Tips for Buying a New Car

I recently bought a brand new car from a local dealership in November of 2021, I will go over everything from test drive to finance office.

Inspecting the “New” Car

Believe it or not, even new cars on dealer lots can be subject to wear and tear and other damage. If you find any wear or damage, you can ask the dealer to fix it or use it as leverage to negotiate the purchase lower. I made the mistake of not thoroughly checking over my new car for wear. Check things such as:

• Seats for wear/tears/dirt (My car had the front passenger leather seats that were slightly damaged). It can be hard to see damage on black leather, use your phone’s flashlight to get a good angle.
  • Don’t forget the back of the seats, mine were dirty looks like from a kid’s shoes
• Trunk for wear or dirt
• Exterior paint all around the car for damage (don’t forget roof)

Dealing with Sales Person

Research which model and trim you want and STICK with that. Even if you call ahead and ask if that specific trim is available, when you get to the dealership, the sales guy will say it’s not available and try to upsell you a more expensive trim. This is a classic dealer tactic, insist on test driving your specific trim, if he refuses go to a different dealer. You can test drive the higher trim, but make sure to not fall for their trick and end up buying the higher trim.

Test Drive

On your test drive pay attention to:

• Noise level with all windows shut and music off driving at highway speeds (make sure to test drive on the highway)
• How suspensions handle bumps
• How the car feels especially around curves and when turning

Finance Office

The finance office manager will try to sell you dealer addons and extended warranty, this is where they make most of their money, very little is made on the sale of the car. He will present you with a menu of extended warranty options stated in terms per month costs (not total cost). He will try to convince you it only costs a little more a month, just say NO to his offers. All car loans are simple interest, meaning total cost x rate equal how much interest you pay over the life of the loan, no compounding or anything like a mortgage.