How To Buy A Car Or Truck: An Insider's Guide To Saving Thousands of $$$

By John Kelly

This is the United States Edition.
A thirty-year auto industry veteran brings his insider's secrets to How To Buy A Car Or Truck: An Insider's Guide To Saving Thousands Of Dollars. John Kelly has been a sales person, finance manager, used car manager and general sales manager, working for large and small dealerships, with luxury, domestic and foreign brands. In this book he'll help you buy a car or truck, new or used, and potentially save you thousands of dollars.
This book will teach you:
How to determine what you want and what you need
How to decide how much you can afford and what payments will be
Where to find the information you need
The finer points of financing and leasing
How much to pay for a new and used vehicle
How much your trade-in is really worth
How to negotiate
The safest way to buy from an individual
And more!

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Feb 15, 2013
• ISBN: 9780988968226

John Kelly

John Kelly, who holds a graduate degree in European history, is the author and coauthor of ten books on science, medicine, and human behavior, including Three on the Edge, which Publishers Weekly called the work of "an expert storyteller." He lives in New York City.

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The Ideal Solution

The ideal solution is to have a salesperson and/or dealership with which you have done business, had a very good experience and trust to give you a good deal and great service. It’s hard to beat that and once you find it you’ll go back to that salesperson and dealer again and again.

Still I would read this book, take notes, do research online and then make an appointment to go in the store and get that new or pre-owned vehicle. Trust, yes. Verify, absolutely!

But what if you don’t have a great relationship with a salesperson or dealer, or want to buy a different brand where you don’t know anyone? Well, that’s most of us so read on.

Focus On What You Want And Need

Strategy: Never buy on impulse. Do not allow your excitement or haste get ahead of you or you will end up with a vehicle that does not meet your needs. It happens to many people and there is no easy or inexpensive way out of it once you have made that mistake.

Consider past, current and future needs in size of vehicle, style, brand, affordability and mileage needs. Sit down and make a list of what you need and then a list of what you want. Then make a list of the options you do not want.

Consider the following questions:

Has your financial situation changed? Would you rather have a lower payment or will it be easier now to move up to a nicer model?

Do you like the car you have now but just want a newer model?

What would you change about the car you are driving now?

Do you need all the options on your current vehicle or would you like a few more? What are the options you want or don’t need?

Would you rather have a different color? What are you favorite three colors?

Would you rather have leather seats instead of cloth?

Have your commuting needs changed?

Have you admired a model you have seen on the highway or that your friend has?

Has the family grown and you need more room or is all that room not needed now?

Perhaps your needs are more situational. Do you buy your son or daughter a used car and spend $15,000, or buy a new midsize four-door sedan you could use for work and family and give the older car to your son or daughter to drive? You would want to research both options from every angle. Consider the impact of insurance cost and reliability of the older car.

Is There A Three Day Rule?

So if you don’t buy the right car you can just take it back for a refund, right? No.

Reveal:There is not a Three Day Rule or law where a dealer must allow you to return a new or used car. According to federal laws an individual has three days to cancel certain types of contractual agreements, like home equity loan contracts, Internet purchases and door-to-door sales. The rule does not apply to vehicle purchases, however.

A dealer may offer you a length of time to bring a car back under certain conditions but it is by choice of the dealer and you should always check to be sure the policy is in writing. An example is CarMax who offers a three day return under certain conditions. Saturn even had a thirty day, 1500 mile return or exchange on their new cars.

True Story: Many years ago we saw the proliferation of massive tent sales where dealers, credit unions, and sometimes even manufacturers would bring hundreds of cars and trucks to an off-site location, such as a stadium parking lot, for a week-end sale. The practice didn’t last long once the lawyers realized that because the sale was held away from their place of normal business, all cars were subject to the Three Day Rule of return.

I’ve worked at stores where management would work with people who brought a car back immediately for exchange and sometimes even for a refund. These stores are the exception. I’ve also worked at stores where once you drove away you would never be able to bring the vehicle back. That’s the rule.

Determine What You Can Afford

Strategy: Do not let emotions push you into a higher payment than you can really afford. When financing a vehicle it is always best to finance as little amount as possible, for as short a term as possible, at the best interest rate possible. The reason is that finance charges are added to the principal