Car Questions Answered All the stuff you never knew you were suppose to ask! Questions to Ask Before You Buy a Hybrid Car If you plan to buy a hybrid there are several questions you should ask before you fork over your cash. A hybrid car can be quite expensive because these are relatively new to the marketplace. Is this Car a Full Hybrid? Some cars aren’t full hybrid but a combination of a regular car and a hybrid car. A full hybrid car will save you money on gasoline at the pump. A car that’s only a partial hybrid isn’t going to provide you with as much of a savings. Decide the type of hybrid car you want to get based upon the cost and the features of the car. How Far Will I Get On One Charge? You’ll want a car that will get good mileage before you need to recharge the battery. You want to drive on electricity for as long as possible before you use the gasoline engine of a hybrid car. A good hybrid car is ideal for day to day use and it will keep you away from the gas pump for a long time. Can I Tow Anything With this Car? A hybrid car might not have enough power to do any type of towing. Ask the dealer if the car can be used for transporting anything heavy. Some hybrids aren’t just suited for this task and you’ll need to use a regular vehicle. If you tow things on a regular basis make sure your hybrid is capable of this as you don’t want to tax your vehicle too much. What Type of Use Will I Get Out Of The Battery? Make sure you understand what type of battery you’re getting when you buy a hybrid car. You want one that’s going to have a long life and one that will give you a good charge without having to recharge it again. Find out about the warranty for the battery and how much it’s going to cost to replace it when it finally dies on you. Can I Get a Better Price? Can dealers are anxious to sell more hybrid cars because they tend to sit on the lot more than gas-powered cars. Ask the dealer if they would be willing to go down a bit in price on the hybrid vehicle. Wait till the pump price is quite low as the dealer won’t be selling as many vehicles. People will tend to buy hybrids when has is high. Wait till gas is low and try to negotiate a good price for the hybrid sitting on the lot. What Do I Get With a Basic Model? By purchasing a bare-bones hybrid car you can save money. See if the basic model is worth it for you to buy or not. Ask questions about the car and see what the dealer is offering. Often you don’t need all the bells and whistles of a full hybrid car. What is the Cargo Space? A hybrid tends to have less trunk and overall cargo space because of the battery pack. If cargo space is important to you then you’ll want to know about the size in the individual hybrid cars before you buy one. What is the best Model? The dealership should be able to help you find the right hybrid car for your individual needs. Make sure you understand exactly what you’re getting and how you benefit from the features. Make a Wise Buying Decision Before you buy your hybrid car find out all about this type of car and ask some of these questions. The more you know the easier it will be to make the right buying decision. Before You Buy Your Next Used Car from a Dealership-Ask These Questions If you decide to buy a used car from a dealership you have to ask some tough questions. Here are some questions to ask the dealership before you buy that next used car. Ask Why One question to ask is to simply ask why should buy from you? The dealer should be able to come up with a bunch of solid reasons why the dealership is worth your business. See how the dealer responds to this question as it will give you a good idea whether or not you want to deal with the company. You want to receive good service and not just a car from the dealer. Can I Speak With the Owner? Often it’s better to go right to the source and speak to the owner about the car if they are available. Consider coming back when the owner is free if they aren’t available to speak with you. If over time you just can’t speak to the owner for whatever reason they don’t buy from that dealership. This shows poor business on the owner’s part and you shouldn’t put up with being ignored by the owner. If the owner even speaks to you for 5 minutes this is better than nothing as it shows that her or she actually cares about you as a customer. Ask About Trade Value If you have an older car, talk to the dealer about the trade value of your vehicle. Often you can get the price of the vehicle you’re looking at drastically reduced if your older vehicle has any value to the dealer. Make sure the dealer gives you some type of book value on your vehicle. Asking about your older vehicle and the trade in value can help you reduce the price of your new car so make sure you take advantage of this as it’s often better to sell to a dealer. Sometimes you can’t get a good price so a private auction is better. Ask About Financing If you have any worries about being able to pay for the vehicle or have a poor credit history then ask the dealer if there are any options open to you. Most dealers will be happy to sell you a vehicle but your ability to pay or not may make them turn away. A dealer should be able to provide you with some support or point you in the right direction as far as