A lot of people do not know so much about the city of Rochester, NY. Seemingly overshadowed by the more populous cities of New York and Buffalo, Rochester appears to be a distant third in the scheme of things.
What many do not know is that this city was one of America’s first boom towns. Rochester also is the birth place of a number of now world renowned business concerns. Some of these include Western Union, Xerox, and Kodak. If you want to learn more about this city’s interesting history, check here.
Our focus today is not the history or current state of this city but how its over 200,000 residents can get great deals on used cars in their city. This article will give you simple tips that will make the usually arduous task of shopping for used cars easier, more efficient and less expensive.
Why Buy a Used Car?
First, let’s actually look at why getting a used car may be preferable to buying a new one. Before we proceed to look at this issue, we need to understand two important facts. The first is that a car is not an investment. It can only qualify as an investment if the car is used for some money generating scheme. Maybe you are using the car for Lyft or Uber services.
The next thing you need to understand is that a used car simply means a car that has been previously owned by another person. If you were to purchase a new car from a dealership today and then decided to sell it the very next day without any scratch or damage, it will be regarded as a used car.
This second explanation was necessary for those who somehow picture used cars as ancient, beat up cars. With these two clarifications done, let’s now look at a few reasons why a used car may be a better option for you.
Cost
Everyone knows that used cars are cheaper than new ones. Like we noted earlier, ones a new car is driven out of the lot, it loses that status and a few thousands of dollars in value. You can therefore get a very good, slightly used car for far less than what a new one will cost. More so, you will still get to enjoy the “newness” of the car without paying the price of the new car and all the associated taxes and costs.
Insurance
Here’s another thing. With the drop in the value of the now used car, your insurance payments will also drop. This is so because your payments are tied to the value of the car.
Resell Value
If you try to resell a new car, you will immediately be losing a few thousands. If however you decide to sell a car you bought as a used one, barring any major damages, you will be able to get a very good price for it. After that initial sharp drop in the value of the car (from new to used), subsequent drops in value are a lot slower if the car remains in very good condition.
You can check out more reasons here: https://www.moneycrashers.com/benefits-of-buying-a-slightly-used-car/.
Tips for Getting a Great Deal on Used Cars
Here are a few tips that can help you get great deals at the dealership.
Do Your Research
This is the first thing you need to do. You need to research the average cost of the car you want to go for. Thankfully, car dealers now have a lot of information on their website. For those of you in Rochester, you can check the inventory and prices of car dealers like Vision Hyundai Henrietta online.
You should then also look at what other dealers are offering for the same model of car you are considering. By comparing prices, you get a good idea of how low you can push the prices when you eventually go to the dealership.
Get Pre-approved Financing
Unless you are purchasing your car cash, you will likely need some form of financing. Most dealers offer financing options in partnership with third-party companies. While you may be able to get great deals with these in-house financing options, it will be pretty difficult if you did not come with a pre-approved auto loan.
The fact that you have an option and do not absolutely need to use theirs can help you get a better deal.
Time Your Visit Right
This is something that many people may not have considered. It’s a simple psychological strategy. Most car salespersons receive commissions on sales and also bonuses for hitting either a monthly or quarterly target.
Scheduling you visit towards the end of the month or end of a quarter makes it easy for you to meet a salesperson who is trying to close as many deals as possible so as to qualify for the looming bonus. If the person is a few sales short of hitting the target, they will likely be in a better position to offer you more discounts just to make a sale. For more tips, read this article.
Conclusion
Buying a used car can be interesting and rewarding if you know how to go about it. Hopefully, you have now learnt a few things that will serve you well the next time you head out to negotiate for a used car.