Doug Albee, a Riverside CA Used Car Dealer says, “One of the most common mistakes people make when they buy a used car is purchasing it based on love for the vehicle. The buyer’s common sense is placed on the back burner while their emotions and love for the type of vehicle takes over. This is exactly what a used car salesman wants because it usually means you won’t read the contract as thoroughly.
Buying a used car can certainly save you money on upfront cost, insurance fees and overall depreciation. In order to reap those benefits without glaring disadvantages, though, the buyer must be cautious when reading the contracts and making their purchase.
One of the biggest issues with buying a used car is misunderstanding the contract you’re signing. For example, you see a “Bumper to Bumper Coverage” sign on the car, assume it’s fully covered with a warranty and then sign a contract. What you didn’t notice when you skimmed over the contact is that the Bumper to Bumper Coverage means the car was checked over before being sold or something similar. You now have a car with unknown problems and, when they arise, the dealer will do nothing to help you other than offer you another used car.
Checking A Used Vehicle
Before you buy a used car, you should have a mechanic who isn’t on the dealer’s payroll check the vehicle over. They’ll check for fluid leaks caused by cracked or ripped lines, engine dirt, transmission problems and other issues that most people wouldn’t know to look for. Even if the car checks out, though, you could still run into issues. Any mechanic will tell you that they can’t promise a car won’t have problems by looking at it.
Given that you can never ensure a used car won’t have problems, you need to make sure it has a good warranty in the contract. Or any warranty at all, given that most used car dealers sell their vehicles as-is.
Protecting Yourself from Potential Problems in Contracts
Seeing a warranty section in the contract doesn’t mean you’re covered. If you skim over the warranty section, satisfied that there is one, you could miss that the section simply tells you there is not a warranty. At shadier establishments, you might see a lot of reassuring text in the warranty section about repairs to broken parts, but miss the line that says none of it is applicable after you’ve driven the vehicle. That one line could be in small, italicized print snuck in between paragraphs where almost anyone would miss it. That’s exactly what the shady dealer wants.
By reading a contract thoroughly or even bringing in your lawyer to read it, you can avoid these issues. The legalese used in contracts is confusing to most people and it can often contain words that are purposefully misleading. Someone versed in legalese can spot these and warn you about the potential issues you might be buying into.
Once you fully understand every word of the contract and are certain you have a warrantied vehicle, you are finally safe to sign the deal. However, most used car dealers don’t actually offer warranties of much merit. No matter how cautious you are, you still might end up paying big bucks for a car that will cost even bigger bucks in four months. In the end, a lot of people decide this risk makes the idea of buying a new car much more attractive.
You can see more about Doug Albee by visiting his website: http://www.dhmotors.com or by calling (951) 688-6867.