10 Steps To Finding Reputable Used Car Dealerships

10 Steps To Finding Reputable Used Car Dealerships - When it comes time to replace your vehicle with a pre-owned automobile, finding the right used car dealerships to shop can be tough. Here is a quick list of ten ways to find the best one for you.

Ask Around

Word of mouth is still the best advertising. Talk to the people you know who have recently (in the last year or two) purchased a vehicle from a dealer. How was their experience? Would they go back?

Research Online

Look up the business's social media reviews. People are very candid on the Internet. But, take these reviews with a grain of salt. It is much more likely for someone to leave a bad review than a positive one. Also, check that a real customer, and not just someone who works for the company, created the good reviews.

Reference the Better Business Bureau

The BBB website records complaints filed against companies that can be viewed for up to 3 years after being filed. The BBB also shows whether or not the business did anything to resolve the issues in each case.

Read Consumer Reports

The Consumer Satisfaction Index and the Sales Satisfaction Index housed with J. D. Power and Associates gives great insight into the buying and service experience of a company.

Know What You Want

Do enough information gathering on the type vehicle you are planning to buy to know if you are getting a good deal or not. If you do not know exactly what you are looking to purchase this can be a little tricky.

Now let's take our search offline and into some actual used car dealerships. Start visiting individual lots and noting the experience at each. Dealers are usually located in close proximity to one another so it is easy to hit a few in a short period of time. Here are the things you need to look for.

Stock

Different lots will have a variety of vehicles. From your previous data gathering you should have a good idea of what make and model you would like to buy. Pick a dealer that sells and services a lot of these models.

Facilities

Are the grounds clean? Is the building well maintained? Generally if a place does not care enough to keep their property nice, they are not going to care too much about treating you well either.

Customer Service

It is easy to pick out a desperate salesperson. If they come on too strong or steer you toward more expensive or less reliable vehicles than you are looking for, then look for the door.

Available Services

Find out what all is offered when you buy from each business. Do they guarantee the vehicle for a certain amount of time? How much maintenance and repair is included? This is a great aspect to negotiate on if they will not budget on the price.

Longevity
How long has that particular dealership been operating in your town? The truth of the matter is bad businesses will go out of business, especially in a service-oriented industry. The longer they've been around, the more confident you can be in their business.