These are the places to look for a used car:

• New car dealers
• Used car dealers
• Buying Through Classified Ads
• Leasing Companies, Banks and Public Auctions
• The Internet
  

Buying a Used Car from a New Car Dealer

New car dealers often sell the best quality used cars. New car dealers sell clean cars with the manuals and car history. They also have the highest prices. A buyer should look for a wholesale price. Salespeople are skilled in the art of persuasion. (It should be noted here that the warranty time period is often not enough to make up the difference between wholesale and retail price.) Funds for car purchase should be obtained by one's own bank rather than selling dealership. By financing through buyers' bank or credit union, buyer usually pays lower interest than the dealers offer and is able to negotiate the price in a much easier way because he pays in full for the car. When buying a car at a new car dealer, buyer pays wholesale plus a large fee or commission which adds up to a retail price. Of course buyer can always make an offer closer to what you want to he pays based on the knowledge obtained from this book. Buyer should not hesitate to make an offer $1000.00 - $2000.00 less than the asking price if that is what he thinks the car is worth. The dealer needs to get the impression that the buyer has the knowledge about the value of a certain car. OmegaMotors.com has the link for the New Car Prices, Dealer Invoices and current Rebates and Incentives which may help you get the better picture of what you should offer. Buyer is the one who should be in control of the negotiation.

Used Car Dealers

The used car dealers tend to sell somewhat lower quality cars at lower prices. When buying from a used car dealer, buyer should always try to get the funds through his own source rather than financing through the dealership. By financing through bank. or credit union, buyer can usually pay much lower interest than the dealers offer. It will be easier to negotiate affordable price if you buyer is paying the entire sum (through his own financing). Also, if buyer does decide to use the dealer's financing plan, he should take the time to multiply the monthly payment times the number of months the loan is for (commonly 24, 36 or 48 months). The buyer will usually discover that the low monthly payment the dealer advertises adds up to a significant amount of interest, making the total cost much higher than the retail value of the car. It is usually easier to negotiate with a used car dealer. They are generally smaller, independently owned businesses that need every sale. Many of the salespeople are not always as well trained as those at the large new car dealerships.

Buying Through Classified Ads

A significant percentage of all used cars are purchased through Classified ads placed by individuals selling their personal car. Cars can often be bought at, or close to, wholesale price when buying through classified listings and automotive web sites. Many good car deals can be achieved through newspaper but be aware of the following: Unless you are skillful and train in spotting out potential discrepancies or hidden imperfections, the good deal might turn out sour, to late for any recourse, since transactions with the private parties are usually done on AS-IS bases without any warranty. Beside that, take in consideration that the vehicle might need the recon like new tires, brakes or other services usually done buy the reputable dealers before the vehicle is put on the market.

Leasing Companies, Banks and Public Auctions

Buyer can often "buy back" the car when the lease period expires. The buy back value is often close to the wholesale value. If buyer has a friend or family member that wants to turn in their leased car at the end of the lease, in most cases, he can negotiate the price and get very good deals from the leasing company. Public auctions are held periodically. Their purpose is to sell off repossessed and seized vehicles, owned by the banks, government or the police. Information regarding the auction schedule is available in the newspaper and sometimes on radio or cable TV ads. The basic drawback to buying from an auction is that the buyer doesn't really know what he's getting. The price may only look good but the buyer doesn't have a lot of facts to tell whether it's a good deal or not. The buyer should go to the auction 2 hours early. He should first determine the car's worth before buying it.

The Internet

Internet contains many listings of cars for sale. They contain a lot of information with the picture added to it. Buyer may search the web for private cars, classified ads under automobiles and dealer Web Sites. The buyer is not limited to the cars in your local geographical area. Cheaper cars can be found in other states. The buyer can obtain all the relevant information from the seller. If the deal is reached it is easy to transport the car to the buyer or the buyer can travel to the seller and see the car for himself. The internet gives a wide variety of choices. The buyer should concentrate on finding a private owner who is selling a car. The cars are usually listed in classified ads in the newspapers, by word-of-mouth, on community bulletin boards, etc. When buying from the private owner, car is purchased directly from the source. The buyer and the seller get to know each other. The buyer can get the most information about the repairs and maintenance records from the seller. The buyer can also receive some important advice about car maintenance. And, most of the time, the buyer don't have the difficulty of negotiating with professional salespeople. This book deals mostly with buying cars from private owners, but it is most important to remember that these methods and tactics can be implied at any time and with any of the sources we have mentioned before. It is imperative to study the methods of making a deal and searching for the desired car through all the available sources. If best deal doesn't come right away, the buyer needs to be patient and persistent.