request prices with all applicable taxes and charges included (not simply the MSRP).

New Car Buying Guide Step Three – Get your credit report
Your credit score is what is used to determine the APR you’ll pay on your loan. You should get a copy to ensure there are no errors, and that you are receiving the rate you deserve.

New Car Buying Guide Step Four – Get rate quotes
With your FICO score in hand, you should apply to online lenders for the best auto loan rates. Your bank, other banks, other lenders, the dealership, and even your family. Shopping around for financing can save you thousands over the life of your loan.

New Car Buying Guide Step Five – Research insurance companies
You should research insurance companies thoroughly as well. Some specialize in offering plans to people with not-so-good driving records and others (sometimes the same company) offer less expensive plans for drivers with better-than-good driving records.

New Car Buying Guide Step Six – Get insurance rate quotes
Insurance can be expensive, especially if you’ve been unlucky in the past with accidents or citations, but it is necessary precaution. Request quotes from the preferred companies you found, and much like the search for the lowest car price and loan rate quotes, pick the plan that offers the best protection for the most reasonable price.

New Car Buying Guide Step Seven – Figure out your trade-in value
Use Kelly Blue Book to estimate the trade-in or private resale value of your car. This will assist you when you are negotiating the new car price, as the trade in value of your current car will affect the new car price.

New Car Buying Guide Step Eight – Negotiating your new car purchase
Ready to negotiate? With the lowest quote on the make and model you chose from your list of new cars, contact your preferred dealers and see if they’ll beat it – they tend to compete with each other because they want your business. Utilizing the Internet can provide you with hassle-free process of creating a dialogue with dealers. For example, it is a lot easier to stop emailing than it is to walk out of a dealership.

This guide will help speed the entire purchasing process up. And probably, more importantly, save you money.

So you are in the market for a nice set of wheels, but with the current state of the economy and the meager amount of money available to you in your bank account you won’t have anywhere near enough to even make a down payment on a new car – and with your credit rating you know that you’ll never ever qualify for a loan, so it looks like a used car could be your only option. You need something that will not only get you from point A to point B, but something that will be reliable and economical as far as fuel consumption and repairs are concerned. So the question is – what do you look for in a used car to make sure that you are getting the right car for you?

First you need to decide what type of vehicle is best for your situation, if you’ve got four kids that you need to cart around to school, violin lessons and soccer practice, than a two seat sports car or a pick up truck may not be the best car for you or if you’ll be using your vehicle for heavy hauling than a Ford Escort or VW Bug are probably out of the question – simply selecting what type of car you need will drastically narrow down the field before you even begin looking. If a car won’t properly suit your purpose, even if it’s a great deal, it’s not the right car for you.

Once you’ve narrowed down the field to the appropriate type of car you can begin to look at other aspects that will have a large bearing on how well a car suits you. You probably have a good idea at this point what type of car you’re ‘attracted’ to, so it would be a good move to do some research on the makes and models that most interest you. A quick search on the internet will give you a good idea of how long certain cars last and what the most common problems associated with them happens to be. Of course these findings are based on a general overview of the individual models so none of this information should be taken as Gospel, but these facts and reviews should at least give you a good idea as to the reliability of the cars that you are considering.

When you go to see a car even if you aren’t a ‘car person’, look for obvious things both at first sight and during your test drive. Something that you can pick up on very quickly is the car’s mileage. If you are planning on driving your ‘new’ used car for several years you probably want to steer clear of autos that have close to two hundred thousand miles on them. Some cars last many more miles than others, but few last very well past the one hundred and fifty to two hundred thousand mile range. Look for rust, dents and dings and keep all of your senses open as you drive the car – look, listen to and feel how the car drives. Pay attention to any unusual sounds or rumbling as though could be signs of current or impending problems that you’ll have to deal with.

Once you’ve found a car that you feel might be right for you, don’t just rely on what you’ve seen – take the car to a reliable mechanic for an inspection. It doesn’t hurt to make sure that the mechanic is either one that you have personal experience with or that is an impartial third party – you don’t necessarily want to trust a mechanic that has a close relationship with the seller because you may not learn the full truth about the car. A good mechanic will see things that you won’t – they will be able to tell you of any problems that need to be attended to immediately as well as any problems that are looming on the horizon. Having a qualified mechanics eyes take a close inspection of the used car you are considering will be the only true way to tell if you are getting a good deal on a car that will last.