Besides your home, the purchase of a vehicle is probably the most expensive item you’ll ever buy. When buying used, it can be very difficult to determine whether the vehicle you’re about to purchase is exactly what you’re getting. Some questions you might ask yourself include:

• Has this car ever been in an accident?
• How many people have owned this car?
• Has the car been damaged by floods, fires, hail, or other natural disasters?
• Is the mileage on the odometer trustworthy?
• Has the car ever been recalled?
• Was the car ever repossessed or stolen?

How can you get an answer to any of these questions?  No matter what, you should always have the used vehicle you’re interested in purchasing examined by a certified mechanic to make sure any possible issues are diagnosed and resolved before you spend your money. The other thing to do is to run an AutoCheck vehicle history report on the vehicle’s identification number (VIN).

Exclusive accident data from Experian now helps you answer those questions with greater confidence. The accident data Experian has made available to its customers not only provides you a wealth of information, it provides you with accident data that Carfax® does not have. That means if your Carfax® report comes back clean, it still may have been in an accident that is not in their records. Don’t waste your money by paying too much for a vehicle history report! Buy an AutoCheck vehicle history report today.

* In 2009, Pipal Research, an independent research organization, compared data in AutoCheck and Carfax vehicle history reports. The study employed a sampling approach designed to provide data across 23 vehicle brands and to reduce the introduction of bias attributable to data selection. Pipal Research’s data sample included vehicle history reports from AutoCheck and Carfax for more than 55,000 vehicles, including 5,685 vehicles with accidents. Pipal Research found that AutoCheck vehicle history reports in the study had more than twice the number of vehicles with accidents reported as compared to Carfax. The study also found that the AutoCheck vehicle history reports — as a group — had more than double the number of overall accidents reported as compared to the Carfax group of reports. Both findings are statistically significant, calculated at the 95% significance level.

 Check out “Your Market Place” where I have provided a direct link to Auto Check Services. I can’t stress the importance enough! Know what you are buying and buy with peace of mind!

** Prices compared on AutoCheck® and Carfax® websites on 6/3/10.

 Every dealership has a quote,” Fleet Manager”. What is a fleet manager? The fleet manager was implemented when companies were buying several or fleets of vehicles for their employees use. This day and age, very few companies provide vehicles to employees for their use. Several manufactures do not even sell fleet volumes of vehicles. So, what does a fleet manager actually do at a dealership? The answer is; sale more cars than any of the other salesmen. He’s the dealership’s golden boy and they have groomed him to this position. All dealerships offer employee programs to large business, school districts, government agencies and so forth to purchase at  no hassle prices.  It seems like a great deal, no hassle, but the price is still $200 to $500 dollars over invoice price. And you thought you got a great deal?

 I get asked this question so often I decided to write an article about it. What is your cars retail value? I provide several links on this page to help you answer your question. Your first step is to obtain the correct information about your vehicle. The exact year and model information can be found on a permanent I.D. tag and the tag can be found on the left side front door jam or in some foreign models on the left passenger rear door jam. Next you will need the accurate mileage from the odometer and finally take a look at your vehicle as if you were going to buy it. Buyers notice every little blemish, scuff and scrape. In fact, used car buyers used to BLOW me away with all the nit picking they would do. I do understand, but it is a used car, Right?

 Click the links provided, either Kelly Blue Book or Edmund’s or both and input your information making sure to use your correct zip code and research retail values. These are just guidelines for price value and if selling yourself, you must be prepared to be flexible with your price.

 If your vehicle has 100k miles or more, a bank will not finance the purchase, so any deal you make will have to be a cash deal and if you’re thinking of a trade in, dealerships do not want it. If all you are wanting out of your used car is $500 to $1,000, then trade it in to a dealership, otherwise you must sell it out right.

 Please refer to past articles I have written on the subject of “driveway sale”, “selling your car” and many more found in the “Catagories” area of this page.

 Be Careful and Good Luck! If I can be of further assistance, please contact me and I will respond A.S.A.P. jim@askthecarbuyguy.com

There is no mythological car buying time. But, it’s like a tale that has been passed down from generation to generation. The story grows and grows until it is just out of proportion. It’s no myth; car dealing at the beginning of the month can prove to be beneficial for you.

 Every dealership and salesperson begins each month with a blank page and it reads zero. Believe me when I say, there are quota’s to be met with each new month, by both dealership and sales person.  One day I’m going to write an article on the car salesmen. I believe the consumer may have their eyes opened to just who these people are and what they have to put up with and go through to just make a living!

