Buying A New Car - Getting It Right
By David Neehly
A new car is a major expense in anyone’s language. You only have to consider that what we now spend on an average priced new car is roughly what our parents spent to buy a new house a generation ago. A five or ten percent difference in the price on a purchase of this size can prove very costly.!

So, it's clear that a new car purchase needs to be properly thought through. It's imperative to do your research to ensure you get a great deal. Here are a few tips to help you get that great deal!

Tip #1 ... Take your time.
Car dealers thrive on making you think "todays special" will be gone tomorrow. Not true. Make it obvious that you have "all the time in the world" to buy a car. That gives you the upper hand in negotiations right from the start.

Tip #2 ... Do your own research.
You have to know a cars real value "before" you go shopping. The internet is a wonderful resource for finding out true car values. You can find out the average retail and wholesale costs of a specific make and model. These two pieces of information are vital to assess a good deal from a dud.

Tip #3 ... Leave some profit for the dealer.
They need to make some money on the deal, and you want to pay a fair price. This is where knowing your values are vital. You can often negotiate a price that's maybe only $500 above dealer cost. Any dealer would sooner sell 3 cars a day and make $500 on each than sell one per day and make $1000 on each. You have to know how far you can squeeze them.!

Tip #4 ... Only pay for the options you want.
You may have to wait a few weeks for delivery to get exactly what you want, at the price you want. This is much better than "getting $5000 worth of extras for only $2000" if those accessories that are of no use to you.

Tip #5 ... Go car shopping near the end of the month.
Most dealerships, and their salespeople, have sales budgets to meet. They'll be much more likely to sweeten the deals near the end of the month to make the months figures look a little better.

Tip #6 ... Negotiate your trade in value seperately.
Dealers will always try to cloud the figures by offering you a "cash difference" figure. This just confuses the value being given to each vehicle. Keep it simple, and settle on the new car purchase price first, then negotiate the trade-in value. That way there are no tricks, and each car has a direct value you can assess for yourself.

Tip #7 ... Stick to you assessment of car values.
Salespeople undergo a lot of training to enable them to convince you that they are experts and you aren't. Research doesn't lie, but salepeople often do. Back yourself, and walk away from any salesperson that thinks they are smarter than you, or tries to "pull the wool over your eyes".

Tip #8 ... Make sure the car has a great warranty.
New cars these days are backed by some outstanding factory warranties.

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