Buy from someone you can trust. Have they been around and will they be around still if you need to work something out in the future? Are they respected members in trade associations? (i.e. NADA, NIADA, CIADA) and business associations (i.e. BBB)
Make sure you consider both your present and potential needs in the next few years of a vehicle. Try to buy a car that will last you for a reasonable amount of time.
Understand the Service History & Mileage Bracket for the vehicle you are purchasing. CarFax or other Vehicle History reports are great resources. Ask your dealer to provide these for you to review. If you are buying a high mileage vehicle, see if there is any information on what recent service was done and what routine maintenance may need to be done soon to keep it running smooth. No matter what the mileage is, routine maintenance is essential to protecting your investment.
Understand the Value of the Vehicle. There are several free consumer pricing services out there. Kelley Blue Book and Edmunds to name a few. Also note there can be other factors which make a vehicle more valuable or less valuable. Items such as Mileage, Color, Hard to Find Options, Condition, One Owner, etc. Just because you found the least expensive car doesn't mean you are getting the best value. When you narrow down the vehicles you are looking at ask your sales representative to help you understand the value you are buying.
Additional Services. Several dealers have extended service contracts available which you can purchase to setup a predictable cost for you to budget in and allow you to cover major service repairs. Some dealers build warranties or certifications into their price. Understand whether additional warranties/certifications are being added into your price. Ask for an explanation of what has to be done to keep the warranty or service contract valid in the event the vehicle does have a major issue down the road during the covered period.
Review your financing value. The cost of financing vehicles can be significant expecially over longer terms. Consider if you can withstand a higher payment so you reduce your financing cost & term. Do you have money in a savings account drawing less interest than your financing rate? Maybe a larger down payment is possible for you. Make sure you are aware of the current financing rates and that you get a reasonable rate for your credit risk rating.
Don't forget to to consider what you are getting for your trade. Saving on the purchase price and losing on your trade-in value can be difficult to see. Ask your sales representative to show you a run down on paper of Purchase Price, Additional Dealer Fees & Taxes, Trade In Deduction, and Your Gross Purchase Amount.
Try not to get bogged down in the details. The main points are buying from someone you can trust and understanding the value of the vehicle. A good dealer will be happy to explain the details when they see you are spending enough time to evaluate your purchase. Understand sales representatives can often be on guard when asked rashly for the lowest price. This is because potential buyers are evaulating vehicles sometimes across multiple dealerships, and the vehicles have very different value. If you spend a little bit of time to inquire about the details and value points of the car, ask for brochures, book values, a sales representative will be much more happy to provide you with a price when they know you understand the value in their vehicles they have for sale so you can compare fairly.
