Useful Tips On Buying A New Or Used Car

Buying A New Car: A new car is second only to a home as the most expensive purchase many consumers make. That's why it's important to know how to make a smart deal. Think about what car model and options you want and how much you're willing to spend. Do some research. You'll be less likely to feel pressured into making a hasty or expensive decision at the showroom and more likely to get a better deal.

Consider these suggestions:

Check publications at a library or bookshop, or on the Internet that discuss new car features and prices. These may provide information on the dealer's costs for specific models and options.

Shop around to get the best possible price by comparing models and prices in ads and at dealer showrooms. You also may want to contact car-buying services and broker-buying services to make comparisons.

Plan to negotiate on price. Dealers may be willing to bargain on their profit margin. Usually, this is the difference between the manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) and the invoice price. Because the price is a factor in the dealer's calculations regardless of whether you pay cash or finance your car - and also affects your monthly payments - negotiating the price can save you money.

Consider ordering your new car if you don't see what you want on the dealer's lot. This may involve a delay, but cars on the lot may have options you don't want - and that can raise the price. However, dealers often want to sell their current inventory quickly, so you may be able to negotiate a good deal if an in-stock car meets your needs.

Trading in Your Old Car: Discuss the possibility of a trade-in only after you've negotiated the best possible price for your new car and after you've researched the value of your old car. Check the library for reference books or magazines that can tell you how much it is worth. This information may help you get a better price from the dealer. Though it may take longer to sell your car yourself, you generally will get more money than if you trade it in.

Buying A Used Car: Before you start shopping for a used car, do some homework. It may save you serious money. Consider driving habits, what the car will be used for, and your budget. Research models, options, costs, repair records, safety tests, and mileage through libraries, book stores, and web sites.

Before you buy a used car whether from a dealer or an individual: Examine the car using an inspection checklist. You can find checklists in magazines and books and on Internet sites that deal with used cars; Test drive the car under varied road conditions-on hills, highways, and in stop-and-go-traffic; Ask for the car's maintenance record from the owner, dealer, or repair shop; Hire a mechanic to inspect the car. Paying for the car: Most people do not realise that they have capital locked up in their property which could be used for buying that special car of their dreams.

Release the capital tied up in your home with a home owner loan. The loan can be used for any purpose, and is available to anyone who owns their home. Home loans can be used for any purpose such as, new car, home improvements, pay of store card or credit card debt and debt consolidation.

Home owner loans are available for practically any reason. One of the most common types of home owner loans on offer are debt consolidation loans where the objective is to reduce monthly outgoings to a more manageable amount. A UK Home Owner Loan is great if you want to raise a large amount; are having problems getting an unsecured loan; or have a poor credit history. Many lenders look more favourably on people who are home owners as this demonstrates a commitment to repay a large amount of money over a long period.

A UK Home Owner Loan is a cheap, low cost, loan secured on your UK home. It frees up the equity in your home for you to use on whatever you want.

You may freely reprint this article provided the author's biography remains intact:

John Mussi is the founder of Direct Online Loans who help UK homeowners find the best available loans via the http://www.directonlineloans.co.uk website.

Latest News


The Star-Ledger - NJ.com

General Growth gets 2-week reprieve on loans
Chicago Tribune, United States - 1 hour ago
The real estate investment trust said it and the syndicate of lenders "are continuing their discussions" on a longer-term extension to the loan, ...
GGP Gains Two-Week Extension on $900M Loans GlobeSt. com
General Growth gets 2-week extension on $900 million in loans Chicago Daily Herald
General Growth Properties gets loan extension Bizjournals.com
The Associated Press - Reuters
all 121 news articles

Wall Street Journal Blogs

Restoring the flow of credit to entrepreneurs
Los Angeles Times, CA - 10 hours ago
A Treasury Department program aims to make it easier for lenders to find buyers for the loans they make. By Cyndia Zwahlen The credit crunch looks like an ...
Forbes: Let the Small Business Administration work Austin American-Statesman
SBA Applauds Treasury Action to Bolster Secondary Market for Small ... MarketWatch
Feds hope to unfreeze SBA, consumer lending Bizjournals.com
Wisconsin State Journal - FOXBusiness
all 123 news articles

Straits Times

Government plans new credit, mortgage programs
O Jornal, MA - 31 minutes ago
The Fed program for consumer debt will lend up to $200 billion to the holders of securities backed by various types of consumer loans such as credit cards, ...
Lenders Become Proactive New York Times
Mortgage relief gets stuck Cape Cod Times
Partisan blame for financial crisis not so easily affixed Las Vegas Sun
TheStreet.com - Washington Post
all 2,138 news articles

New York Times

Turning Around the Idea of Student Loans
New York Times, United States - 11 hours ago
“This is a five-year loan, and that helps ensure a certain amount of longevity for this project.” Justin said he first became interested in poverty issues ...

Ottawa Citizen

The Fed boosted emergency loans to banks and firms
The Associated Press - Nov 28, 2008
The report also said investment firms borrowed an average of $52.4 billion from the Fed's emergency loan program over the week ending Wednesday, ...
Fed Commercial Paper Holdings Rise to $295.1 Billion (Update2) Bloomberg
Bailout Report Card--A Failing Grade and a Frightening Outlook for ... The Cutting Edge
"Oops, We Meant $7 TRILLION!" What Hank and Ben Are Up to and How ... OpEdNews
Examiner.com - CNNMoney.com
all 454 news articles

Student debt levels portend rising loan default rates
Indianapolis Star, United States - 8 hours ago
They were aiming to win big so they could pay off their student loans. "If you don't try, you can't win," said Brown, a 26-year-old marketing consultant. ...

Hedge Fund Manager Hendry Bets on Deflation With UK War Loans
Bloomberg - 2 hours ago
The “Jolly Long Bond,” as Hendry calls the war loan, will be the most reactive to deflation because not having a maturity means it has long duration, ...

Loss of college loans lender may have little effect
Spartanburg Herald Journal (subscription), SC - 3 hours ago
The financial aid director for Spartanburg Community College stressed that these types of supplemental loans are separate from the Stafford Federal Student ...

Detroit's Big 3 Will Try Again To Get Federal Loans
NPR - 4 hours ago
They're going to try, again, to convince Congress to give them federal loans. They say they need the money to avoid an industry collapse. ...

Boston Globe

Problem-solver
Boston Globe, United States - 8 hours ago
Bair's plan to systematically modify 2.2 million loans for defaulting borrowers has drawn widespread support - except from the Bush White House. ...
Avoiding your own mortgage collapse The News Journal
Efforts are under way to head off foreclosure Philadelphia Inquirer
all 4 news articles

Resources