5 dumb vehicle shopping blunders

Don't : Fall completely in love with an automobile

Don't get us wrong here, a new auto is a big purchase, so it is important that you really do love your auto. If you want to purchase a microwave cooker simply because Consumer reports suggests it, go ahead. A car, like a home, should make you satisfied and that is something only you can judge.

But you wouldn't marry someone after only reading their Facebook profile. You'd at least want to go out a couple of times, right? So don't decide you need to have that lovable new SUV you read about in a mag. Calm down, catch your breath and wait. Wait till you can drive it. Wait until you can drive some competing models and get a sense of whether it's actually all that terrific.

And you might want to wait until the price comes down. Dealers regularly tack on premiums, charging more than full sticker price for brand new models they know will be in heavy demand from day one. So rushing to be the 1st one on the block with the hottest new model can cost thousands of greenbacks.

And that "first with the hot new thing" thing fades quickly. Then there will just be you and that car. And those vehicle loan payments. Hope you still like it.

Don't : Take that long, long, long, long loan

Super long car loans could appear like a painless method to get a new auto with low monthly payments. That's certainly the way that the sales rep will pitch it to you. But here are 2 things to recollect :

First, the final analysis is you are just, flat out, laying out more cash. Whether you are paying it in 3 years or 6 years, it's just more money. ( And a significant part of that "more cash" is more interest, so it isn't even buying you anything. )

2nd, it may be painless now, however it won't be painless if you find yourself trading in that vehicle in 1 or 2 years. If you haven't paid off a giant bit of your loan by that time, you could finish up "upside down" in your current car. That suggests you owe more money than the car is worth.

The car dealer will be very pleased to help out with that problem, but that just means adding the cash you owe into the loan for that next new auto. And guess what? That implies another long loan and you're stuck again.

Don't : Negotiate trade-in and purchase at the same time

Buying a car is really a series of transactions. Yet customers have a tendency to take away what the dealer is giving them for their trade-in from what they are coughing up for their new car. Then they say : "Hey, I'm getting a $42,000 car for $35,000!"

In actual fact those buyers can't take all of the blame since that's how the salesperson presents it : as if that $7,000 is a present, and they're just doing you a favor by taking that old car off your hands.

Remember, they're taking something of real value in exchange for that money. And you have the right to get as much as you can for your old auto. Don't allow the dealer to inform you what it's worth.

You also have a right to pay as small as you can for your new auto. But there is no way you can barter both those things effectively if they're attached as you won't be able to see the numbers obviously.

Negotiate the cost of the new car first. Get that number down to something you're comfy with. Then negotiate your trade in and get that number as high as you can, or if you continue to feel a bit like it's not enough, take the auto somewhere else or sell it yourself.

Don't : Negotiate in the flesh

For some unknown reason, buyers still feel just like they have to barter the cost of a new automobile in real life at the dealership. In the old days, that was the sole way to do it. If you called a vehicle dealer on the telephone, they wouldn't even discuss pricing.

These days, most dealerships have salesmen, or perhaps whole departments, specializing in coping with customers over the telephone and by e-mail. The old days of not talking to consumers who were not physically in the store are over because a dealer knows that if he doesn't arrange a price over the phone, some other person will and he'll just lose the sale.

Negotiating over the telephone or thru e-mail keeps you in your comfortable zone - your home or office - not the dealer's showroom. While you're waiting for an answer on your offer, you are not stuck in an uncomfortable chair with nothing to take a look at but leaflets.

Many agencies now have Sites where you can even search the car inventory online and request a quote on a particular vehicle. That way it's possible you can be sure the auto you're negotiating on really has all of the features you want.

When the negotiating's done, ask them to fax you the deal in writing so there'll be no surprises when you arrive to get your vehicle.

But we're not counseling you avoid agents altogether. Before you get down to numbers, you will need to test drive the vehicles and get a walkaround from a knowledgeable salesperson. Just be clear when you go in that you will not be purchasing the automobile that day. You still have other research you would like to do.

Don't : Take a 'great deal ' on the outgoing model year

You may be tempted by a steep discount on an outgoing 2007 model year vehicle, but be careful. Remember the auto will at last be worth less at trade in time than a 2008 model year auto. Get an [link removed.].

That'll be a lot less of a problem if the 2008 model year version is unchanged from 2007. If the 2008 version is all new or significantly modified, though , watch out. Your vehicle will be seen as "old" the instant the new version hits the roads and will take a steep drop in worth.

In that situation, only a big discount will make up the loss. Or, if you like the old version better, the additional cost could be worthwhile to you. As long you are aware of what you are stepping into.

Edited: Link removed and member banned for posting advertising without permission - okarol/admin