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buying a vehicle from a dealer
buying from a dealer, do i need:
1. a driving license 2.any other documents 3. what questions can i ask to pin the dealer down to the "agreed" price? |
Not sure if your buying brand new or second hand but some of the things we needed when we bought ours brand new where driving licenses, documents for old car (we traded in) and proof of insurance for the new car (you have to have that before they will allow you to take it off the lot...well at least at the dealership we used).
Ash :) |
Re: buying a vehicle from a dealer
Originally posted by sew2 buying from a dealer, do i need: 1. a driving license 2.any other documents 3. what questions can i ask to pin the dealer down to the "agreed" price? Which state are you living in? In my case, I live in NC. Before we could drive away with the car, we had to show proof of insurance for the vehicle. You don't state how you wish to buy the car? Will you be getting a loan on it? If so, the dealership will run a credit check on you. This will determine whether or not your eligible for a loan in the first instance and then the rate of interest you'll be offered. Of course, you don't have to get a car loan through the dealership. There's other sources but I have no experience or knowledge about how to get a loan from, say, a credit union or bank. I'd suggest searching on the web about the kind of questions you should ask about buying a car. NC Penguin |
When my husband bought a car off a dealer just after arriving in the US, the dealer said he couldn't sell it to him unless he had a US driving licence! He hurriedly had to take a test.
We got insurance through a brokerage that is very helpful to expatriates and they operate in many States: http://www.plib.com - Personal Lines Insurance Brokers. Be sure to address your queries/speak to a manager with experience of expatriates. Sadly it seems that in the US they don't really have a concept of "No-Claims Bonus" so although not impossible, it's highly unlikely that any insurance company will take your previous driving record into account. They don't even seem to have an equivalent of the Institute of Advanced Motorists in the USA. (We were put in touch with Personal Lines by International Autosource although we didn't buy a car with them in the end as they were a bit underhand). There is a wealth of information on buying and leasing cars on this website: http://www.carbuyingtips.com It's a very extensive site but we picked up so much useful info from it. One very good idea was/is to never tell the salesman how you intend to pay for the car (eg. cash or being financed) *until you have agreed with him exactly how much the car will cost* to drive it off the forecourt. You might need credit to buy it, but he doesn't need to know that until the very last moment. It's best to check with banks and credit unions if you're eligible to join one and see what rates they are offering - normally cheaper than a rate via the dealership. Interestingly enough, we clicked on one of their links (I think it was to http://www.Stoneage.com - If you know the model of a new car that you want, you can get dealers within a preferred radius of your home to send you an e-mail with the price they will sell the car to you. We came up with some very interesting prices and one dealer came back with a better car and cheaper price than Intenational Autosource was trying to fob us off with (they supposedly cut out the 'middleman' by offering factory prices to diplomats and 'about-to-arrive' expats. Useful I guess if you need to take out a car loan - but probably not at the most competitive rates). Also I watched a really interesting consumer report on NBC's Dateline a couple of weeks ago, all about car dealership scams. I suggest you read it: Go to: http://www.msnbc.com - scroll down on the left column to "Dateline" then click on 'Consumer Reports". |
Originally posted by Englishmum When my husband bought a car off a dealer just after arriving in the US, the dealer said he couldn't sell it to him unless he had a US driving licence! He hurriedly had to take a test. We got insurance through a brokerage that is very helpful to expatriates and they operate in many States: http://www.plib.com - Personal Lines Insurance Brokers. Be sure to address your queries/speak to a manager with experience of expatriates. Sadly it seems that in the US they don't really have a concept of "No-Claims Bonus" so although not impossible, it's highly unlikely that any insurance company will take your previous driving record into account. They don't even seem to have an equivalent of the Institute of Advanced Motorists in the USA. (We were put in touch with Personal Lines by International Autosource although we didn't buy a car with them in the end as they were a bit underhand). There is a wealth of information on buying and leasing cars on this website: http://www.carbuyingtips.com It's a very extensive site but we picked up so much useful info from it. One very good idea was/is to never tell the salesman how you intend to pay for the car (eg. cash or being financed) *until you have agreed with him exactly how much the car will cost* to drive it off the forecourt. You might need credit to buy it, but he doesn't need to know that until the very last moment. It's best to check with banks and credit unions if you're eligible to join one and see what rates they are offering - normally cheaper than a rate via the dealership. Interestingly enough, we clicked on one of their links (I think it was to http://www.Stoneage.com - If you know the model of a new car that you want, you can get dealers within a preferred radius of your home to send you an e-mail with the price they will sell the car to you. We came up with some very interesting prices and one dealer came back with a better car and cheaper price than Intenational Autosource was trying to fob us off with (they supposedly cut out the 'middleman' by offering factory prices to diplomats and 'about-to-arrive' expats. Useful I guess if you need to take out a car loan - but probably not at the most competitive rates). Also I watched a really interesting consumer report on NBC's Dateline a couple of weeks ago, all about car dealership scams. I suggest you read it: Go to: http://www.msnbc.com - scroll down on the left column to "Dateline" then click on 'Consumer Reports". Just to let you know, USAA an insurance company and bank, give sort of 'no-claims bonuses' at the end of the year if you don't file a claim. I got a cheque the other day which was a great surprise!! |
Re: buying a vehicle from a dealer
My husband & I just bought a second hand car from a dealer. I was surprised that at no point did they ask to see either of our drivers licenses. (I don't have one, as I'm learning to drive right now.)
Before we left with the car, the finance lady wanted to know the phone number of our insurance company, to be sure that we were covered on the way home. As for the price, my husband asked the dealer to add up all the tax, fees etc and that came to around $500. He then worked this into the overall price - saying that we couldn't go over the original round figure and he'd have to include all the fees and tax in with the cost. After some hesitation, he did. |
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