financing goes. If the dealer just doesn’t seem interested then walk away and go elsewhere. Some dealerships are just there for the money and aren’t there to help you at all. Ask About Warranties A good dealership should be able to provide you with some type of warranty even though it’s a used vehicle. A dealer that just wants to sell but won’t back up the sale with something even if it’s just a couple of years isn’t worth your time or money. You should be able to get a 100% warranty on the vehicle even if it’s older. If you experience problems right away with the car you want to be covered. Do you Have References? Try to get the dealer to give you names of people they have dealt with before and then call them up to ask what they though t about the dealership. Many people don’t do this but it’s an excellent way to determine how good a dealership is. Tough Questions But Get Answers These are tough questions to ask but you should get some answers to some or all of them before buying any used car from any dealership. Before you go out and buy a car you need to ask yourself several important questions which can add to the overall cost of your vehicle. Just remember that there are more charges than just the cost of the vehicle itself. Here are a few questions to ask and keep in mind. What Does the Insurance Cost? Depending upon where you love the cost of auto insurance it a very big factor. You’ll need ot loom at various insurance costs for various makes and models you have an interest in and then weight all your options for insurance and make a few decisions before you buy the vehicle. Don’t neglect looking into insurance and rates because this is a very big expense and you can’t put it to the side when you’re looking for a new or a used vehicle. Figure out how much it’s going to cost to insure the vehicle or at least have a good idea. Can I Afford This Car? There’s no point in buy a car if you simply can’t afford the expense. Don’t go into deep debt to own a vehicle if you can help it. Look at various payment options and see if the vehicle is actually something you can afford. Often it’s better to go with an older car as you’ll have an easier time paying for the car. If you can save up enough money and just pay for the entire vehicle right on the spot as you won’t have to hassle with car payments each month. The more payments you have to make the more the car is going to cost you in the long run. Look at your overall financial picture before you go out and buy a car. You may find that you might need a loan or another way of making the initial payments on the vehicle. What is The Down Payment Going to Cost? Look at each car and determine what the down payment is going to be before you buy anything. You should try to make a large down payment if possible so you can cut down on the number of car payments you’re going to make on the vehicle. It might be tempting to go for a no down payment offer but you will just have to pay more for the car over time so make as large a payment as you can when you buy the vehicle and reduce your overall debt load with the vehicle. What Type of Car Do I Want? Decide what type of car you need. If you’re just driving the vehicle to and from work you probably just need an economic and reliable car. If you need to impress business clients then you might go for more of a luxury car. Don’t buy something you don’t need or want. Have some solid ideas in your head before you go out to the dealership. You can read review sof various car models online before you buy which can save you a lot of time in your overall search for a vehicle. Where Will I Find This Car? Decide where you’re actually going to shop for your vehicle. There are many hot rod facility resources online where you can shop for vehicles but you’ll have the added expense of shipping them to your door. Make a note of a few dealerships in your local area that you want to check out before you go out and find your new vehicle. Take the time to ask yourself some questions before you go out and buy a car as you’ll save time and reduce your overall frustration with trying to find a vehicle that’s right for you. Questions to Ask Before Buying a New Car There are several questions you should ask before you buy nay new car at a dealership. The dealer is there to sell you the car and they will do anything to sell it to you. The more you know the easier it will be to get a good price and deal on the vehicle. Is The Car Brand New? It’s important to ask if the car is in fact brand new. Many vehicles are used as demos in the showroom and they may have been driven by staff or come from another dealership. If you’re buying a car new you want one that is in fact new and not used by anyone for any purpose. If it’s a demo you may be able to get the dealership to drop the price on the vehicle some. What Are The Available Options? New cars come with tons of options so ask about these before you buy. By dropping options on a vehicle you may save yourself hundreds of dollars. If you’re looking for an option then ask if it’s available on the vehicle and how much it’s going to cost you. Only get the options you want and don’t allow the dealer to push you into something you don’t want as this just adds more money to eh cost of the vehicle. Is