Car Buying Guide - I

I always get a kick out of talking with people and friends about buying cars and the whole car buying process.

As you can imagine, I get asked all kinds of questions.

But, one in particular that gets asked is what are some of the big or most common mistakes that people make when buying cars.

In fact, just the other day this topic came up amongst a group of friends I was out with... so we got to talking about it and it was quite enlightening for me and the other folks.

With that topic of a car buying still on my mind; I wanted to put together a little mini car buying guide course that would help folks along with the car buying process and to avoid these costly and frustrating buying mistakes.

These mistakes are the ones that I continually saw people make in my years in the car business.

So... with that in mind... let's get started.

And... by the way if you'll keep these notes tucked away and review them at a time before you are about to get started on your next car buying quest, I'll guarantee you, if you follow the advice you'll end up happier and can save yourself quite a bit of money!

Starting from the top... and not necessarily in order of importance... because they all are very important to you...

The No Research Mistake:

As I mentioned, many times when I am discussing how to buy a car, offering some car buying tips to friends, or responding to their emails I get; I find myself discussing what to do or the best way to do something in the car buying process.

Sometimes, however, the more effective approach may be to talk about what not to do when you are trying to get your best car deals.

So with that in mind, let's take a look at some of the pieces of the car buying puzzle and what you should not do while car shopping and car buying.

The first mistake you can make before you even get started; and a mistake that will ultimately put you behind the proverbial eight ball is not doing your due diligence when it comes researching your buy.

This is really inexcusable. I mean really... let's be honest.

With all of the online abilities, and the ease at which this crucial car buying research can be obtained, there is no excuse for not doing this.

So, shame on you, if you don't.

You're going to need to know the invoice price on the car you are looking at because (if you have happened to have read my eBook) you know that you never negotiate from the MSRP (sticker price) down. You always car price negotiate from invoice up.

Besides, if you don't do any research, are you really going to know a good deal if you see one?

Seriously, if you can't confidently answer that question with a 'yes',then you'd better do some more homework.

And while your researching possible vehicles, be sure to include in your research numbers how each car holds its resale value, because when it comes time to trade, this can save you some bucks as well.

So car buying guide tip number one... doing your research or not doing your research well, is a recipe for overpaying when you buy a car. Once you get started you'll be amazed and maybe somewhat overwhelmed with the amount of information available.

There are any number of excellent websites that offer you a wealth of great information and even services that can take a lot of the work and worry off of your plate when you're working on buying your next car.

In fact, as you visit these websites and start doing your preliminary research, I strongly encourage you to start making a folder. Yes, right there on your computer, you should create a folder for your research.

Early on this will be quite a lot of general research, but as you progress and narrow down your choices you'll have a very helpful and informative 'folder' that will serve as an invaluable sales person deterrant and save you money.

Ultimately, once you get ready to head out to some various car dealers, you'll want to physically print out your info from your folder and take it with you as you begin your early shopping.

Step number one - begin your research on some models that you have in mind.

If you'd like to jump ahead and get all the details on the entire car buying process and how get your best possible deal, I've leveled the playing field for you with my complete car buying guide.