It is inevitable that your long-time family car will eventually seize up and kick the bucket. Or maybe you’re like the many people who like to trade in their car every couple of years to avoid serious maintenance fees; You even may be possibly thinking of investing in another car for your older teens to share so you’re not left stranded at home every night while they rendezvous with friends. Whatever the case, when it comes to buying a “new” car for your families use, you can never be too careful. 9 Year Mortgage poses the question of what do you prefer to buy: New or Used cars? And Why? A second part to such a question is how do you afford it? 9 Year Mortgage has some helps and hints when it comes to such questions, and we’re here to share them with you!

9 Year Mortgage Discusses Which to Buy: New or Used

Buy New, Used or Lease? This is the question! As far as 9 Year Mortgage goes, we would suggest to stay away from leasing a car whenever possible. Leasing a car is practically an extended car rental, where at the end of your designated time period you have to turn the car in or buy it for thousands more than what you have already paid – which is normally higher than what you would have bought it for originally! Here at 9 Year Mortgage we know that many people lease cars, and it may be the best solution for your situation; however we submit that leasing a car may not be the best financial decision to make in the long run, since you will never pay it off and will continually be making payments with no end in sight. With that being said, lets move on to the New or Used decision.

When deciding between purchasing a new or used vehicle you will no doubt be faced with a heckling salesman, too many options, and different opinions between you and a loved one. To make the car buying experience a little easier, 9 Year Mortgage has compiled a list of helpful advice to consider when deciding between new or used, and which car model. Although choosing between different years and models is a tedious task, there is a plethora of advice that actually pertains to both new and used cars:

• Decide What You Want and Research It: Now a days you don’t have to step foot onto a dealership until you’ve narrowed down your list and are ready to test drive a couple cars. Through various websites, like Kelley Blue Book and AutoTrader, you can compare price, gas mileage, seating capacity, customer reviews or even engine sizes between different models. By using these resources, 9 Year Mortgage acknowledges that you may be able to narrow down your choices quite quickly and drastically cut your time spent at dealerships and talking to various over-zealous salesmen.
  
• Determine a Budget and Stay to It: Like any major purchase, you must pre-determine a budget before you buy, and a vehicle is no exception.  Knowing what your budget is will not only allow you to make the smartest financial decision but may also help you in your decision making process. 9 Year Mortgage reminds you that this budget does not just include the price of that car, but what you can afford for a monthly payment, insurance, and monthly gas allowance.
• Talk to the Right Salesman: Have you ever wished that technology was not as commonly used? Well, you’re not the only one! However, when deciding on which car to buy, technology is a lifesaver and money-saver! Did you know that most dealerships now have two types of salespeople? Yep, some in the showroom/car lot and others in the internet department. Now if you are pretty set on the vehicle you want, 9 Year Mortgage believes that you may want to consider talking to the salespeople in the internet department. Try negotiating prices with this portion of the sales team first because they are more likely to give you the best deal since they don’t work on commission, but volume sold.
• Consider a Trade-In: Whether the car you currently have is 12 years old or two years old, you may want to consider trading it in for your new purchase. Once again, try using a website like Kelley Blue Book’s to determine the current value of your car, by doing this you will go into trade-in negotiations with a better idea of what your car is really worth and you’ll be less likely to get ripped off with such knowledge. Either way, you may be able to get at least $1,000 out of your old junker and most definitely more for your newer model; and any money will help you with your future vehicle financing.
  
• Test Drive, Test Drive, Test Drive:9 Year Mortgage can not stress this enough, you MUST take your soon-to-be car for a test drive. And not just a short twenty minute jot to the next town and back. If you want to be certain that this vehicle can handle your every day driving, take as long as you’d like with the car and drive it on every type of road possible: highway, inner-city roads, back roads, rough/under construction roads, twisty and curvy roads as well. Take it to your home, if possible, to determine if it can fit in your garage comfortably or if it can tote your sports or hobby equipment with ease. Some dealers will even allow you to take it overnight! 9 Year Mortgage knows that by taking your time with each test drive that you will not find yourself upset a month down the road (no pun intended) when the purchase is final.
• Negotiate: Did you know that over 50% of cars that are listed for over 30 days have had at least one price drop? Try your bartering skills in order to get the best deal possible. If a new model has been driven a lot or your thinking of buying it used, mention the odometer reading or a cosmetic defect to get a lower price. If you don’t want to worry about negotiating, companies like Costco and  or AAA offer a car-buying service that will do all the haggling for you.
• Don’t Rush Into a Decision: For most, purchasing a car is a rare decision that they must live with for the next ten or so years. Because this is most frequently the case, 9 Year Mortgage encourages you to take your time with any auto purchase. Regardless of what a salesperson may say, you can often find the same car for a similar deal at various car lots, so don’t let their mind games get to you. Take your time, test drive numerous models, and then- with a budget in mind- make your decision when you feel ready.
• Maintain Your “New” Vehicle: If your car comes with any warranty, keep a record with receipts of all and any maintenance or repairs. This will give you the upper hand in case you do need to use the warranty within the time allotment that it covers.

Source: 9YearMortgage