How Not to Get Swindled on the Car Lot

Let’s be honest: plenty of salespeople out there want to cheat you or want to unnecessarily upsell you. Spotting the salespeople trying to give you a bad deal on a vehicle, though, is sometimes difficult. The best that you can do is come to the lot prepared. If you know even a little bit, you won’t be swayed by a slick salesperson. Here are some tools and tips to help you along the car buying process.

Know What You’re Looking for Before You Shop

A good salesperson can convince you of a need you don’t have. A good way to avoid this is by knowing what you’re looking for before you step on the lot. You don’t have to have a specific car picked out but simply know what you want in a car. Don’t let the salesperson sell you on an awesome SUV when you really need a small hybrid. If you have some clear ideas about what you want, you can usually narrow your search down pretty quickly.

Ask About the Total Price, Not Just Monthly Cost

Many salespeople will just talk about the monthly price and how low that cost is. Ultimately, that cost isn’t as important as the overall price of the car. You don’t want to make a car payment forever no matter how low the monthly payment is. Make sure to have all of the numbers explained to you. If something doesn’t add up or you don’t understand, ask questions. A lot of them, if necessary. After all, this is a vehicle you could drive for a decade. If, instead, you feel uncomfortable, walk away. You can always come back another day and see another sales representative, but you can’t un-purchase a vehicle.

Do Some Research

This is especially important if you have a specific car picked out. Get online and read some reviews. Look for prices at other lots. If you want to find the best possible deal, you have to do some homework. Edmunds’ True Cost to Own and TrueDelta Car Price Comparisons are great tools to use to start your research.

Get to Hubler

You can perform some of your research on Hubler’s website with their search tool. Once you know what you want, Hubler’s sales representatives will help you with your car-buying experience, getting you in the car that you need, not the car that will earn them the biggest commission.

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