by Ray Paulsen

Created on: April 06, 2007   Last Updated: November 07, 2008

listed are the 10 most common errors consumers make buying a vehicle. Any one of these mistakes could cost you thousand of dollars or have a lemon parked in your driveway.
Be honest with yourself, how many of these steps did you cover buying your last vehicle, I don't expect anybody to be an expert overnight, but when your ready to purchase another vehicle study the answers I have provided.

# 1...Shopping for monthly payments only
# 2...Saying..."I'm paying cash, what's your best price?"
# 3...Not testing vehicle performance properly
# 4...Total trust in dealership and salesperson
# 5...Not getting full history of car
# 6...Getting sucked into after market products
# 7...Advertisements that guarantee top dollars for trade
# 8...Not negotiating scratches - dents - manual - extra keys.
# 9...Not shopping more than one dealership
# 10...Letting emotions rule your brain

# 1...Shopping monthly payments only

One of the first questions a salesperson will ask is "Are you financing?" If you answer yes then you are a payment buyer, and the price of the vehicle, in most cases, becomes secondary. This allows for a huge profit for the dealer. Answer this question with "I have not decided." and negotiate the final price of the vehicle before getting monthly payment amounts.

# 2...Saying..."I'm paying cash, what's your best price?"

Don't ever ask a dealership that question...it will tell them that you are uneducated when it comes to buying a car. A dealer profits from the lender when you finance... If you are paying cash, there is no gain on that end for the dealer and he will take that into account before the negotiations begin.
During the negotiation process, if the deal is tight -showing little or no profit- the dealer will be more likely to accept your offer if you are financing, because he will be realizing a profit from the lender. If you are not financing with them, he may not accept your offer.

I can't recall a week going by when selling used cars that a buyer would not make this statement...paying cash what's your best price...that question always put a smile on my face as I realized I was dealing with someone that didn't have a clue on how to buy a car...

# 3...Not testing vehicle performance properly

From personal experience 80% of consumers do not have a clue how to properly test drive a car,do you?
Starting the test drive... Drive the car slowly at first- feel, and count, the shift changes. Any slipping? Any hesitation? Any vibrations?

Drive- long enough to get the engine warm as

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