About two months ago I went out in search for a new car for myself, and after a tedious process of investigating all the cars I looked at I decided to get myself the Hyundai i20. I have been putting writing the review on hold as I believe I want to drive the car at least 2 month before writing a review about it.
With the car industry in a total tail spin with the recession, now is the perfect time to buy if you can afford it. I’m going to show you a few tips I followed to steal.. er, seal the deal.
STEP 1 : The Internet is your friend
Normally when you go about buying a new car you already has something in mind. It is a proven fact that when you research your dream vehicle online you can spend an hour and twenty minutes less at the dealership, and by being fimilliar with all the features of the car the dealer can’t whoo you into buying based on naming and showing features.
STEP 2 : Be aware of discounts
We’ve all seen the ads on television offering massive discounts on fuel guzling SUV’s and the buy now and save a huge R30 000. Although it sounds very tempting ask yourself the question, do you realy like the car or is it the discount that attracts you? If you buy a car you probably are going to drive it for atleast 4 years, you must like your car. Steep discounts now creates terrible resale value later.
STEP 3 : Start the negotiations
When you have made your mind up on what you want its time to start negotiating a price, never but never accept the retail price. Your best weapon here is email. Mail multiple dealers requesting quotes, then play them against each other. Its best not to set foot into a showroom untill you have found the best deal from a dealer. In the current economic situation you can buy any vehicle at way below invoice price. Remember that the dealers first offer even if it is a R30 000 discount is alway a bad deal.
STEP 4 : Time to go in for the kill
Dealers are desperate to make their sales quotas at the end of each month so remeber to pounce then, also try to shop early as sale managers sometimes offer a bonus to the first person selling a car on a saturday resulting in a better price just to get the car sold.
STEP 5 : Arrive armed
Before visiting the car dealership be sure to learn you credit score and check with your bank for financing options they offer. If you know a family member or friend in the bank ask them to try and organise finance options for you as this can result in paying even more less as the sales person doesn’t get a cut then. Just remember that sometimes because of the car manufacturer subsidies the car dealership can perhaps offer you a better deal than the banks.
STEP 6 : Now take it for a spin
Normally this is what potetions buyers want to do first but in fact this should be your last step in deciding wheter you want the car or not. The testdrive should only break a deal you settled on, not serve as the basis of your purchase. Dealers want you to testdrive the car as soon as possible and if you have an emotional connection you are more likely to buy.
This is the basics to follow when buying a car, I sure did follow these and walked out with a huge price cut of my new Hyundai i20.
Some other info that may be interesting to you. Refrain from sitting too long in a car on the dealership floor as the longer you sit in it the more you thing you already own it. Avoid fancy language like “pure beige interior” and “dual illuminated front visor vanity mirrors”, these bloated descriptions are meant to boost the perceived value of the car. Sell your old car online if the dealers offer is not within R4 500 of the private party price you want.
The next time you are in the market to go and buy your new car be sure to follow these few tips as they can save you allot.
