Planning Can Help You Buy the Right Car for a Good Price

A little planning can help people buy the right car for the right amount. People who do not have a lot of money should buy used cars. New cars are more costly than many people can afford. People also can lease cars. But most leases are for new cars.

Give some thought to the kind of car you need or want. For example, do you want a two-door or four-door car? Are you looking for a compact or a full-size car? A larger car may be needed if you are pulling a trailer.

How much will you have to pay for gas?

Give some thought to how much you will have to pay for gasoline. Repairs are another thing to think about. Older cars generally need more repairs than newer ones.

Look at the ads for cars in the newspapers. A buyer can get a general idea of the asking price for certain types of cars from the ads. But do not rely too much on the ads.

Buyers can find cars through licensed dealers or individuals. In Wisconsin, a person who sells more than five cars a year should get a license from the state.

Licensed dealers are required to follow certain rules. The rules were set up by the state to help protect buyers. Buying a car from an unlicensed seller can be much riskier than from dealers.

Have your mechanic check the car first

Before you go shopping try to find a mechanic who is willing to inspect the car you want to buy. Mechanics can tell you ahead of time how much they will charge for inspections.

A buyer should have a good idea of what he or she wants before going to a dealer. Read the labels in the windows about price and condition of the cars.

Dealers in Wisconsin are required to tell the truth about what they know about the condition of a car. If they are not aware of a problem, they do not have to report the problem on the label.

Read the title for the vehicle. The title is the piece of paper that shows who owns the car. Buyers should also read the odometer statement. The odometer is a dial on the dashboard. It shows how many miles the car has been driven. Cars with a high number of miles on the odometer are more likely to need more repairs.

Read any warranties. A warranty is a promise to do certain things. It is like a contract. Ask if there are any warranties. If there are, look at them.

Ask for the name and address of the previous owner of the car. Ask for repair records of the car.

Buyers should take the car for a test drive. See how the car operates when it is cold as well as warmed up. Test drive the car at highway speeds. Drive the car in stop-and-go traffic. Also drive the car on hills.

The dealer will ask to see your driver's license. The dealer also may require a sales person to go along for the ride.

Check the exhaust system

If the county where you live requires emissions tests, consider paying to have the exhaust system tested. Most of the counties in southeastern Wisconsin require such tests.

If you want to drive the car longer than you can for a drive test, it may be possible to rent the car for several days.

Prices for cars are often listed on the label. Sometimes prices are also on the windshields of the cars. Those prices are only suggestions. You can usually get a lower price by offering less.

Do not say how you will pay for the car until after you agree on a price. Do say how much you can afford to pay. Do not let the sales person talk about anything other than buying the car.

Be ready to walk away if you do not like the price or the terms of the sale. Be careful about extra items that sales people try to include. Things like service contracts or undercoating can add to the cost of the car.

Get any promises put in writing in the contract. Promises that are not put in writing before you sign the contract are harder to enforce if there is a problem later.

Do not sign unless you are ready to buy

Sign the contract only when you are ready to buy the car. You may be able to get out of a signed contract by paying a penalty to cancel it.

Keep copies of all papers you sign. The dealer will give the label from the window to the buyer. Keep the label.

When buying a used car, it is best to pay for all of it at once. If you do not have enough money to pay off the car, you can still get the car.

Buyers can get loans for cars. A home equity loan is one of the best ways to borrow money for a car. But only people who own their homes or are buying a home can get these loans.

Loans from credit unions are probably the next best way. Banks are the next best way.

Loans offered by dealers are usually not as good as financing through credit unions or banks.

If you already have a car, do not trade it in for the next car. It usually is much better to sell the car on your own.

If you have questions, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation may be able to help. The DOT has a consumer hotline. The phone number is 608-266-1425.

Buyers with questions also can reach the DOT by email at dealers.dmv@dot.state.wi.us .