If you ask your family or friends whether you should buy a new or used vehicle, you’ll find opinions are divided on which is the better option. Part of this is because of the negative stigma surrounding used cars.
Buying a car is already a big decision, so having that decision depend on outdated myths could cause problems. To prevent this, here are three common myths about used cars that are better off being forgotten.
All Used Cars are Unreliable
Everyone’s either heard or told a story about buying a used car that turned out to be a hunk of junk. And to be fair, that does happen. But the same thing can happen with a new vehicle if it’s not well cared for.
The truth is that any car sold by a dealer has to meet a certain standard to be sold. This won’t prevent problems down the road related to parts wearing out or being driven roughly, but you can be sure that used cars from dealers will still be reliable more often than not.
The same can’t be said for private sellers, but that’s where pre-sale inspections can make up the slack. No matter where you get your vehicle from or what state it’s in, it’s crucial to have a trusted mechanic do an inspection before you buy, if possible.
Vehicle History Reports are All You Need
When buying used cars, vehicle history reports are significant in deciding whether to buy a car or pass on it. They can tell you important information like when the vehicle was serviced, if it was in a reported accident, and how many owners it had. However, vehicle history reports don’t have all the information you may need on them.
Some service and accident records may be missing from the report, or information can be misreported. Knowing this, you shouldn’t take the vehicle history report as all you need to know about a used car. Do your own research or have a mechanic look at the vehicle before purchase.
You Have to Pay Cash to Get a Good Deal
It’s possible that paying in cash got you a better deal on used cars in the past. Back then, dealerships offered incentives to pay for a car in full with cash that could reduce the overall price. These days, those incentives and benefits no longer exist because of market changes, and dealerships actually stand to benefit more by having you finance.
The only advantage to paying in cash now is that you don’t have to deal with interest, but that assumes you can pay for the vehicle in full. If you can purchase a car outright, it doesn’t matter what kind of payment you use – you’ll get the same deal either way.
Now you know not to take car buying advice and myths so seriously. The last thing to remember is that the most crucial part of purchasing a vehicle is being well-informed…and having a good mechanic on standby to inspect the car before purchase!
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