When you’re in the market for a used car, you have a lot of choices. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed. How do you know which dealerships to trust? What should you look for in a vehicle? Which questions should you ask before signing the dotted line?
In this post, we’ll take some time to explore the nuances of buying your next used car from an automobile dealership and cover some tried-and-true best practices from professional auto experts that may be helpful during your search. We’ll also give some pointers on how to find great deals online as well as at physical stores that can make any vehicle purchase easier and more convenient than ever before.
For those who aren’t familiar, a dealership is a business that represents multiple car manufacturers at once. Dealerships have to have special licenses and meet stringent requirements in order to sell new cars.
This means you can expect greater service, repair, and warranty options from a dealership than from any other source. If you’re looking for a used car, using a dealership is almost always your best bet for finding quality vehicles with the backing of a respected dealer -– especially when you’re looking for luxury cars. Why? Because not many used fresno car dealer specializing in high-end models unless they’re selling certified pre-owned vehicles (CPO).
Car dealerships are often located at showrooms or lots (or sometimes just on the street) where they advertise and sell their used cars. They may also run a used car financing company or have an auto finance department.
There are several different types of dealerships that a buyer can approach, and knowing what each one is there for can make the difference between buying a car or not. We’ll break down the different types of used car dealerships below:
The Car Dealership -– An automotive dealership may only sell new cars, which means they will hold all of their used cars in a warehouse, where they bring buyers to inspect vehicles before signing paperwork. If you’re interested in buying a used car from the dealership itself, you should be working with a finance department or salesperson who has experience with financing and purchasing vehicles.
The Car Lot -– A lot is an area where several different dealerships rent space for selling their inventory. You’re likely to find dealerships in this type of location at shopping centers, car dealerships, and truck dealerships. Your best bet is to contact your local dealership directly to see if they have any vehicles available.
The Used Car Store -– This type of dealership focuses on selling used cars and may offer a wide range of inventory. Cars can range up to luxury models, and the sales process should follow a similar model as the dealership above, though you’ll likely be dealing with a finance team or salesperson who has previous experience with financing used cars
