People often dream about owning their favorite car but find it hard to do so without falling prey to the manipulative deals offered by dealerships or private sellers.

The majority of people buying a Used car have no idea what kind of car they desire. However, preparing yourself by accumulating the right resources and knowledge can help you make a wise financial choice. Thus we have combined some tried and tested smart tips for buying a used car.

Table of Contents

The following are some car buying tips that should be kept in mind while negotiating with sellers or dealerships:

Know Your Car Options

The foremost step to buying a used car is to bring clarity to your mind about the requirements needed to be fulfilled by the purchase. You can brainstorm by asking simple questions: How many people do you intend the car to accommodate? Are you a hatchback fan or sedan fan, or anything else?

Setting your goals before buying can help assort the cars that best fit your niche. It is stressed over to do your research to help save your time and money and make you aware of the tactics played by the highly trained salespeople.

Set Your Car Budget

Having a predetermined car budget in mind before buying a used car might help you apply filters to your purchase and streamline your search. You can bargain more confidently and stay true to your financial plan if you have a defined pricing range to work with.

We also recommend that the buyers do not disclose their actual spending limit until after receiving an offer from you. As a result, You will have an advantage over the other party in the negotiation process.

Explore Your Financing Options

If you plan to buy a used car on credit, exploring your financing options beyond those the dealership offers is essential. You can select the best deal by getting quotes from a few places and comparing each based on the price range you are comfortable with. That way, you might be able to get your hands on great rates offered by various automobile loan lenders.

Vehicle History Report

The Vehicle History Report will help you determine any accidental history or have been given a salvage title (declared a total loss by the insurance company). The information can also reveal any odometer rollbacks it might have had in the past. A CARFAX report can help you run such reports yourself if you have the Vehicle Identification Number.

Get the Car Inspected

Although you have the Vehicle History Reports, hiring a mechanic to inspect the car for potential issues is still advised. An expert inspection will not only help you determine more minor leaks or dents but can also reveal any unreported accidents. A car inspection should be placed before shaking hands over the car deal among all the tips for buying a used car.

Test Drive Is a Must

You will have a better understanding of how the car drives and decide whether or not to pursue the purchase after taking it for a test drive. It should involve driving in regular traffic, highways, up and down hills, and any combination. Do run through a mental checklist of things to check off during the test drive before you get behind the wheel. You can back out of the transaction anytime if anything doesn’t sit right with you.

Negotiate, Negotiate and Negotiate

Negotiation is essential if you want to purchase your dream car at a price that you believe is reasonable. In addition, having a proper understanding of how auto dealerships operate is the most effective weapon for negotiating a good bargain on a car. But even though not all of us possess the necessary skills, you shouldn’t let that discourage you. You can always find the correct folks to engage and assist you in buying a used car at a reasonable price.

At Car Concierge Pro, we are your expert negotiators to help you get your hands on the wheels of your dream car. Request a Concierge and leave all the hassle related to buying a used car to us.

Derek Koloditch

February 27, 2024.

