A First-Timer’s Guide to Purchasing a New Vehicle

Buying new cars, lifted trucks for sale, SUV, or any other motor vehicle for the first time can be exciting. For first-time buyers, the thought of shopping for a new car can also seem daunting because of all the steps sometimes involved in purchasing them. Here’s a first-timer’s guide to buying a new vehicle to ease the anxiety that can occur.

Consider Your Budget

Before shopping, try to figure out what you want, need, and desire from your first new vehicle. Also, be realistic about the vehicle you wish to purchase. You can see these on the great used car inventory nearby or elsewhere you know.

Many Auto Loan Lending websites offer vehicle loan calculators, plus advice about budgeting payments and selecting financing. Never walk into a first-time new vehicle purchase without a good idea of what you want to buy and what you can spend.

Get Pre-approved

One of the smartest things first-timers can do before starting their new-vehicle shopping is to get pre-approved for an auto loan. Many online lending sites offer pre-approvals, generally with a maximum loan amount already set, for their new vehicle loan products. It’s never wise to walk into an auto dealership without a loan already in hand. Suppose you don’t have a loan pre-approval. In that case, you’ll be relying on the dealership to arrange your financing, which will benefit the dealer but maybe not you. A pre-approved auto loan will also give you some negotiating power with the dealership.

Keep it Simple

Here are some steps to follow when you’re at the automobile dealership or semi trailer dealership and looking at your hoped-for first new vehicle:

  • Start by getting a hard-and-fast price for the new vehicle you want to purchase.
  • Auto salespeople often ask customers whether they’re trading in a vehicle and if they’ll need financing through the dealership. The time to answer those questions is after you have a solid price from the dealer and not before then.
  • If you’re trading in your old used car, you can research trade-in prices at various online sites so that you’ll at least have an idea of what it would be worth. Auto dealers almost always try to hold down the price they’ll pay you for your trade-in to maximize their gross profit on the vehicle they’re selling you, so beware.
  • Unless the new vehicle you’re looking at is extremely popular, the chances are good that many other dealers will be selling the same model in the same color and with the same equipment. Don’t be afraid to walk away from any new vehicle purchase if the dealer doesn’t want to give you a fair price for your trade-in.

Dealer Add-ons

Auto dealers, their salespeople, and finance managers also make money on the sale of add-ons and arranging to finance for customers. Typical dealer add-ons include extended warranties, tire and paint protection, and gap insurance, most of which are often marked up significantly in price. New car warranties are typically generous, for instance. You can always buy an extended factory warranty later if you think you need one. It’s also important to buy a car only from a trusted car dealership in Spring Lake to avoid any scams that become a risk to your savings.

Financing

Dealers make money arranging financing for customers, which is known as “backend.” The longer your auto loan repayment term, the more money the dealer will make and the more money you’ll pay back. Six-year and seven-year auto loans usually have higher interest rates than five-year and fewer auto loans. If you want to see more than just a single loan offer from an auto dealer, visit an online auto lending site. Once at the lending site, fill out an application, and consider the several loan products they typically present.

Prepare Yourself

If you’re a first-timer, shopping for a new vehicle purchase may be both exhilarating as well as intimidating. Still, if you prepare for it, you should do fine. To lessen your new vehicle shopping stress, visit an online vehicle financing site and shop, research prices, and obtain financing before even visiting a dealer.