How To Get the Most Value Out of Car Shopping
What Makes a Good Buying Experience?
What’s your car buying experience worth? Would you pay a little extra for a good buying experience? If you’re someone who avoids shopping for a vehicle simply because your past experiences were less than stellar, you’re not alone. Important financial decisions must be made, there’s pressure to choose a car before you leave the dealership, and it gets pretty confusing when you’re being bounced around from person to person during the transaction.
The thing is, too often, people focus solely on price when looking to buy a car, and while that is an important factor, there are others to consider in order to get the most value out of your car shopping experience.
Atmosphere
The first impression begins the second you pull into the parking lot. Take a second to analyze the atmosphere. Is it positive? Family-friendly? Were you greeted with a happy and welcoming attitude? Were you escorted into the air conditioning and offered refreshments? If three different salespeople already approached you within the first five minutes, turn around and fast. You should seek out an atmosphere that’s pressure-free. The environment should enable you to roam about and browse freely without hassle. Gone are the days where you get haggled into buying a car that didn’t feel absolutely right.
Customer Service
You know it’s a good buying experience when you feel like you have the freedom to shop without being bombarded with various sales pitches or when you feel empowered to make a decision that you will walk away feeling confident about rather than unsure. Buying a car from a dealer doesn’t mean you have to put up with gimmicks. In fact, with typical dealer gimmicks comes an inability to form meaningful connections. The person you’re purchasing a vehicle from should be helpful, knowledgeable, patient, and transparent. You should consider your salesperson as a lifelong partner in the car buying process and be able to trust and lean on them at any moment during and even following a purchase.
Information
Buying a house and buying a car are two of the biggest financial decisions you’ll ever make, which means they should not be made lightly. On the other hand, when buying a car from a dealer, you should never have to go fishing for the financials. Instead, that information should be provided immediately and clearly explained. You are entitled to not only know but also understand what you’re paying, including any financing terms, and why. When buying a car from a dealer who knows their stuff, some things you may be presented with include a vehicle history report, inspection report, Kelley Blue Book report, market analysis report, and any additional or hidden fees. Don’t settle for minimal information on such a hefty purchase.
Post-Sale
Becoming partners in the process means being available as a resource following the transaction’s close. It means accountability if any issues should arise within a specific time frame following purchase. It means taking care of your friends and family just the same as you were taken care of. Are you in the know on any specials or offers? Were you offered any incentives or maintenance deals to take advantage of within the first year of owning your new ride? A good buying experience begins once you’ve arrived on-site, but it should never truly end if you’ve trusted the right dealership. Your transaction may be complete, but soon enough, it’ll be your daughter’s turn, or your mother’s turn and you want to know you’re buying a car from a dealer who will be with you all at every turn.
A deal is considered a good deal if both the product and the service are good—if your questions are answered, your needs are met, and you leave feeling satisfied with your purchase and confident you made the right choice (and confident that you will return in the future).
Next time you go looking to buy a car ask yourself if you’re truly getting a good deal while keeping these points in mind. If the answer is no, come to Auto House. We worked hard to shatter every preconception around car shopping. Instead, our customer care is built around you and your needs only. The process is streamlined—one fair price, one consultant with an experience that no others can match.
For more information on Auto House, our inventory, or our unique car buying experience, contact your nearest location today!