 The dealership as well as the sales person wants to rack that first sale for the month. You as the consumer really have carte blanche when it comes to negotiations. Use this in your favor and get the best deal possible.  Look, you want to BUY, they want to SELL. This is the best of both worlds and it all depends how prepared you are to purchase, when the time is right!

 You’re looking to buy a new car or truck and doing all the research necessary. Unfortunately there is one topic a majority of people forget about is their credit score. I make a habit of beginning my relationship with a customer by figuring out if they can actually purchase a vehicle. Most people have to acquire a loan to purchase their vehicles and that’s just how it is. My first question to a prospective buyer is; rate your credit between 1 and 10. A majority of people will answer with I’m a 6 and of course this is a midrange number and this is why they choose 6.

 Here’s the deal in a nutshell. You have to know your “true” FICO score. FICO is FICO and there is no way around it. In “YOUR MARKET PLACE”, I offer a direct link to obtain a true FICO score. When you take advantage of this service, it makes you a completely informed buyer. This along with all your other research gives you tools to negotiate with the dealerships and the lenders.

 Whether buying a car or buying a house; your true FICO credit score is the only score that counts with every lender!!

 I will be adding articles in the future showing how knowing your true FICO score will help to get the best car deal, financial rate and even working to get cheaper extended warranty coverage for your vehicle.

STAY TUNED!

 When I sold cars for a living, a majority of people were what I’ll call “Bottom Dollar Buyers”. Now that I’m helping people buy their next autos, I still find many people to also be “Bottom Dollar Buyers”. I’m just going to say it now; there really is more to buying a car than your bottom dollar drive out price. I believe once I explain this, more people will agree than disagree.

 I don’t care if one dealer is $1,000.00 cheaper than another for the same automobile; if they are not an honest and reputable dealer, then you will get exactly what you pay for. If you’re dealing with a salesperson that only cares about “HIS” bottom dollar; you will not receive the best service you deserve.

 I place more value in TRUST, than I do in bottom dollar price! You just can’t buy trust! There are so many games played today with price, from one dealership to another. I’ve actually lost car deals over $50.00 cheaper price. I always followed up with a customer, whether they bought from me or not and the stories some would share. For instance, the $50.00 cheaper deal the customer spent 6 hours in the other dealership and finally in the finance office they find out the salesman had held back the destination charges ($710.00) in the price. This put their best price $660.00 more than my honest price quote. I inquired why they didn’t just walk out and come get the honest deal. The simple answer was they had already spent or wasted so much time at that point, they just went ahead and contracted there.

 Once again an example of how an auto negotiator can be beneficial to you with obtaining the best and above all an honest deal. The negotiator is in “your” corner and working for YOU.

 Time is money and for every hour lost or wasted to make your next car deal, equals dollars added (savings lost) to the final selling price of your vehicle.

 I just confirmed the new law recently passed by the state of Georgia. It is now against the law to operate a motor while texting on a cell phone or any other device in the entire state of Georgia. To date, many states have passed the no texting law and I’m sure in the near future all states in the United States will follow suit.

 It’s a good law and should be adhered to by all. If you are caught violating this law, it is indisputable. A permanent record of all cell activity is stored in your phone and recorded with each cell provider. All the police have to do is check the records which are also time and date stamped as to when the device was used.

 Let’s just all admit, that is a very unsafe practice while driving a motor vehicle. That call or text can wait until you have reached your intended destination.

 Let’s be safe out there and “Arrive Alive”.

 Wanting to replace my 12 year old home A/C with a new efficient model, I soon realized I needed to put car buying principles to use. I know you’ve seen the ads all over the place for the tax credit to upgrade to an efficient model. Did you catch the small print at the bottom of the ad? (only certain equipment qualifies) But, the plot thickens!

 Ok, I soon find out that it’s not just certain equipment, but only certain brands and sizes. In my research I find out that only 3 or 4 brand name units qualify. These units also use the new Puron Refrigerant not the old R-22. Now when you go to the new Freon systems, you also have to replace the evaporative coil. In other words; the complete unit in the attic. Now, let’s see, I’m replacing the outside unit and the inside unit to get the $1,500.00 tax credit. Not quit; the heating unit must also be replaced to qualify for the credit. *!@%#!!!!

 I’m really looking for a more efficient unit to save money each month with the electric bill and the tax break was just a bonus. I am looking at between $8,000 and $13,000 to complete the job.  I’ll negotiate this deal just like I would a car deal. I’m a buyer and ready to purchase. The company that offers the best deal along with reputation of customer service will get the job.

 Remember this last statement! There is more to making any large purchase deal than the bottom dollar!! I will be writing an article concerning this very matter in the near future.