Car shopping is simply a way of life if you don’t live in a city with great public transportation. It’s nice to think we could skip having a car and pass on the enormously high gas prices but when push comes to shove, most of us want our own car. Every ten years or so the car we have begins to pile up problems to the point where we know we can’t keep spending money on it. It’s usually a major repair, like a head gasket or transmission replacement and we toss our hands in the air before biting the bullet and shopping for new wheels. If you’ve reached that point, you have two choices when purchasing your next car.
1.) Buy Through A Dealer- A dealer is a convenient place to buy a car because you get the car and your financing done in one place. Also, you’ll be able to trade your old car in toward a new one. Even if you don’t get a lot for it, it s a better alternative than having to get rid of your old car. A dealer is likely to offer a warranty of about 30 days though they will undoubtedly offer you a longer service if thats what interests you.
2.) Buying Through Private Sale- Private sales are buying a car from another person in “as is” condition. Make sure to have your own trusted mechanic look the car over because if the car ends up breaking down early on there isn’t much you can do to go back to the seller and ask for a refund. You are most likely stuck with that car. On the other hand, you can save a lot of money buying directly from another person. You aren’t paying the mark-up costs a dealership builds in and it doesn’t take all day to buy the guy like at a dealership.