These days, it’s very easy to buy a new car and get ripped off. It feels like car salespeople are only focussed on closing a deal and getting their commission. Yeah, that’s great for them, but it’s not great for us! We want to get good value for our money and ensure we buy a car that’s good, as well as being safe for our family too.

So, here’s my simple guide to not getting ripped off by a car salesperson:

 

Do Your Research

Spend some time researching cars and getting a good idea of what you’re looking for beforehand. This will enable you to create a little shortlist of potential cars that interest you. So, when you go to buy your car from a dealer, you already know what you’re looking for, which means the dealer can’t try and lead you to cars that really aren’t suitable for your usage. Plus, with research, you should get a good idea as to what sort of price you’re looking for. Again, this means your dealer can’t try and sell something at a high price as you’ll know they’re trying to rip you off.

Avoid Car Dealerships Altogether

The easiest way to avoid getting ripped off by a salesperson is to not do business with them altogether. There is more than one way to buy a car, you don’t have to go to a dealership. You have places like Cars and Co that do all the negotiating for you, so you never come in contact with a salesperson. Then, you have more independent markets where you can buy cars from regular people just like yourself. Either option means you don’t have to go through the hassle of visiting a dealer and trying to find a good car while the sales rep is quickly trying to close a sale and get you to buy the most expensive thing they sell. Of course, these options aren’t for everyone as dealers do have a good array of vehicles and there are other benefits. But, avoiding dealers is definitely an option to consider for many.

Ask About Everything

A lot of the time, you can get ripped off without even knowing it. You get sold a car, and then it takes you a few weeks or months before you realise, hang on, things aren’t working so well here. There may be problems with the steering, braking, or even simple things like the seats don’t fit a car seat in properly. Generally speaking, car dealers only tell you about things you ask about. If you don’t mention anything, they won’t tell you anything. So, the solution to this is simple; ask about everything. Ask them about all elements of the car to ensure you know everything about it. If it has any issues, you are presented with two options. You can either walk away, or you can use these problems to reduce the price.

Consider these three tips if you want to avoid getting ripped off by a car salesperson when you’re buying a new car.