Some Car Dealer Scams Still Remain

Are you thinking of buying a car but hesitant to approach your local car dealer because you are not sure about the processes of buying a car as well as wary of possible dealership scams?

Do you feel that your knowledge about cars and getting great deals is not good enough and you want to learn more about this matter? Then this chapter will enhance your understanding about dealership scams.

The car dealer and his trade

To have a proper understanding of car dealership scams, you must first have an idea of the car dealers themselves and how they go about their trade selling cars.

First of all, the car dealer will try and avoid giving you a price quote. This is because the tendency of the buyer would be to go to another dealer and the other one will probably offer a lower price thus, the first dealer loses the buyer to the second dealer.

To increase their chances of getting you to buy their car, they will try to make you commit to them before they give you the final selling price.

On your part, you can do two things: maneuver the dealer into telling you the price quotation or negotiate the terms of the deal with them. If you decided to negotiate with the dealer then be always on the lookout for the following tricks:

Low Balling

This is one of the tricks most commonly done by dealers. They will try to convince the buyer that they can provide the lowest possible price for the car thereby prompting the buyer to start negotiations with the dealer. The salesman will probably tell you that you can get the car that you want for a lesser amount but when you are about to enter negotiations, it turns out that you were not promised a lower price after all. It is just an empty promise.

Best Price Matching

When you tell the dealer that you will try to look around and check other car dealerships, the salesman will ask you to return when you get the best possible price and he will offer to match it. By this time, you will probably be too tired and sick of looking around. Chances are that you will take their offer.

Trade In Scam

When you have already bought the car, the car salesman will try to contact you before your new car is delivered and tell you that the initial pricing of the car was $500 lower and would like to collect the balance from you. If you fall for this, he will get an extra $500 at your expense.

Spraying

What the dealer will do is to pursue you relentlessly until you give up and buy the car. On the other hand, if you decided to buy from another dealer, he will call you and tell you that he could have given you a lower price thus making you upset. To avoid this, you should not hand out your contact number. Some people even give wrong contact numbers just to evade very irritating car dealers.

Puppy Dog Trick

The dealer will allow you to take the car for an overnight or for a whole day, his aim is for you to fall for the car and buy it. This falls in line with the “Yoyo scam in the next chapter.

Immediate Sale

The dealer will give you a very attractive price but he will also make you believe that this deal can only be made until the end of the day. This will cause you to think too much and in the end, make the mistake of buying the car without checking what other car dealers have to offer.

Extra Accessories

The dealer will offer to give you extras like: car mats, window tinting, and other accessories. This aims to stop you from asking for a lower price because of the perceived “extras” that you will be receiving from the dealer. It will slow down the price negotiations and divert your attention away from the price.

All of us want the best deal available and we abhor the notion that someone will take advantage of us through modis operandi like car dealership scams.

So before going to the local car dealer, you better have a good idea of what he will be talking about.

As they say, only a fool will go to battle unprepared and with no weapons. Your weapon will be knowledge, always remember that.

Pointers When Buying a Used Car

Buying a car from an individual or from a local car dealer is one tedious task if the objective is to purchase a second car that is still in good running condition.

A buyer would never trade his hard-earned money with just a complete wasted used car.  Whether new or used, when buying a car, it should be treated with the same importance and value.

There are things to take into consideration before buying the car and these are:

1. Educate yourself as a consumer
2. Prepare a list of your needs.  Prioritize between the necessities and the wants.
3. Determine the budget and the kind of car that would best fit.
4. Make a selection by models and types.  Narrowing them will be helpful.
5. Research both online and offline by dealers.
6. Know the value of the second hand car in the market.
7. Research the Vehicle Identification Numbers and history.
8. Take a mechanic when checking the car whether buying from a friend or a dealer.
9. Never shy away from asking questions.
10. If there’s a gut feeling about it not being good, don’t be afraid to walk away.

Bringing a mechanic along is always a good strategy.  Make sure your mechanic inspects the total car, from the history down to its last screw.  It should be parked on a level spot.  You should make certain that it was driven for about an hour before the inspection.  Always make it on a well lit surrounding and in broad daylight.

How to inspect it thoroughly:

Checking the exterior.

Walk around to see if there is damage to the body.  The corners of the car should be shaken and bounced up and down to see if the shock absorbers are still in good condition.

Make sure that the wheel bearings do not make any sound when trying to pull the front tires by tugging them.  Open the doors lift the hood and the trunk to see if all the rubber seals are still in place.  This will also tell if there’s anything loose around the hinges.  Check for signs of repaint.  There will be difference in the color because shops can never duplicate the original paint of the car.

Ask someone to turn on all the lights outside of the car and look if all are working.  Cars with only 30,000 miles of travel must still have its original tires.  Beware if you find a car with only a few miles of travel but has new tires.  When the test drive is done, check the discs of the brakes, this should still be clean and smooth.  Check the windshield for cracks.

Checking the Interior.

Though it sounds odd, smell the inside of the car.  Sniff under mats and the carpet.  If it smells like mildew then it’s a sign that there is a leak somewhere or that the car may have undergone flood damage.  Switch on the air-conditioning to make sure that it really turns the whole inside of the car cold.  Next, try the heater.

Try out all lights inside as well and never forget to blow the horn.  Also try all the seat adjustments.  The upholstery should still be in good shape too.  There is a lot more to check and here is where the mechanic can help the buyer.

Looking inside the trunk.  Once more, smell the insides and check for any signs of leaks.  Make sure that some basic car tools are still present for the new user.

Checking under the hood.  Feel the wiring for any cracks or brittleness.  Squeeze the hoses and the fan belt for any cuts and possible electrical tape patches.

Do not take off the cap of the radiator until its cool enough.  The greenish color indicates a good condition where the coolant is.  Beware of stains and dirty-whitish color on the radiator.  Again, let the rest be checked by the mechanic like the batteries.

Checking under the car.  Lie down if you must and use an emergency light to see the engine underneath.  Feel any signs of residue.  Check the pipes and examine any possibility of heavy rusting.

Do the Test Drive.  The owner or dealer should not stop a buyer from going over about twenty minutes of test drive.   This is a special time to thoroughly look for any problems with the air-conditioning, heater, steering wheel, brakes, transmission, and most importantly, the comfort.

Feel everything; it’s okay to try it on a hump or a slight bumpy road to really experience the performance.  Listen carefully to check any rattles.  Have a pen and paper, flashlight, gloves, magnet, towel, blanket and even CD or tape when checking a car out.