How to Find the Best Car Dealer
If you are wondering how to find the right car dealer, it really comes down to what kind of car you are looking for. Do you want a new car? If so, are you going to buy or lease? Are you interested in a certain brand of car? You have to answer all of these questions before choosing a dealer to work with. If you live in a smaller city or metro area, you likely will have only one choice of dealer for each brand of car. However, if you live in a bigger city, you likely will have choices, with multiple Honda dealers, Chrysler dealers and others. Here are some ways you can narrow down the choices.
If you are the kind of person who just buys a car on a lark, you are getting close to become a minority. Nearly half the public spends at least a month researching cars to buy or lease, and at least some of that time presumably is spent on figuring out how to find the right car dealer. A good place to start is with either online or print advertising. Car dealers tend to spend a lot of money on display advertising that either highlights their inventory or the deals they currently are offering. If you don’t have a certain car in mind but are looking for the best advertised deals, this is a good place to start. Such ads also are a good way to compare buying vs. leasing, which is becoming more popular. Leases reached an all-time high of nearly four million cars in 2015. The big advantage to leasing is you get a brand new car with little money down and a monthly payment that is much lower than what you would pay if you are buying.
About that monthly payment, it can be hard to know what you can afford. A general rule is that you shouldn’t spend more than 20% of your take-home pay on a car payment. If buying or leasing a new car isn’t within your budget, then you probably will want to look at used cars. Used cars can be a good deal, but you have to be very careful. When considering how to find the right car dealer for a used car, it’s good to get input from family and friends. Most used car dealers are reputable, but there are some out there who don’t have great reputations. Do your homework to stay away from those dealers.
Buying or leasing a car is a big financial commitment, so you want to make sure you are making the right choice.
