Taking a checklist with you when you buy a new car is a good idea. A good checklist for buying a new car is essential to getting a good car and a good deal. You can skip it of course and just simply buy a car willy nilly or you can hope that you’ll just remember all the right stuff. Which might work, but the odds are you’ll be leaving money on the table and probably not getting the best car for your cash to boot.
Basically, a checklist for buying a new car should include everything you need to know to make a good decision. This isn’t just limited to checking out the actual car itself for damage, which is usually as far as people take it, but a comprehensive list of all the things you need to check before you decide to buy.
1.Financing – Before you even go to look for new cars, sit down and figure out how much money you have to put down and how much you can pay each month. After that, you need to check with a bank to see if you qualify for a car loan. While most dealership will arrange financing, checking off this step will allow you to find the best deal and let you know where you should be looking for your car.
2.Research – You need to go online and check out any cars you’re thinking of buying. This is rarely on anybody’s checklist for buying a new car, but the more you know, the better you’ll be able to make the right choices. At the very least, you need to know the manufacturer’s suggested retail price and any special deals being offered in your area.
3.Dealership – You should checkout the various dealerships in your area and comparison shop. Not every dealership will be able to offer you the same deal and they will not all offer the same kind of deals. In general, the larger the dealership, the better the deal you will be able to make, but you should still check to make sure.
4.Car – Now you’re getting to the relatively fun part of your car buying experience: the car. A new car should be flawless and in perfect working condition, but they aren’t always. You need to check underneath the car for fluid leaks, as well as checking the tires and the engine.
Everything should be perfect. Do not take a car on a test drive unless you are dead serious about getting the car; you’ll want to buy it if you drive it, a psychological fact the dealers rely on.
5.Deal – This is probably the most important thing on the checklist for buying a new car. The maximum you should really pay for a car is the factory invoice. You would think that this would mean that the dealership would make nothing, but the invoice price already has profit built in. If you can’t get this price, you should consider walking away.
You would also need to be on the look out for vague or hidden fees. You need to make sure to have every one explained to you, and bargain hard on anything that seems unnecessary.
