Purchase a New Vehicle

Here is an easy guide to help you purchase a new vehicle in just four easy steps.

Step 1: Thinking about buying

There is nothing wrong with a dream. There is absolutely no reason why you should not test-drive any car you want at this stage, even if you are just dreaming. You are still a potential future buyer, and people have been known to buy a car even when they did not intend to. If you pay attention to what cars you like on the road, the decision on what to research will be easier when you are closer to buying.

Step 2: Researching

You want or need a car soon enough to start researching it. Research prices, read reviews, ask friends, etc. Determine your needs. At this point you should have some idea whether you are looking for a sports car, SUV, sedan, wagon, coupe, van or pickup. You should have begun to narrow the competition to just a few cars, or perhaps you have only one in mind. Begin to learn the trim levels and which vehicle would suit you. Visiting the dealer in this stage is very useful. It is especially useful to start making contacts with Internet managers who can keep you abreast of any new incentives that arrive.

Step 3: Preparing to Buy

Your choice of vehicle is either made or narrowed down. If you are still thinking about many cars, you are not here. Also, you should have decided to buy within a certain time frame. If you want to buy in six months, you are not here yet. This is an important point. Rates, rebates, prices, and programs change monthly. You should get specifics here in order to make your move and buy. In this step, do your final test drives and get real quotes from the Internet sales departments for the exact models you are shopping.

Step 4: Buying

Until now you had no intention of taking the car home at the end of the day. If you visited the dealer previously and didn't buy before you were ready, congratulations. Your previous visits to the dealer were to investigate and learn. While you can gather quotes, you cannot actually negotiate a deal when you are not buying. You can only negotiate when you say, "I will buy now if?"

All other statements and questions are just testing the waters. To be here you must be talking about a particular car. This is what scares most people, but it can actually be quite easy. Preparation is the key. A good salesman might know what stage the customer is in by what he or she says, but their job is still to sell or to generate a future sale.

Now it is a matter of doing the deal at a dealership that has the car and the price you want.