4 deadly mistakes buyers make when getting a new car!
So, the time has come, the Audi A4 you bought when you first got married is on its second gearbox and the oil is making you slip in the driveway every time you move the car. What’s next? What you know for sure is that it is time to upgrade to that new BMW X3 all the bells and whistles. But what if we told you that the next few steps you make can save you literally $1000’s when purchasing the new deal.
Look, let’s get one thing straight. We are by no means a financial institution and are not permitted to give out any financial advice. I think this is very important for the information below. Due to the fact that we are not tied to any bank or major retailer, our sole purpose is to inform you about the tips and tricks that are tried and test in the real world.
Today let’s look at the 4 deadly “sins” of purchasing a new car. These are in no particular order and are just as important as each other.
Sin 1: Not shopping around!
Face it, your plan for the weekend was not to drive around Sydney looking at car yards getting pestered into signing a contract that you have barely had time to look at in order to test drive a car. This has to be one of the most crucial mistakes that so many people make. With the aid of the internet, buying a car has never been so easy! Sites such as www.carsales.com.au and www.carsguide.com.au make it literally easy as plugging in your location and car you are after and finding the best deal at the touch of your fingertips. It is not just the financial side that you are doing the research on. The features, models and extras are all so easy to check up on and read reviews about. Gone are the days when the salesman confuses you into picking the V8 engine with Xdrive when all your going to do is pick the kids up from Trinity Boys, and the occasional trip down to Berry on the weekend. Select all the upgrades you want, after careful research and then use the filters on the left hand side to pick the model you want with the features. This will then give you the opportunity to compare apples against apples so to speak. It is important when looking at price that the model, features and condition is identical. Looking at a BMW X3 Xdrive and comparing the price to say a BMW X6 will be an obvious mistake.
Do you shop around for your vehicle purchase?
Yes
No
Sin 2: Trade in’s
This is by far one of the trickiest traps to fall into. When you have selected the car you want and are ready to start getting serious about negotiating, it is common for the dealer to ask about a trade in right from the get go. We have found that if you ‘ignore’ the question and keep talking about the deal that’s on the table first it can be much more beneficial. Try to focus on bringing the price down the most prior to talking about the trade in. In most cases, selling the car privately will fetch $1000’s more than going the simple route of just trading it in. It is so important to remember that when the time comes to show the car to the showroom or even selling it privately it MUST present in the best condition possible. Remove all your items, remove any tatty mats or even replace them with some $25 sets from Supercheap Auto. It makes the biggest difference when the car looks in well kept condition. Nowadays, it is so easy to book a car detail to come to your workplace or home whilst you can carry on with your own work. There are so many mobile car detailers in Sydney that there really is no reason not to book one in. Some can now even write an ad and take the photos if you wish to sell it privately online like Carsales or Facebook Marketplace etc. Before placing the ad online or taking it to the showroom the best trick is to check the value on www.redbook.com.au This is the same site that the dealer uses to do their “expert” research while they contact “the buying manager”.
Sin 3: Addons:
Ok, now you are an expert in research, and your head is filled with all the value-added features that you need, the best price and you have sold the old beast. Now it is time for dealership add-ons. Add-ons are the biggest ticket items that the dealership actually makes money from. It is the one thing that is so important that they usually have a very attractive “after sales” service manager who will offer you a drink and make you look over all the millions of items that will no doubt make them meet their KPI this month. The 4 biggest ones are:
Window tints: These are the black films that go on the inside of the window permanently to block UV rays and other harmful sun rays coming in. The biggest misconception is that new cars come with a “factory tint” this is a myth. The only factory tint that there is, is privacy glass and this is not even a tint. It’s a dark enamel inbuilt into the rear glass to make them darker. This is important to know when getting a car tinted that most window tints are done by mobile tinting companies at the car lot after it has been received by the dealership. The main point of this extra is that you can get this done at a fraction of the price elsewhere. Often mobile window tinters will use a ceramic-based film that gives a much stronger and more scratch-resistant lifetime warranty. You will also only need to get the front 2 windows done which might cost as little as $150 for a ceramic film. This can also be negotiated into the sale price of the vehicle as they are often the least expensive to the car yard.
