The car industry has been changing dramatically in recent years. In 2022 it is especially important to know exactly what steps to take when purchasing a used car in today’s climate.
1.) What Kind of Budget Will You be Spending?
Calculating what you can budget for your next car purchase is vital to know what type of car you will be looking at. There are many online payment calculators available, but a good rule of thumb for financing cars is every $10,000 financed it is typically between a $200 – $250 payment depending on vehicle price, APR, term length, and cash down.
2.) Find Vehicles that Interest and Suit You.
You can pick from different factors such as: size, safety, fuel MPG, reliability, performance, syling, comfort, and many others.
Many of these factors depend on what you will need the vehicle for. For example, if you have a family and kids, 2 door sports car probably won’t fit what you need the car to do. You would more likely go with a better MPG car that can fit all of your family and equipment into.
3.) Once you have found the car that you believe will suit your needs, it is time to start looking for the car. Go online or to your local car dealership and scout out the vehicle that you have picked.
At St George Auto Gallery we have over 200 vehicles in stock to make sure that our customers have a huge selection.
Once you have found the vehicle. it is time to find out a little more information on its history.
4.) Check the Vehicle History Report.
Most dealerships will give a CarFax report on the car for free to customers. This allows you to get a better idea of the history of the car and if there is anything that has happened to it in its past to decrease the value of the vehicle.
CarFax reports can have information on servicing, accidents, salvage titles, rust, odometer inconsistencies and many other valuable pieces of information about the vehicle. It is important to compare vehicle history reports as well to make sure the car is not overpriced.
St George Auto Gallery provides these reports free of charge for our customers. We also do not sell any salvage or rebuilt titled vehicles.
5.) Test Drive the Vehicle
Now is the step where you can go into the dealership and test drive the car. This is the fun part because you get to take the car out on the open roads and really get a feel for what makes it special and if it will work for you. If you have done your research right up to this point, it should be at least close to what you need.
6.) Financing the Vehicle
After you have found the vehicle that you want, it is time to secure financing from a bank or credit union. You can go into your favorite bank or credit union and apply for a loan. Although, many dealerships make it easy to get approved inside the dealership and not have to go anywhere else.
Here at St George Auto Gallery we are Credit Union Direct and we are able to get everything done from our dealership, have access to the most competitive rates, and give you the choice on who you want to use for financing.
7.) Post-Sale Protection
If the vehicle that you bought is older than a few years old, chances are it does not have its factory warranty left. This is where you, as a customer, should consider after market warranties. These warranties can be added into the vehicle loan and will protect you from any mishaps or problems that arise in vehicle ownership.
We recommend these to all customers especially if they are older and higher mileage.
Check us out at www.stgeorgeautogallery.com for all of your vehicle needs!