How To Know If You’ve Done Enough Shopping
When in the market for a used car, one of the main things that people struggle with is knowing how much to actually shop. How thorough should you be with your search? How many dealerships is the right amount to visit? This is a delicate balance because you don’t want to miss out on good options or money savings by not casting your net wide enough, but you also don’t want to waste valuable time at dealers you’re not going to buy from.
The truth is, this process will vary for each person and there are other factors that will determine how many used car dealerships you should visit and test drives to take.
Here are a couple questions to ask yourself to help determine how much shopping you need to do.
How Far Along Are You In the Car Buying Process?
Your answer to this question will be the biggest factor in deciding how many used car dealerships to visit. If you’re brand new to the process and have no preferences on the make or model of your next car, there is no maximum number of dealerships to visit. In fact, it is very reasonable to visit five or six dealerships to get your feet wet and start to determine what options are available and best fit your needs before getting to the real shopping.
Good dealerships understand that different shoppers are at different stages of the buying process, so don’t be nervous about a dealer taking offense to you being a browser. If you encounter any pressure on that front, that may not be a dealership you want to consider purchasing from.
If you’re more prepared, you can start the process with a list of potential cars you like already. That will help you better gauge the number of dealerships to visit for a test drive. If you have a list of seven cars, it is perfectly fine to expect to visit at least seven dealerships for test drives. This will allow you to decide what you like in the cars and the dealerships, as well as potentially even be introduced to similar options that you may not have previously known about.
I’ve Decided What Car I Want. Now What?
Now the light is starting to shine at the end of the tunnel. Once you have settled on what car you want, you know that you are going to be making your last few visits to dealers. When you’re looking for one specific year, make, and model, your dealership options will be more limited. There are likely only a handful of dealerships in your area that have this particular vehicle on their lots.
Although it is nice to have a preferred used car dealership, you may have to take a different approach to make sure you get the best price and the features you want. Visit all the dealers that have the car you’re looking for to ask about their best deal. You might even want to let each one know about the other dealerships you’re thinking about buying from as well. This may prompt them to lower prices or offer extras to compete for your business. And it goes without saying that you should do research on fair pricing before deciding on a vehicle to purchase.
When Should I Be Done Shopping?
Once you’ve decided on a car, visited all possible dealerships, and feel like you have the absolute best deal you can get in hand, you’re probably ready to transition from “shopping” to “buying.” Normally, you reach this point after visiting two or three dealerships that have the exact car you want. Most dealerships will only discount and compete so much before you get the final offer and have to make your decision. All that’s left to do is to get the paperwork done and drive off the lot!
Remember that price isn’t everything. Make sure to consider customer service in your final decision as well. You don’t want to be stuck working with a dealership that doesn’t stand behind their cars or doesn’t treat their customers right. Pay attention to the environment in a dealership, how they treat you and other customers, and whether their employees are happy and helpful.
Be Ready For Your Next Car-Buying Journey
Never question your number of dealership visits and test drives again by asking yourself the above questions when navigating the process. There’s no such thing as too much shopping when it comes to looking for a new car. After all, you never know what deals and discounts another dealership will have to offer – and you don’t want to overpay.
Be First to Comment