Ceramic paint protection: This has to be the most lucrative item for the sales manager to sell to you. The product most sold is either Protecktiv coating or MotorOne depending on who is doing the work. The most important thing to know about ceramic paint protection is that the product is only as good as the preparation that comes before it. The dealership will often outsource this to a local detailer anyway who is contracted to apply the coating in the quickest, cheapest way possible. This often means that they will wash the car (or have it washed prior from the dealership) then correct the major defects such as deep shipping scratches on bumpers etc. then apply the product. It is crucial to know that ceramic paint protection or ceramic coating for short is one of the most important things that you can do to protect your investment. It is a clear liquid applied on the paint via a applicator pad or felt cloth. The product itself is only around 30ml which will do a whole SUV easily. You can get this service done much cheaper and at a far better-quality finish at a local detailing shop or mobile detailer. Fast Sale Detailing will come to you anywhere in Sydney and apply an Australian made ceramic coating with a 9h hardness. This is crucial to know, any ceramic coating claiming a lifetime warranty will have a list of terms and conditions as long as your arm. It is important to think about how long you will be keeping the car for. Most people will keep the car for around 4-5 years. This is why Fast Sale Detailing offer a 5-year product warranty that is specific to your car and in your name. They are fully mobile and will perform the service in your garage or driveway and leave the car with you. No more driving out to a shop or waiting for the car for weeks. You can drive the car in 48 hours without any worry which is one of the biggest features of having a mobile paint protection service. The paintwork is also fully machine polished to remove any swirl marks and light scratches that are on the car from delivery. This is the step that almost always is skipped from the dealership. When choosing the right ceramic coating company always remember to check the T’s and C’s of the coating and what stipulations must be met when making a warranty claim. Also, the level of paint correction that will be done prior to the application of the ceramic coating.
Driver recording camera (Dashcam): This is a very hard one to judge. The dashcams offered by dealers are often off branded units that are installed by 3rd party auto electricians. It would be favourable to price match this to your preferred reseller such as Autobarn or Strathfield Car Radios. Very often you can pick up a BlackVue front and rear camera system with hardwiring to the car for a fraction of the price that the dealer offers it. It can seem tempting to go with the dealer as they will state that it will lower your insurance premiums and other cost saving tactics to get you to go with them. Going to a reputable auto electrician, you can almost always save a substantial amount of money and have a direct line of contact who can train you on how to use the features on your phone etc.
Floormats/ interior extras: This is a no brainer. If you want to save the interior of your car, get the mats. It is almost impossible to replicate factory mats. The best option is to negotiate this into the price of the sale and then either use them and protect them when you get the car ceramic coated with an interior protection, or buying some cheap mats to place over the mats. There is also websites like Fitmyride.com.au that can do almost OEM quality mats at a fraction of the price. They will fit just as good and use all original mounting points etc. The best option would be to opt for a full interior protection package and get the seats, leather and carpets all coated in a nanotechnological coating that will be super hydrophobic and protected against spills and stains.
4: Negotiating:
The hardest part of the process is knowing when to call it a fair deal. This is the part of the whole sales process that is the biggest cat and mouse game and salesmen LOVE to play it. To be the best at negotiating, you need to know when to take the deal and when to walk away. Almost always the first price that the dealer gives will never be YOUR best price. It will be the price that they hope to get from you. There are a ton of techniques that they will use such as asking you what you’re hoping to pay. This opens you up to giving a number that they know will be your absolute lowest, when armed with this they will try almost anything to get more out of you. The best strategy is to compare the best prices from your research about the car and call up a few places prior to even going into the dealership. This way, you will have a few prices that you know will be better than the one they are offering. It is important to know that most car yards will have monthly quotas for selling vehicles in order for the sales staff to meet their sales targets. If you go towards the last few days of the month, they will be much more likely to give you the best deal possible to get your business. This is the best time to negotiate and use the prices that you have got from other places to see what they can offer. Remember, if you are willing to sign on the day, the deal will be all that much sweeter to the sales staff.
To summarise, you will need to do your homework well before you even step foot on the showroom floor. The benefits of the internet and freedom of information available on the internet is the best possible tool you have at your disposal.
