Buying a Car - The Dealer Experience

John Nielsen: Hi! I am John Nielsen with AAA. And we are here today talking about buying a car. And in this segment we are going to talk about visiting the dealer and what you can expect.

The first thing we should talk about is when to visit the dealer, and that would be after you have determined what you can afford, you have done your research online and narrowed your vehicle selections down to two or three so that you are really focusing on vehicles that you can tend to buy and that are within your range. So when you visit the dealer, the first thing that's going to happen is you are going to meet with the salesman. What you want to do is introduce yourself, be totally honest with him, tell them that this is what I can afford, these are the vehicles I am considering. And what you should ask them to do is help you to drive those vehicles and make the best decision.

Once you have made that introduction, you are going to select a vehicle to drive, and you really should be sure if that vehicle is very similarly equipped to the one you are considering buying. There's a lot change within models, so you could take one that has a very expensive option list and one that has almost no options and they will drive differently. So you want to get the one that's as close as possible to the model, and make interim level that you are considering to buy.

Once you go on that test drive here's a couple of things that you need to consider. Make sure you drive it in the way that you are going to drive it when you own it. That means in stop-and-go traffic, that means accelerate on the highway, that means drive on the highway, drive in traffic, feel how it brakes, are the seats comfortable, does the air conditioner blow cold, do you like the radio, can you read the gauges, can you read the knobs. All of that is important because that's what you are going to have to live with. And right now is the best time to figure that out. And in fact, right now is the only time to figure that out while you are sitting in that car. So take your time, learn a lot, be comfortable, ask questions of your salesman, that's what he is there for is to help inform you about that vehicle and what you need to know. And that's what to expect when you visit the dealer.

Now, in our next segment we are going to talk about disposing off the vehicle you already own. Should you trade it, should you sell it out right, we will give you the information to make that decision.