If you're in the market for another car, you might consider a pre-owned model. These vehicles are significantly more affordable than purchasing brand new. If you've never bought pre-owned before, you'll want to avoid these common mistakes.
Skipping the Credit Score Assessment
Many people feel that since pre-owned vehicles have been used before, they're going to get a great deal so there's no real need to check their credit. They then sometimes find out their credit score is poor, which prevents them from getting an interest rate that they can afford long-term.
No matter what your financial situation is like, always check your credit before taking out a loan on a pre-owned car. You can then see if it's poor, good, or excellent. Once you know where you stand financially, you can make smarter decisions moving forward in this car-buying process.
Failing to Evaluate the True Value
Just because pre-owned vehicles are more affordable than newer models doesn't mean you should pay the dealer's asking price. They're trying to maximize their profits on this transaction, and you should take the same approach in terms of getting the best deal.
You can do just that by knowing exactly how much a pre-owned car is worth. There are plenty of online car resources you can use to come up with a fairly accurate price estimate. Once you have several figures, you can show them to the dealership to see if they'll come down on their offer. If they don't, you can keep searching for a dealership that does price-match.
Forgoing the Test-Drive
Pre-owned cars are labeled so because they have relatively low miles and generally are newer models. People sometimes focus too much on these details and immediately jump to closing, without even test-driving the vehicle. Don't make this mistake.
Whatever pre-owned car you're considering, always drive it off the lot for a short period of time. You can thus assess the car's performance and make sure there isn't any hidden damage that the dealership may not be telling you about. It always helps to have someone with you on these drives who is familiar with pre-owned cars. They can guide you in the right direction.
There are so many benefits to pre-owned Fords for sale compared to new units, from being more affordable to holding their value better. You can make the shopping experience for one easy and stress-free by avoiding mistakes that have tripped up so many consumers in the past.