Sunday 14 September 2014

Five Things To Know When Shopping at Car Dealerships

It's one thing to decide which vehicle you want to buy, but it's another to decide where to buy it from. Whether you're thinking about buying a Ford Mustang or a Ford Fiesta, these tips will help you make an informed decision when it comes to shopping car dealerships.

Read Online Reviews

Car dealerships rely heavily on customer satisfaction. Reading testimonials can help you size up the competition. These can be found on the Internet with just a few clicks. Conduct a search by typing something like "car dealerships customer reviews" and a number of choices should pop up.

Ask Yourself: How Long Has The Dealer Been Around?

Reading customer reviews and testimonials aren't the only way to size up a dealer. Longevity is just as important. Dealers come and go, but the best ones last for a while. This kind of information is easily available online, which can help narrow down your choices.

Better Business Bureau

This one is easy. You can check a dealer's track record with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) in your state easily via the Internet. They keep records of all customer complaints over the past 36 months. If complaints have been filed, the record will show whether they've been resolved and adjudicated according to BBB standards.

Shop Around

Go ahead and shop around once you've narrowed down your choices. The smartest buyers are the most informed buyers. In the past, access to information was limited, so dealers could charge whatever they wanted even if the competition was just down the street. That's not the case anymore thanks to the Internet. You can have every vehicle listing in the area in the palm of your hand with just a few clicks. Take advantage of this, so that when it comes time to negotiate, you'll truly have the upper hand.

Check J.D. Power and Associates

J.D. Power and Associates maintain detailed studies, scientific research, and rankings called Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) and Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) that give an overview of customer satisfaction ranked by manufacturer. The results are widely available, and many car dealerships will hand over a copy of their report if asked to produce one. Some may even give you one right off the bat. Whatever the case, be sure to carefully read J.D.P.A. reports before shopping.