Used Cars

Buying a used car is one of the smartest purchases a person can make. Most people know that a new car loses thousands of dollars in depreciation the moment it is driven off a dealership lot. But what people may not know is that cars continue to lose 15% of their value each subsequent year---regardless of mileage. Still purchasing a used car in San Diego does come with a certain amount of risk. It?s your job as a consumer to minimize that risk and make the wisest pre- owned car decision you can make. Here are a few tips to help you find that perfect San Diego used car, and not some pre- owned lemon.

• Get your Used Car financing?first!

  One of the biggest mistakes you can make is walk into a dealership looking for a used car without knowing exactly how much you are prepared to spend. Many dealerships will pre-qualify you for as much as your credit allows, without any regard to your monthly salary and economic situation, and often at a much higher interest rate than you could find elsewhere.

  There are a number of great lending sites on the internet that specialize in car loan financing. But some of the best ones are Lending Tree, E-Loan, and Capital One Auto Finance. Many can give you a quote within minutes and oftentimes you can take their loan offer directly to the dealership to see if they can match it. This gives you great leverage when it comes to shopping for a car loan.

• Decide on a model

  So you?ve got your financing?now what are you going to spend your money on? For many buying a used car in San Diego entails little more than walking through a dealership and finding what?s pretty. But much of your pre-owned car purchase homework needs to be done way before you step foot on that dealership. Luckily there are a ton of internet resources to help.

  Autos.com, Edmunds.com and the Consumer Reports website are great no-nonsense places where you can get user reviews and practical information to help you with your decision. Not sure which cars are notorious clunkers? Check out the Consumer Reports ?Used Cars to Avoid? list. Want to find out if your dream car comes in a midnight blue convertible? Check out Edmunds.com, the industry leader in the latest automotive information to help with your purchase. It?s also helpful to make a list of priorities for your used automobile. That way the car fits your values, instead of the other way around.

• Find out how much a car is worth.

  Having some idea of the kind of car you want to buy, (most experts recommend having at least 2 options when shopping for a car), now it is time to find out how much the used car is actually worth. For this there is no better site than Kelley blue book. Originally designed by a small used car dealership, where automobile values were kept in a ?blue book?, here you can find out the trade-in value, private value, and retail value of virtually any kind of car.

  Trade-in value is simply the price the dealership pays for the used car. While private value is what you can expect to pay for it from a private party transaction and retail value is obviously what a dealership sells the used car for. Your job as a good consumer is to pay as close to trade-in value as you can. So how exactly do you do that?

  By finding competing offers from internet auto dealers such as AutoBytel, CarsDirect, AutoWeb, and Car.com and using that information to walk into dealerships to see if they can beat that price. If they say no then you?ve got your answer and you keep moving. Not only will you save time but you will also save a ton of money as a dealership will more likely give you a great used car deal when you come armed with information

• Protect Yourself

  Everybody knows somebody who got gypped on a used car. But it doesn?t have to be that way for you thanks to some great internet resources that can protect you.

  One of the best new services is the one provided by carfax.com. By paying a measly $20 you can get a vehicle history report that can collect any hidden problems with your used car and save yourself a lot of aggravation.

  Another way to protect yourself when you finally do decide to purchase that used car in San Diego is by getting an extended warranty. There are a ton of sites to choose from, but two of the best are Warranty Direct and 1 Source Auto Warranty. This is especially true of a car that is at least 3 or 4 years old, as this is the time when parts begin to break and original warranties run out.

  So buying a used car doesn?t have to be a laborious task that ages you by 10 years. By compiling as much information as you can, and having the willingness to visit numerous dealerships, you are virtually guaranteed of finding the used car you want---and at a great price as well.