by Paul Lines

Created on: January 09, 2009

In terms of financial commitment buying a car comes second only to the purchase of your home and is therefore one of the most important decisions that you are likely to make, irrespective of whether you are purchasing new or second-hand. Therefore, if this purchase is being made through an automobile dealership, it is important to ensure that you are treated with honesty and integrity. The question that this raises is how do you ensure that such treatment will be forthcoming from the dealer? In reality, you can gain this assurance in several ways.

The first and most important step needed to be taken to ensure the integrity of the dealership is to check their accreditation details. This means that you need to satisfy yourself that the dealer is a member of a recognised automobile or commercial organisation. For example, in the case of a new vehicle the dealer will have a certificate that indicates they have been approved by the automobile manufacturer. Where you are purchasing a second-hand automobile this might not be the case. However, a reputable used car dealer will still be a member of organisations such as the local chamber of commerce. Furthermore, if the dealer is offering maintenance services on the vehicle it will be a simple matter to check if the mechanics they employ are qualified in their profession.

Another avenue that is worthy of checking when considering purchasing from a dealer that you do not know is the local trading regulators. In the UK there is an organisation called Trading Standards. The task of this organisation is to ensure that commercial organisations such as automobile dealers comply with the current legislation. For example, it is their role to ensure that when used car dealers sell cars the details, such as recorded mileage, have not been tampered with. These organisations should be able to inform you if there have been any complaints made against the dealer in question, specifically those which might cause you to reconsider purchasing from them.

All vehicles purchased should come with some kind of guarantee that a) confirms its roadworthiness and b) provides you as the purchaser with a period of time during which any major problems that the vehicle develops can be rectified by the dealer free of cost, at least in relation to the parts required. Naturally for second-hand cars this period will be shorter than for a new vehicle. However, it is essential to check the small print of these documents to ensure that the guarantee is a valid document supported by a reputable company. If a dealer will not provide a guarantee it would be advisable to purchase your vehicle from elsewhere.

Purchasing from an honest dealership is also vitally important if you require finance to complete your automobile purchase. A dealer who has integrity will ensure that they deal with a finance institution that offers you the best rates for borrowing and whose terms and conditions are honest and reasonable. There are numerous finance companies around that will make unreasonable charges and conditions and these will be avoided by most reputable dealers, thus protecting your best interests.

Finally, one of the best ways of ensuring that you will be treated honestly by a particular dealership is to rely upon recommendations. If a dealer has acted with integrity their previous customers will be satisfied with their purchases and after-sales service and will be happy to confirm this to other people. Recommendation is the best form of promotion of an organisations honesty and integrity.

Ensuring that the dealership you purchase a vehicle from is treating you honestly is essential. If you do not check this situation thoroughly it could cost you dearly in the future.

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