Purchase Of A New Car
Whether it’s your first time buying a car or not, asking the right questions is key to getting the best deal before letting go of your hard-earned money. No one wants to buy a car and get a truckload of worries along with the purchase. In reading and using the information provided in this article, you will be saving yourself a lot of cash, time, and headache. This brief read will address all the critical questions to ask your car dealer before purchasing a new, certified pre-owned, or non-certified used car.
Let’s get started.
General Questions To Ask Whether You Are Buying A Brand New, Certified Pre-owned, Or Non-certified Used Car.
- Is the car available on your lot now?
This is a very important question especially if you saw the car online. Asking to see the car, it’s a specific model, and checking to see its trim level or package is very important.
- What is the car’s mileage?
Knowing the car mileage gives you a heads-up on what to expect the car to deliver. It is not enough to know the car has a good mpg(mile-per-gallon) value. Also, make sure it has very low mileage.
- What those the car warranty cover, and how long is the warranty?
Some parts of the car you think are covered by warranty may not be, you will only know for sure when you carefully look at the warranty provided for the car. For used cars, the warranty will cover much less but confirm it covers the major parts.
- How much does the car cost?
Yes, this is very vital. Going by the price tag displayed online may be misleading. It is better to hear from the horse mouth the real cost of the car you are committing to buy. Plus you want to be sure the cost falls within your budget bracket.
- Are trade-ins allowed?
Some motor dealers are open to trade-in your current car, but you may never know unless you ask. This will ease the burden of completely paying for the new one.
Specific Questions To Ask If You Plan On Buying A Certified Pre-owned (Cpo) Or A Non-certified Used Car
Buying a used car should always be done with a sense of caution. You will indeed be getting it for a lesser amount compared to getting a brand new model, but you don’t want to pay so much doing repairs after purchase. The questions below should be asked, whether you are going for a CPO or a non-certified used car.
- Can you check the CarFax report for the car in question?
It will be very risky to pay for a car with unforeseen vital issues. That’s where this report comes in to help. This report contains stolen status, accident records, damage records e.g flood, recalls and service records, number of previous owners, etc. Having this information can prepare you for what you may be in for if you purchase this car.
- Can you check any available service or maintenance records?
Many problems can develop in a car if it hasn’t been serviced for a long time. These records will help you know when last the car was serviced. You can even request that the records be included in your take-home paperwork.
- Were all past recalls properly addressed?
If you noticed some recalls in the Carfax report, it is vital to ask if they have all been duly taken care of to avoid reoccurrence.
- Can you take it out for a test drive?
This is the part you get to know if the car suits your kind of person. It will also help you find out if the car runs smoothly and is easy to drive. Surely you don’t want to miss out on this.
Specific Questions To Ask If You Plan On Buying A Brand New Car
In addition to the general questions asked, you should also seek to know:
- Has the car passed every mandated emissions test required by your state?
It is safer to be sure that you are paying for a car that has passed the emissions test for your state. Most manufacturers do this test for their vehicles at their workshops. Get to know if yours have been done too.
- Can you see the maintenance schedule and history for the car?
You must seek to know the right time to do the regular service and maintenance procedure for the car. This will help prolong the lifespan of the car and save you money and stress from sudden breakdowns.
Conclusion
Be sure the answers given satisfies your need and that you recorded them. If you think you will be too nervous to ask all these questions, take someone along with you but be sure that your final decision is worth your cash. Remember that the questions you choose not to ask may cost you dearly in the nearest future. So, why not brace up, chest out, and ask away?
Does the Carfax report give 100% information about all there is to know about a used car?
No, it doesn’t. There is a few more information that a Carfax report will not give, but you can get from reports like VINAudit or AutoCheck.
- Can you ask for a discount from the car dealer?
Yes, you can.