There an Authorized Dealer Near Me for Repairs? If you buy a new car you want to have an authorized dealer near you for repairs so you don’t have to take the car hundreds of miles away to get nay work done on it. You’ll end up spending too much money if it’s a headache to get the car repaired under the warranty. Can You Explain the Fees? Get the dealer to break down all the fees and charge son the car so you understand exactly what you’re going to be paying for. Never sign any paperwork for the vehicle until you know exactly what the fees are. If the dealer is reluctant to do this then you shouldn’t deal with them as you don’t want any hidden charges applied to you. Always be suspicious of any dealership and don’t take anything for granted when buying a new car. Is That the Best Price? Speak up about the price when buying the car or you will pay the full amount for it! Many dealerships have some room to negotiate when it comes to the price of a vehicle. Don’t expect have thousands shaved off the cost of the car but you can get the price reduced some if you’re willing to haggle with them before you buy. Tell the dealer that you’re very interested but the price is a bit too high and see where the talks go. Always stand your ground and see if you can get the price reduced a bit on the final total. Can I Take it for a Test Drive? Ask the dealership if you can take the car out for a test drive. This is a good way to see how the vehicle performs and if there’s anything you don’t like about the car. Only buy the car if it feels right to you as you don’t want to end up disappointed in the vehicle. This is a critical step to take as you want to be sure the vehicle has everything that you’ll want. Is the Vehicle Damaged? Ask if the vehicle has any damage to it. The car may be new but there could be scratches, dings or other things wrong with it from shipping the vehicle. You may be able to reduce the price if any of these are present on the vehicle. These are some of the common questions you can ask the dealership before you buy any new car. Always take your time before you buy and ask as many questions as possible. Questions to Ask When Buying Used Cars from a Private Seller If you’re planning on buying a used car there are several questions you should be asking before you purchase the vehicle. Here are some questions to keep in mind before you buy that next used vehicle. Has This Car Had Any Recent Work Done? One thing you’ll want to ask is if the car or truck has had any recent work done. With an older car some recent repairs might indicate a serious problem with the vehicle or it might be a good thing. For example if the car has recently had a set of new tires installed then this is an expense you don’t have to worry about. If the car on the other hand has had some major work then this might indicate that the car has some glaring issues that might scratch it off your list of cars to buy. Try to get the paperwork of the work done if possible as this will let you know if the seller is telling the truth or not. The more you know about the vehicle the better off you’ll be. Does This Car Have Any Issues with It? Before you buy you’ll want to know if the vehicle has any major issues with it such as engine problems or the need for new parts. Many older cars need some work before you can get them on the road. If the car needs a lot of repairs you’ll need to decide if the expense of doing those repairs is worth it. Unless you can get the vehicle for next to nothing, you should look elsewhere. If you have good mechanical skills and you plan to repair the vehicle and rebuild it then you aren’t going to be as concerned with the issues the vehicle has. For those that don’t have mechanical skills you need to be extra careful before you buy any used vehicle. Why Are Your Selling? Ask why the seller is selling the car. This can give you a clear indication of the quality of the vehicle and if it’s worth it or not for you to buy it. If the seller is anxious to get rid of the car you may be able to drop the price of the car down significantly and save yourself some money. Are You the Original Owner? If the seller is the original owner of the car then it’s going to be in better shape than a car that’s been around the block a few times. You want to buy a used car with as little use as possible so look or vehicles with only one owner if possible. Can We Take It For A Test Drive? Ask th? owner if they will go with you for a short test drive. This is critical because you can get a better picture of how well the car performs from the test drive. Look for blue smoke, pings, lurches, or anything else that would indicate a car in bad shape. How Many Kilometers on the Car? Make sure you find out how many kilometers or miles are on the vehicle. If the car has been driven into the ground then this isn’t the best option for you to buy. A car with low miles on it is a much better buy and you’ll get newer parts. A vehicle with high miles is going to closer to the ends of its life and unless you need the vehicle badly, it’s a good plan to pass on it. Ask Questions to Determine Quality Ask question to determine the quality of the user car before you buy it from any seller. The more questions you ask the better off you’re going to be.