The prospect of buying a car online is always interesting, especially when you think you can afford the purchase. Perhaps you just want a new car to give you peace of mind and an added level of comfort and luxury and maybe a bit of transport convenience. However, the excitement of buying a car online can quickly turn into buyer’s remorse if you’re not cautious.

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Beyond the great deals, proposed discounts, luxury car features and extra services being offered by online car dealers, there are a few important things you should note that just might help you in getting the best bargain online. Here’s what you should know:

Every Car Brand is Unique

While brand perception is crucial, it’s not really important when buying a car online. If you look at the general customer perception of specific car brands, it often has little to do with the actual qualities of the cars. The choice of a vehicle should be dependent on what you’re looking for in a car considering your family capacity, line of work, business needs and how you plan to use your car.

Car utilities can be categorized by quality, value, safety, design style, innovation, performance, fuel economy and environmental friendliness. As a buyer, it’s important to consider what qualities suit you best based on your car’s main purpose. It’s important to conduct a car brand evaluation research based on these grounds before making a purchase.

Don’t Just Look at Sticker Prices

Negotiation is an important part of making any car purchase, but most times, buyers have no idea of how to proceed or what angle of negotiation to take. Often, the invoice or sticker price of a car is the threshold the car buyer sees and what determines if the offer is a good deal or not. Instead of simply looking at the price, ask yourself if you’re getting the actual value of the car.

Find a few advertised incentives and rebates when buying cars online. Such dealer incentives can range anywhere from $1000 to $6000. Negotiate and haggle over these incentives to get the best deal you can. Sites like Truecar that can help you determine and compare actual car prices to arm you for favorable negotiations.    

Say No to Unnecessary Extras

Online car dealers make the most of their profits from car financing and the sale of a variety of extras like asset protection, theft protection, extended warranties, key and tire replacement plans, fabric protection, VIN etching, paint protectant, rustproofing and prepaid maintenance. Don’t take the extras unless they’re absolutely necessary and you can comfortably afford them.

Look out for any additions offered by the online car dealer that add no real value to your car purchase. If there is a cheaper way to have the additional features, you can simply cross the extras out of your list of vehicle features before negotiating an agreement.

Buy the Vehicle, Not the Deal

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Online car deals can be very persuasive. If you’re not careful, you can easily lose your focus and end up looking for good deals instead of a good vehicle: what you need in a vehicle. Do extensive research to find the type of car you really need. It’s advisable to get the best attainable and affordable deals on the vehicle you need than a better deal on a vehicle that will in the long run not meet your expectations.  

Do Dealer Comparison Research

Before buying a car from an online dealer, go ahead and compare actual car prices of different car brands and get multiple price quotes from different reputable dealers. By doing this, you can be certain of getting the most suitable car deal. Look at the car warranty and ask questions regarding the servicing requirements.

Shipping Your Car

Does the dealer offer shipping services? Planning auto shipping before sealing the deal is critical to ensuring a smooth vehicle delivery process. If shipping is not offered or is too expensive, go ahead and look for an established, reliable and affordable car shipping company.