6 common car-shopping mistakes
Despite the wide-ranging knowledge that’s available these days to help car buyers be more savvy and better able to strike the best deal — whether they’re shopping new or used — most shoppers still make some basic mistakes that cost them money.
Part of the problem is that unlike most other purchases, buying a car is often an emotional rather than a rational decision — someone gets what is sometimes called “new car fever,” and it can’t be quenched until the old set of wheels is replaced by something that’s shinier and sexier.
In other instances, the car purchase becomes an unexpected imperative because the old set of wheels has conked out, has been smashed in a crash or has been stolen.
There’s no way to avoid the last-minute need for a new car, but you can avoid common mistakes many buyers make.
If you do no other research before setting out to shop — and you should do a lot more, such as checking price guides, car reviews and your credit score — avoiding these six mistakes will help keep you out of car-buying trouble:
1. Thinking only of the deal. When most shoppers think about what they want to pay, they think only of the final negotiated price, which usually doesn’t take into account such things as taxes and license fees. In many states, the taxes alone can add several thousand dollars to the cost of a vehicle. By the time these fees come into play, some shoppers feel they’re too committed and wind up paying more than they wanted.
2. Not making a large enough down payment. The biggest complaint people have after they buy a car is how little equity they have and how long it takes before they are no longer “upside down” on their loan. There once was a time, before zero-down deals, when 10 percent and 20 percent down payments were normal. To avoid the pitfalls of being buried in your car loan, put more down, either through a trade-in or cash.
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