I recently purchased a used 2017 Subaru Outback Limited via Car Concierge Pro. The experience was definitely a positive one overall. As someone who purchases a car once a decade or so, I simply do not trust dealerships. They have a variety of tactics to hide the truth about pricing and vehicle history to squeeze every penny from you. Services like Carvana and Carmax charge more for negotiation-free purchasing (shouldn't it be the other way around?) and up-sell you on warranties, Either way, you’re at a disadvantage. So I went looking for an alternative and ran across the concierge option. I chose Car Concierge Pro because pricing and payment are straightforward, and they're technologically more up to speed than their competitors. Everyone on the team assigned to me was very friendly, helpful, and accommodating. My experience was more of a collaborative effort with quite a bit of back and forth around searching, researching, and negotiating. The team was with me every step of the way, handling all the legwork or providing guidance and assistance as necessary. You can be as hand-off or hands-on as you like. If you want to handle searching yourself and let them handle negotiations, you can do that too. Here are some helpful learnings if you decide to go the same route. 1) Try to research models and narrow down what you're after ahead of time. Best model years, common failures, expected repair costs (Consumer Reports, CoPilot, and ChatGPT were very helpful), regional pricing trends (see Auto Tempest). This isn't a requirement, but I personally found it to be helpful. Doing so will help your team hit the ground running and alleviate some stress for you early on. Of course, they’re there to help you dial in on your preferences as well. And keep in mind things may evolve and shift as part of the process. As an example, I focused on the 2019 and later model of Subaru Crosstrek PHEV initially before realizing battery replacement would be a huge hidden expense for very limited range. I discussed this with my team and we pivoted accordingly. 2) Keep your eye on the details. Dealerships might say one thing and do another, or they'll inflate the numbers in one area (like optional packages) to give the illusion of a deal. They might even take favorable photos to hide flaws (like a cracked front bumper on one of the listings I picked). Your team will be very vigilant for these tactics, but it doesn't hurt to be redundant if you're inclined to. For obvious reasons, dealerships do not like dealing with concierges, so they might try and sneak things past them if they realize who they’re dealing with. Your team will reiterate this before closing the deal and signing any papers. 3) Use Lemon Squad for pre-purchase inspections. Ordering an inspection from their site is dead simple, especially compared to their competitors. You'll get photos, video, diagnostic scans, a test drive, and a report, which you can share with your team or knowledgeable friends / family for feedback and use to negotiate further. Better pricing might be available via a local mechanic, but for remote inspections, Lemon Squad is the way to go. As of this writing, pricing starts at $220. You probably don't want to pay for more than two inspections (the money adds up quickly, obviously), so use them once you're ready to commit to a vehicle assuming everything looks good. 4) Use a reasonable search area and adjust accordingly. The wider the search area, the better range of pricing and deals. One caveat is that shipping can get pricey and cut into your savings the further out you go. My suggestion is to stick within a 1000 mile range initially. If you find a good deal on the edge of that range, it might be cheaper to fly out to pick up the car and drive it back. A 16 hour drive is much more doable than a 26 hour drive. All in all, I’ll be going this route again in the future when the time comes. The options + savings are better and it alleviates a notable degree of stress from a generally unpleasant experience. And I can’t recommend Neel and his team enough.

Joseph Flint

February 21, 2024.

I had a very good experience with Car Concierge Pro. Shainit and the gang kept me informed every step of the way, found the car I was looking for and helped me sell my car. Everything was smooth and they were always accessible for questions, etc. Very glad for their firm and strongly recommend.

Jacob Palecki

February 5, 2024.

The team was very diligent and responsive, made the process very easy. Thank you!!

Kalp Parikh

January 23, 2024.

I used them for selling my car. They are amazing to work with right from beginning to end. I got a very nice deal for my car all thanks to the staff!

Daniel Brouder

December 10, 2023.

Shainit did a great job. Service was worth it. He found a car for me 100 miles away when multiple dealers told me there were no models available within 400 miles, and my only alternative was to order this model from factory, which would take a few months and the price was not guaranteed. Appreciate Shainit’s assistance. Thanks

7 Smart Tips for Buying a Used Car

The following are some car buying tips that should be kept in mind while negotiating with sellers or dealerships:

Know Your Car Options

Set Your Car Budget

Explore Your Financing Options

Vehicle History Report

Get the Car Inspected

Test Drive Is a Must

Negotiate, Negotiate and Negotiate

Neel Mehta

Bhavya Mehta

500+ clients served.
$2,500,000+ saved.

or Call Us at

+1 (480) 418-6390

Serving nationwide across United States and Canada

Our fiduciary responsibility is for our clients. We do not promote any specific cars and negotiate every deal with complete honesty and integrity. We keep clients' preferences at the forefront - cost savings and convenience.

The following are some car buying tips that should be kept in mind while negotiating with sellers or dealerships:

Know Your Car Options

Set Your Car Budget

Explore Your Financing Options

Vehicle History Report

Get the Car Inspected

Test Drive Is a Must

Negotiate, Negotiate and Negotiate

Neel Mehta

Bhavya Mehta

500+ clients served.$2,500,000+ saved.

or Call Us at

+1 (480) 418-6390

Our fiduciary responsibility is for our clients. We do not promote any specific cars and negotiate every deal with complete honesty and integrity. We keep clients' preferences at the forefront - cost savings and convenience.

500+ clients served.
$2,500,000+ saved.