More people are starting to consider the merits on buying used cars. New cars depreciate so quickly that a used car can make more financial sense. You should seriously consider a used rather than a new car because you can save more money. Most cars lose two thirds or more of there value in the first five years. Depending on how a car was maintained it could have many good years left after four or five years. Here are some simple pointers and tips for buying a good used car and avoiding scams.

#1 Do some looking around before making any hasty decisions. Visit several car dealers and test drive various cars. Your objective is to see many different cars for comparison. This first step is strictly to gather information on possible choices and prices. Then go home and get on your computer and search for information on your choices of used cars. Compare colors, prices, options, overall condition, safety ratings and consumer ratings. Now that you have spent the time getting all this information you can start to narrow down your choices.

#2 Determine how much you can afford or want to spend on your car. Financing your used car or paying for it all on delivery you need to decide that before you get to the car dealer. If you are planning to finance your used car purchase you should talk to your bank or credit union first. Car dealers and salesman have a way of talking you into spending more than you planned.

#3 Before you make a decision at the car dealer inspect the car. Use a car buying checklist for the things that you need to check when buying a used car like the car dealer fees. You will want to check the engine, the body, vehicle history and the transmission. Make sure you go for a thorough and extended test drive because you should never buy a car without driving it first. Drive the car at various speeds and make sure you are comfortable driving the car.

#4 Plan your car buying steps and follow your plan. In the earlier steps you decided what was right for you both financially and car wise. Stick to your predetermined price and do not allow yourself to be swayed by the car salesman. Remember the car salesman’s job is to sell you a car by whatever means possible. Follow your plan and stay within the guidelines that you have set before you go to the car dealer.

#5 Do not purchase the used car unless you are clear on all the details. It is important that you make a decision based on logic because this not something you do regularly. The experience of buying a car can be overwhelming and can cause some people to make a decision with their emotions. If you are not completely sure about the car or the deal go home and think it over. Think clearly before you make the decision to purchase the car. There is no return policy for cars, once you buy the car and drive it home you are the owner.

Buying a good used car can save a lot of money, but buy a bad used car and it can haunt you for a long time. Everyone that buys a used car has the same objective, getting a good deal. We all want to be sure we got the best price on a car. Even though it is a used car it is important that you spend your hard earned money responsibly. Ultimately you are the car buyer so you are in control.

Tags: save money on cars, used car buying, used car savings, used cars cheaper

This entry was posted on Sunday, August 29th, 2010 at 8:09 pm and is filed under Personal Finance. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.